Action Alert Archives : June 2001
URGENT ACTION-PLEASE RESPOND IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE THE LIFE OF KIMY PERNIA DOMICO
With great shock ICCHRLA has learned of the kidnapping and disappearance of our dear friend KIMY PERNIA DOMICO, an indigenous Embera Katio leader in Tierralta, Colombia.
PLEASE ACT NOW BY SENDING LETTERS DEMANDING KIMY'S SAFE RETURN !!!!
The Facts:
On Saturday June 2 at 6:20 p.m., KIMY PERNIA DOMICO was attacked by 3 armed men traveling in two white motorcycles who forced him onto one of the motorcycles and drove off. The abduction occurred near the headquarters of the Embera Katio in Tierralta, Colombia (Cabildos Mayores del Rio Sinú y Rio Verde). At one point, Kimy attempted to escape, jumping off the motorcycle. He was quickly overpowered, handcuffed and a gun was held to his forehead. He was forced back on the motorcycle between two of the men while the third followed them on the second motorcycle.
According to witnesses, Kimy was heard to yell "they've grabbed me” as they left the town of Tierralta on the road towards the departmental capital, Monteria. As they approached a gas station, Kimy threw himself off the motorcycle a second time but was forced back once again.
While no one has claimed responsibility for this cowardly act, the way in which the abduction was carried out lends itself to the conclusion that this act was perpetrated by members of a paramilitary group. This was confirmed to ICCHRLA by the state’s Human Rights Ombudsman in Monteria (Defensor del Pueblo). As this action was being drafted, Kimy’s whereabouts remained unknown.
Background:
Kimy Pernia Domico is a highly respected and key leader of the Embera Katio indigenous nation in the northern department of Cordoba, Colombia. In November 1999, ICCHRLA had the privilege of hosting Kimy Pernia Domico when he came to Canada to testify at Hearings conducted by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade about the devastating impact of the URRA I dam that received partial financing from Canada's Export Development Corporation (EDC).
Kimy’s testimony revealed that since the construction of the URRA I dam, fish in the river have disappeared and the Embera - robbed of their main source of protein - are becoming sick due to malnutrition.He also testified that the dam's reservoir is flooding Embera homes, land and crops.Disturbingly Kimy Pernia shared with the Parliamentary Committee the fact that paramilitary death squads had murdered four Embera leaders who had protested this situation on behalf of Embera communities. He further stated:
“Let me be clear; saying these things to you today puts my life in danger… The [paramilitary] gunmen have set fire to our boats to prevent us from going to meetings. They have set up checkpoints on the rivers and detained our people. Anyone who dares to speak out about Urra is accused of being involved with the guerrilla and with that pretext, they have declared both our communities and leaders to be a military target. You can understand that my people live in great fear both of imminent attack, as well as what the future holds for us without land or fish.”
In December 1999, the Colombian Ministry of the Environment authorized the filling of the reservoir, ignoring a court injunction which called for this to be suspended until an agreement with the Embera was reached. More than 150 Embera women, men and children walked 15 days to the capital city Bogota where they occupied a piece of land adjacent to the offices of the Ministry of the Environment. After four months, the government and the Urra company signed an agreement with the Embera on April 19, 2000. The accord committed, among other things, to ensure respect for the human rights of the Embera and their leaders.
In 2000 the case of the Embera Katio became part of the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative's GLOBAL LAND RIGHTS ACTION CAMPAIGN. The Campaign has called on the government to address Canadian Corporate Involvement in the damage done to the Embera Katio. The Jubilee educational video resource Sacred Land, Scarred Land documents the case of the Embera Katio, profiling the leadership of Kimy Pernia, and has been widely distributed throughout Canada.
In the fall of 2000 shortly after the premiere of Sacred Land, Scarred Land ICCHRLA received word that army-back paramilitary gunmen had abducted 21 members of the Embera Katio. This, together with the assassination the following day of three other Embera Katio, prompted ICCHRLA to mobilize an immediate and substantial response soliciting action as we do today. That time, shortly after the mass kidnapping, the 21 Embera were released. We were told that a critical factor in their safe return was the outpouring of responses from concerned Canadians. Clearly, we need to equal if not surpass that response today. Writing letters can save lives --- please respond!!!
Most recently in April 2001, ICCHRLA had the privilege of hosting Kimy Pernia Domico again when he travelled to Quebec City to participate in the alternative People's Summit Human Rights Forum during the Free Trade Summit of the Americas.As a representative of the Embera, Kimy spoke about the broad national and international effects of the devastating consequences that the URRA I Dam has had on the Embera's livelihood and survival.
Demonstrate the outrage of Canadians at this horrendous attack against a renowned Colombian indigenous leader peacefully working for social change.
- Demand the safe return of KIMY PERNIA DOMICO to his community. - Demand an immediate stop to the harassment and violence that has been directed against the Embera Katio people and their leaders. - Demand that the armed actors in Colombia's conflict respect the Embera territory and that they do not covert it into a war zone. - Demand that the government comply with the April 19th Accord, which promises to respect the human rights of the Embera leaders and communities.
SEND LETTERS TO: Señor Presidente Andres Pastrana Arango
Presidente de la Republica
Palacio de Narino, Carrera 8 No.7-26
Santa Fe de Bogota,
Colombia
Fax: + 571 287 7939, + 571 284 2186, + 571 289 3377 or + 571 337 1351
Or try +571 336 2109
These numbers don’t seem to work; you can email:
Apastra@presidencia.gov.co
Señor Vicepresidente Gustavo Bell Lemus
Cra. 8 #7-26, Palacio de Narino
Santa Fe de Bogota,
Colombia
Fax: + 571 337 1351
Embassy of the Republic of Colombia
360 Albert Street Suite 1003
Ottawa, ON K1R 7X7
fax: 613 230-4416
Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia
Mr. Guillermo E. Rishchynski
Carrera 7 No. 115-33 Piso 14
Bogota, Colombia
tel. :011 57 1 657-9800
Fax: 011 57 1 657-9912
COPIES TO Hon. John Manley
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Fax: (613) 996-3443
ManleJ@parl.gc.ca
Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia ONIC
Apartado Aereo 32395
onic@colnodo.apc.org
ICCHRLA
Fax: (416) 921-3843
icchrla@web.ca
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President Andres Pastrana Arango
President of Colombia
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Dear President Pastrana:
On behalf of a coalition of development, environment, human rights and faith Canadian groups, I am writing to you concerning the kidnapping of Kimy Pernia Domico, leader of the Embera Katio people, by three armed men. The coalition urges you to take the appropriate actions to ensure the safe return of Mr. Pernia to his community.
According to information we have received from the Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA), Mr. Pernia was attacked at approximately 6:20 PM this past Saturday, June 2, by armed men traveling in two white motorcycles who handcuffed him and forced him with a gun to his head to leave with them. The abduction occurred close to the offices of the Embera Katio in the city of Tierralta, Cordoba. His whereabouts remain unknown to us.
Kimy Pernia is well known to our coalition and to Canadians, having visited our country in November 1999 as a key witness before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade in regards to the reform of the Export Development Act. He was also present at the Human Rights Forum of the Peoples Summit in Quebec City last April.
Mr. President, in April your government signed an agreement with the Embera in which, among other things, you committed to protect the rights of the Embera Katio and their leaders. We demand an immediate stop to the harassment and violence that has been directed against the Embera Katio people and their leaders.
We urge your government to comply with the commitments made in this agreement and to do everything you can to ensure the safe return of this renowned and courageous leader.
We will anxiously await your response.
Sincerely,
Émilie Revil
Coordinator
NGO Working Group on the Export Development Corporation
