Colombia: the new wave of social protest and the dirty war against the people
05/11/2011
While much is known about the shocking human rights situation in Colombia, little is known about the Colombian resistance movement and popular struggle against neo-liberalism and imperialism. This year has witnessed a dramatic increase in popular struggles all over the country: students, oil workers, peasants, poor communities, indigenous groups. As a result, the dirty war waged by the system has become even dirtier. Massacres are on the rise and so are military actions all over the country.
In February 2010 a human rights delegation from Asturias visited Colombia for the sixth time to record the humanitarian crisis in the country. They were harassed by the army and were denied access to interview political prisoners in the infamous prison of Valledupar, La Tramacúa, where a number of political prisoners have died this year out of ill-treatment, torture and deprivation. They did manage to cover the situation in the departments of Antioquia, Caquetá, Cauca, Cesar, Putumayo, Bolívar y Cundinamarca. In all of these places, they corroborated the dramatic humanitarian situation and the systematic abuse of the military and their death squads against the population. Most importantly of all however, they give a voice to those who day to day struggle for a just Colombia, for a new country which belongs equally to all of its offsprings.
The results of the mission and many interviews were recorded in a documentary (subtitled to English for the first time). This will be screened to open up a debate on the situation in Colombia.
The coordinator of this commission, Javier Orozco, a person with a deep knowledge of the Colombian conflict and with an international reputation for his work for human rights, will present the documentary and will be available for questions and answers from the public.
Javier Orozco Peñaranda (50), is an ex-member of the national executive of Colombia's main trade union (CUT), ex-member of the national council of peasant and indigenous organisations of Colombia. He has been a refugee in Spain since 2001 (after a death squad put a price on his head) and now he's the coordinator of the programme for temporary asylum for Colombians victims of violence in Asturias.
- Derry: Saturday 5th November. Sandino's bar, Water Street, 7pm
- Belfast: Monday 7th November. Red Devil bar, Falls Road, 7pm
- Galway: Tuesday 8th November. Galway Public Library, Augustine Street, 7pm
- Cork: Wednesday 9th November. Solidarity Books, Douglas Street, 8pm
- Dublin: Thursday 10th November. Pearse Centre, Pearse Street, 7pm
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