Loan Adviser

Human Rights calls on Obama to express concern about human rights Uribe

The petition in this regard was raised by HRW to presidenteObama in a letter dated June 24 and released today by sudirector executive, Kenneth Roth.

Obama and Uribe will meet next Monday in the White House under an official visit of Colombian President to these United.

The letter also calls on Obama to end the Colombian alGobierno support maintaining the administration of former presidenteGeorge W. Bush by of what he described as antecedentesdel Uribe Government in relation to human rights.

Also, Obama requested that conditional ratification the Treaty of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between both countries and asistenciamilitar United States of respect for human rights, lademocracia and the rule of law by the government of Uribe.

We ask that you stand firm in its position During the presidential campaign and to make it clear that the support of NAFTA suGobierno depends on whether workers in Colombia puedenejercer their rights without fear of being killed, says Roth Lacarte.

We also urge you to United States to clarify the conditions required elcumplimiento existing human rights is subject to lascuales military aid, he adds.

As for the human rights problems and threats to lademocracia, HRW reports identified einterceptaciones illegal surveillance by the Security Administrative Department (DAS).

According to HRW, such monitoring has focused on deoposicion figures as former President Cesar Gaviria, as judges of Supreme Lacorte investigated the infiltration of mafiasparamilitares in Congress, and journalists, human rights yorganizaciones unions.

It also includes what he describes as repeated acts of intimidation and agresionesverbales from Uribe and funcionariosdel government against its opponents.

HRW noted that frequent extrajudicial killings deciviles attributed to the Colombian Army, have been described porel the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial as systematic.

According to HRW, the Attorney General's Office estariainvestigando many cases apparently involving over 1,700 victimasdurante recent years. Uribe has refused to recognizethe problem magnituddel.

HRW says that other problems are continuacontra union violence and impunity for these crimes and the utmost activity of new armed groups linked to paramilitaries, despite its supposed demobilization.

We hope (Obama) also take this opportunity paraexpresar President Uribe the importance of acting in conformity with the basic principles of democracy and human rights, including respect for the separation of powers and the role of civil society, Roth said in the letter. EFE