AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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AAAS Human Rights Action Network

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FACTS OF THE CASE:

On 21 September 2001, officials identifying themselves as from the Technical Investigation Body of the Attorney General's Office (Cuerpo Técnico de Investigacíon de la Fiscalía) reportedly arrested Policarpo Emilio Mazo Mazo, a student at the Universidad Autonoma Latinoamericana in Medellín, Colombia. Eyewitnesses reported the incident at a nearby police station. According to eyewitnesses, the police went to the location where the men were detaining Mazo and helped them put the student into a waiting car. He has not been seen since that date. It is suspected that he may have been "disappeared" by the security forces.

Policarpo Mazo is student leader at his university. He has been the subject of increased repression by paramilitary groups. In recent months, he has received several death threats and was physically attacked. Paramilitary groups have attacked and threatened several student activists across Colombia. Paramilitary groups have targeted student groups, along with human rights defenders, trade unionists, and other activist organizations in Colombia, for their suspected sympathy and assistance to rebel groups. These groups are often not aligned with any of the rebel guerrilla groups. In fact, they often suffer similar repression from the rebel groups, who accuse them of collaborating with the government and paramilitary factions.

Human rights organizations have documented a clear link between paramilitary groups and government forces. A recent Human Rights Watch report on the subject concluded that "Colombian military and police detachments continue to promote, work with, support, profit from, and tolerate paramilitary groups, treating them as a force allied to and compatible with their own." Paramilitary groups often employ harsh tactics, including death threats, disappearances, and torture.

(Sources of information for this case include: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The October 2001 Human Rights Watch report on Colombian paramilitary groups can be accessed electronically at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/colombia)

RELEVANT HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

American Convention on Human Rights

• Article 04: Everyone has the right to life.
• Article 07: Everyone has the right to personal liberty and security. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or imprisonment.
• Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression.
• Article 16: Everyone has the right to freedom of association.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

• Article 9(1): Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.
• Article 19(1): Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
• Article 22: Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

• Article 12: (1): The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. (2): The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: (c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases; (d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
• Article 20(1): Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams, faxes, airmail letters or emails:

• Expressing concern for the safety of Policarpo Emilio Mazo Mazo;
• Urging the authorities to take all measures necessary to conduct a full and impartial investigation into the arrest of Mazo to determine his whereabouts;
• Urging the government to take immediate action to protect other student activists and human rights defenders in Colombia;
• Calling for a full and impartial investigation into the links between the government security forces and paramilitary groups operating in Medillín; and
• Calling on the government to take all necessary steps to sever any government support for these groups and bring those responsible for violations of human rights to justice.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

Señor Presidente Andres Pastrana Arango
Presidente de la República
Palacio de Narino
Carrera 8 No.7-26
Santafe de Bogotá, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 566-2071
Salutation: Dear Mr. President / Excmo. Sr. Presidente

Dr. Armando Estrada Villa
Ministro del Interior
Ministerio del Interior
Palacio Echeverry, Carrera 8a , No 8-09 piso 2
Santafe de Bogotá, COLOMBIA
Faxes: 011 57 1 562 52 98 /562 98 90
Salutation: Dear Minister / Sr. Ministro

Dr. Luis Camilo Osorio
Fiscal General de la Nación
Fiscalía General de la Nación,
Diagonal 22B 5201
Apartado Aereo 29855
Santafe de Bogotá COLOMBIA
Faxes: 011 571 570 2022 (If the call is answered, say "Fax, por favor" and wait for the signal.)
Salutation: Dear Dr. Mendez / Estimado Dr. Mendez

COPIES SENT TO:

His Excellency Luis Alberto Moreno
Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia
Embassy of Colombia
1101 17th Street NW, Suite 1007
Washington DC 20006
Fax: (202) 332-7180
Salutation: Dear Mr. Ambassador

Please send copies of your appeals, and any responses you may receive, or direct any questions you may have to Victoria Baxter, AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, 1200 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20005; tel. 202-326-6796; email vbaxter@aaas.org; or fax 202-289-4950.

The keys to effective appeals re to be courteous and respectful, accurate and precise, impartial in approach, and as specific as possible regarding the alleged violation and the international human rights standards and instruments that apply to the situation. Reference to your scientific organization and professional affiliation is always helpful.

To ensure that appeals are current and credible, please do not continue to write appeals on this case after 90 days from the date of the posting unless an update has been issued.

To verify the contents of this alert and/or the electronic signature, please download the signed file for this alert along with the Program's PGP Public Key.

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