Death threats against Colombian WRI affiliate Red Juvenil de Medellín

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Statement of the War Resisters' International Executive Committee

War Resisters' International is very concerned about the death threats received by its Colombian affiliate Red Juvenil de Medellin. Last week, Red Juvenil received death threats in the name of "Aguilas Negras" (Black Eagles) [1], a name widely used by groups of supposedly demobilised paramilitaries.

On Thursday 29 and Friday 30 May 2008, Red Juvenil de Medellín received the following message from redesnegras@hotmail.com: "Death to anarchists disguised as a pacifists. No more concerts of drugs and communists. No further notice." The threats were directed at eight named members and close friends of Red Juvenil [2], and signed Aguilas Negras.

War Resisters' International is concerned about the negligence of the authorities of Medellin in permitting the re-emergence of groups such as the Aguilas Negras, apparently formed by former paramilitaries, and the threat they pose to human rights in Medellín and to youth groups such as the Red Juvenil. War Resisters' International reminds the authorities of Medellin and Colombia that the prevention of human rights violations by groups such as the Aguilas Negras is one of their responsibilities, and that they will be held accountable for failure to act if the Aguilas Negras put their death threats against named activists of the Red Juvenil into practice.

War Resisters' International expresses its strong support and solidarity with its affiliate Red Juvenil and all their activists, who under difficult circumstances promote nonviolence as a means to resist militarism and violence within the society of Colombia, and refuse participation in any of the armed groups, be they legal or illegal.

War Resisters' International calls for messages of solidarity to Red Juvenil, and for messages of protest to the authorities of Medellin and the government of Colombia [3].

The new threats followed two recent incidents:


  • On 15 May, in the morning when members of Red Juvenil arrived at the office, they found that light fuses had been stolen, something they immediately connected to demands for protection money ('una vacuna') made on the shop at the premises - the shop of the agro-ecological network Raiz (Root) - a 'vacuna' that they refuse to pay.

  • On 17 May 2008, Red Juvenil held the "Concert Antimilitarism XIV, commemorating 10 years of its existence" [4] in Labor Park in Boston - an event obstructed by the failure of the Corporación Democracia [5] to keep its agreement with the municipal authority: Instead of completing its event with displaced mothers by 11.30 am, its activities had not ended by 2pm and its platform was not only until 7pm. Although Red Juvenil believe that this failure to observe the agreed schedule was tantamount to sabotage by the Corporación Democracia, the Antimili concert took place successfully with the participation of more than 5,000 young people, thus meeting the goal of mobilising youth who share the vision of a different society and want to resist all forms of oppression and militarism.

Since 1990, Red Juvenil de Medellin, a network of youth groups, has worked in Medellin, promoting nonviolence and often using art and culture to express its philosophy of resistance to oppression and to all forms of militarism.

The death threats are aimed at this positive expression of nonviolence, as is evident by an expression such as "Death to anarchists disguised as pacifists, no more concerts drugs or communists". The aim of the Aguilas Negras is to homogenise society, to enforce uniformity and close the space for diversity. These aims are put into practice through death threats such as the ones received by Red Juvenil, and are followed up by acts of "social cleansing", as is evident from the annual report 2007 of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia [6]. Through its commitment to nonviolence, WRI affiliate Red Juvenil affirms the defence of life and opposes the elimination of human beings for thinking differently.

War Resisters' International, Executive Committee, 9 June 2008

Notes

[1] Black eagles (Aguilas Negras) is a name frequently used by newly emerging armed groups, mostly made up of supposedly demobilised paramilitaries. The structures, interests and modus operandi of these groups are not homogeneous, and the use of identical terms to describe them often conceals a wide variety of different activities, aims and alliances. However, whatever their denomination, they remain a legitimate source of concern because they continue to inflict violence on the civilian population. Many of these groups have been engaged exclusively in illegal activities which imply a control of territory and of the population, such as drug-trafficking, extortion, security-related actions, racketeering and other illegal activities. Their activity is making a noticeable impact on the population in the form of murders, massacres, acts of "social cleansing", death threats and child recruitment, evidencing the need for ever greater efforts by the authorities to combat these new groups and investigate their possible links with public servants and local government officials. The authorities have detected that former middle-ranking cadres from previous paramilitary groups act as heads of some of these new groups, and that a number of low-level demobilised members operate in areas which were once zones of influence of the paramilitaries. Information received by the office in Colombia claims that these groups maintain links with demobilised paramilitary leaders. (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia: Annual Report 2007)

[2] The people who appeared on the list and who are and have been activists of Red Juvenil were: Gloria Castaño, Martin Rodriguez, Paula Galeano, Eduardo Castrillon, Alexandra Castrillon, Patricia Llano, Diegro Agredo, and Claudia Montoya.

[3] Addresses:

[4] Since almost 15 years, Red Juvenil organises the concert "Antimili Sonoro" on a Saturday close to 15 May - International Day on Conscientious Objection - as an expression of cultural resistance to militarism.

[5] Corporación Democracia is the organisation representing and reintegrating paramilitaries 'demobilised' in the 2006 negotiations with the government.

[6] ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND REPORTS OF THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER AND OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Colombia, 2007

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