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Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez, a lawyer for human rights organisations
such as the Sembrar Organisation, the Nomadesc Association, la
Corporación Jurídica Utopía (Legal Utopia Organisation) y Fedeagromisbol,
has been subject to increasing levels of surveillance and intimidation.
Jorge
Eliecer Molano Rodriguez represents the family members of the victims of the Palace of
Justice massacre; the February 21st, 2001 massacre against the Peace
Community of San José de Apartado; espionage by the Administrative Security
Department (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad – DAS) of
organizations, human rights defenders and magistrates; the extrajudicial
executions of Jhonny Silva Arangueren and Alejandro Uribe Chacón;
Operation Dragón; false positives in San José del Guaviare, Sur de
Bolívar and Sur del Cesar; and the legal proceedings against Fernando
Londoño Hoyos, Germán Vargas Lleras and Francisco Santos Calderón.
From 23
till 27 November 2009, on three occasions, unknown persons, dressed in
plain-clothes, had gone to the reception of the residential complex in
which the lawyer Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez lives and have tried to gain access to his home. The persons
refused to identify themselves or to present documents, and when the
watchman on duty tried to contact the apartment to see if Jorge Eliecer
Molano was present and wanted to see them, the visitors left suddenly
saying that they would try to contact him again later.
Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez provides also legal
representation to victims of human rights violations, such as the
families of those killed in the massacre in the Comunidad de Paz de San
José de Apartado (Peace Community of San José de Apartado).
In
recent months Jorge Eliecer Molano's offices have been under surveillance
by unknown persons in plain-clothes. The lawyer's mobile telephone has
been tapped since 2004, reportedly by the DAS, as part of a general
practice of surveillance of human rights defenders, magistrates and
political leaders. During the past month, Jorge Eliecer Molano has
reported that interference with the telephone has increased. He has
noticed strange noises and his calls are routinely disconnected.
In
addition, numerous comments about Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez have been posted on internet
forums. These have included comments such as: “Me dirijo exclusivamente
al vulgar y desvergonzado eduarda (jorge molano) para manifestarle mi
asco, mi repugnancia. huele a terrorista, a apátrida, a dinero de los
infelices secuestrados, que le abonan seguramente cada quincena sus
patroncitos del
monte. si tiene familia, seguramente que caminan cabizbajos. me imagino
que usted no sabe qué es honor” (I address myself only to the vulgar and
shameless Eduardo [Jorge Eliecer Molano] to demonstrate my disgust, my
repugnance. He smells like a terrorist, an unpatriotic person, with money
from unhappy hostages whose bosses on the mountain probably paid him
every fortnight. If he has a family, surely they walk crestfallen. I
imagine that he doesn't know what honour is). The following text is
repeated on several internet pages: “Queremos dejar constancia de que si
algo nos sucede a nosotros o a algunos de nuestros familiares,
responsabilizamos a la juez y a su asesor el abogado Jorge Molano, que
nuestra sangre caiga sobre estos personajes” (We want to state that if
anything happens to us or our families, we place responsibility upon the
judge and her advisor, the lawyer Jorge Molano, that our blood falls on
those persons). The author of these statements signs off as Mr Alberto
Acosta, which is the name of a retired officer of the National Army.
Jorge
Eliecer Molano's partner has also been the subject of repeated followings
in the centre and north of Bogotá. On the 7 September 2009 at 11.00am,
upon leaving a meeting at the Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo
(José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective), she noticed a man begin to
follow her.
TAKE ACTION!
REQUESTED ACTION :
Please send letters to the
following officials. You can write in English or Spanish; tell them that
you are concerned for the safety of Jorge Molano and that you request
urgent and thorough action to protect him and his family so that he can
continue to carry out his courageous and important work.
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ
Presidente de la República
Carrera 8 No. 7 -26 Palacio de Nariño Bogotá
Fax. 5662071
auribe@presidencia.gov.co
FRANCISCO SANTOS
Vicepresidente de la República
Carrera 8 No.7-57 Bogotá D.C.
fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
FABIO VALENCIA COSSIO
Ministro del Interior y de Justicia
Avenida El dorado con carrera 52 CAN Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 2221874
ministro@minjusticia.gov.co
GUILLERMO MENDOZA
Fiscal General de la Nación
Diagonal 22B No. 52-01 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 570 20 00
contacto@fiscalia.gov.co
denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co
WOLMAR ANTONIO PEREZ ORTIZ
Defensor del Pueblo
Calle 55 No. 10 – 32 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 640 04 91
defensoria@defensoria.org.co
secretaria_privada@hotmail.com
ALEJANDRO ORDOÑEZ MALDONADO
Procurador General de la Nación
Cra. 5 No.15 – 80F Bogotá D.C.
anticorrupción@presidencia.gov.co
reygon@procuraduría.gov.co
CARLOS FRANCO
Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos
de Derecho Internacional Humanitario.
Clle 7 N° 5 – 54 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 337 46 67
cefranco@presidencia.gov.co
fibarra@presidencia.gov.co
Se ruega escribir también a
las Representaciones Diplomáticas de Colombia en sus respectivos países.
Your Excellency,
I am very concerned by the fact that my colleague Mr Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez,
Eliecer Molano has been recently subject to increasing intimidation.
Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez provides legal representation to
victims of human rights violations, such as the families of those killed
in the massacre in the Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartado (Peace
Community of San José de Apartado).
Jorge Eliecer Molano Rodriguez also serves as a judicial advisor to
the Corporación Sembrar, Asociación Nomadesc, Corporación Jurídica Utopía
y Fedeagromisbol.
According to information received from FIDH, on 1 December 2009, Jorge Eliecer
Molano Rodriguez’s bodyguards were informed that during the past week, on
three occasions, individuals dressed as civilians arrived at the
reception desk of the building where Molano lives, asking to be let in to
his apartment. These individuals refused to identify themselves, and when
the guard attempted to call the apartment to verify the presence of
Molano Rodriguez the visitors left hurriedly, indicating that they would
call him later.
In recent months Jorge Eliecer
Molano's offices have been under surveillance by unknown persons in
plain-clothes. The lawyer's mobile telephone has been tapped since 2004,
reportedly by the DAS, as part of a general practice of surveillance of
human rights defenders, magistrates and political leaders. During the
past month, Jorge Eliecer Molano has reported that interference with the
telephone has increased. He has noticed strange noises and his calls are
routinely disconnected.
Moreower, he cellular telephone of
Molano Rodriguez has been tapped since 2004, as part of the espionage
against human rights defenders, high court magistrates, and political
leaders carried out by the DAS.
During the last month interference in Molano Rodriguez’ telephone
communications has been notable, including strange noises and the
recurring cut-off of calls.
In previous months the Ministry of the Interior and the DAS have been
informed of the surveillance being carried out at Molano Rodriquez’s
office by individuals dressed as civilians who keep watch on his
movements
In response to Molano Rodriguez’s
involvement in the hearings in the cases against various officials of the
Colombian Army for the forced disappearances of 11 people in the events
of the Palace of Justice on the 6th and 7th of November, 1985, many
comments have been published on mass media websites. The comments against
Molano Rodriguez include, “I refer exclusively to the vulgar and
shameless eduardo( jorge molano) in order to express my disgust, my
repugnance. He smells like a terrorist, like unpatriotic person, like the
money of the poor kidnapped people, which his bosses in the mountains
surely pay him every two weeks [translator’s note: this is an inference
of payment from the guerrilla]. If he has a family, they must walk with
their heads lowered. I bet you don’t even know what honor is.”
In addition to this, on various webpages the following text appears: “We
want to state that if something happens to one of us or to our families,
we take responsibility for the judge and her advisor the lawyer Jorge
Molano, that our blood falls on those people,” written by someone
identified as Alberto Acosta, who it seems ia a retired official of the
Colombian Army.
Molano Rodriguez’ partner has been the object during the last several
months of repeated and visible surveillance in the center and North of
Bogota. On the 7th of September around 11am as she left a meeting in the
José Alvear Restrepo Lawyer’s Collective and began to walk north down 7th
Avenue, she noted that a tall, robust man with light-brown short hair and
sharp features dressed in a white shirt with blue strips and jeans began
to follow her. Noting that she was being tracked, she decided to enter a
shop full of people where she was able to hide amongst all the people.
The man entered and looked for her, but upon not seeing her left by
another door.
The 14th of September around 7pm, she was once again the object of
following by a burly man who wore black pants, a light-colored jacket,
black shoes, was dark-skinned, had black hair, a round face and a large
nose. The man visibly followed her for several blocks.
I believe that the surveillance and intimidation
of Jorge Eliecer Molano and his family are directly linked to his work as
a lawyer in the defence of human rights, in particular his pursuit of
justice for victims of human rights violations in Colombia. I see this as
forming part of an ongoing pattern of harassment against Jorge Eliecer
Molano, and fears for his physical and psychological integrity and
security.
I urge the Colombian authorities to:
1. Carry out an immediate, impartial
and thorough investigation in
order to determine the persons responsible for these acts of persecution
and harassment described in this urgent action, and that they be punished
in an exemplary manner.
2. Immediately adopt, in an agreed upon manner,
efficacious and immediate measures for real and effective protection of
the lawyer and human rights defender JORGE ELIECER MOLANO RODRIGUEZ and
his family that allow him to fully carry out his work.;
3. Ensure that all human rights
defenders in Colombia are free to carry out their legitimate human rights
work without fear of restrictions or reprisals.
Yours sincerely
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