The North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Blog

"The resignation of Foreign Minister María Consuelo Araújo came days after Mr. Uribe expressed support for her. But fallout from the arrest last week of five politicians, including her brother, Senator Álvaro Araújo, on charges of working with paramilitary squads in a kidnapping case related to the scandal, made her presence in the cabinet untenable."(New York Times (2/20/07), And this is the government that The Coca-Cola Co. claims cleared the company in impartial investigations of SINALTRAINAL's allegations of labor and human rights abuses.

The New York Times, "Foreign Minister of Colombia Quits in Scandal," By Simon Romero, February 20, 2007
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A report from December 2006 shows links between the Colombian government and threats to SINALTRAINAL: "On 12 December [Colombian Vice President] Santos attacked the union's [SINALTRAINAL] fight for justice from notorious multinationals Coca-Cola, Nestlé and other private corporations, and contended that they are pushed by 'sectors of the extreme left, radicals infiltrated into trade union sectors that are generating absolutely absurd campaigns against the corporations'. In Colombia this is a green light for paramilitary attack and, following Santos prompt, two days later the 'Black Eagles' left a death threat inside the home of Barranquilla SINALTRAINAL activist EURIPIDES YANCE, also targeting his fellow Coca-Cola workers LIMBERTO CARRANZA, CAMPO QUINTERO and several local trade union, student and social movement leaders, as well as defenders of human rights. The Black Eagles gave their targets one week to leave, or else." (December 2006 Campaign Action Alert on this incident -- the first of the two threats after the Santos statement.)

Our Action Alert regarding a February 2007 threat -- the second of the two threats since the Santos statement -- against SINALTRAINAL leaders by the Black Eagles

posted by Alan  # 11:49 AM