Background

The following urgent action comes at a sensitive time for social protest in Colombia. On a daily basis civil society is taking to the streets to protest against the free trade treaty being debated in the US Congress. In University of Valle de Cauca, Cali students are demonstrating against this and the Ley De Transferencias, the new funding legislation that will see the dismantling of public further education in Colombia. Some students are camping within the university grounds in protest of the reforms. Protests and Police blockades are happening there several times a week and students constituted a large proportion of the following marches:

The Foundation Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners (Valle de Cauca Section), bring to the attention of unions, social organizations and of national and international human rights organizations the presence of two infiltrating functionaries of the police in the March of National Unemployment called by the CUT and the Great Democratic Coalition (on the 23 May, 2007) for: democracy, truth, the raising of salaries; and against the `Plan of Development4, para-politica corruption, cuts in university funding and the privatizations of the state businesses.

The march convened to leave the grounds of the University de Valle de Cauca in the city of Cali, at 9:00 AM. It proceeded in relative calm until 11:40am when some marchers notice that there are two suspicious individuals. When they were asked to abandon the march and denounced as intelligence agents they reacted aggressively - displaying their weapons.

Similarly on the 1 May (in the plaza of San Francisco) three individuals of Sijin were detected. Though the march initiated in complete calm it was not difficult to note the presence of state intelligence agents infiltrated among the sexists observing and photographing many people throughout the rout.

When these infiltrators were quickly detected and denounced they were quickly obliged to withdrawal to protect their anonymity. The majority of these intelligence agents placed themselves in couples inside the march.

After the arrival to the plaza of San Francisco, more were identified infiltrating in various different places. One of these was armed and on being discovered tried to hide amongst the crowd. Seconds later he drew his weapon and aimed it at various marchers, among them was a member of the board of directors of the union SINTRAMETAL. He then hid the weapon again and fled toward the entrance of La Gobernacisn (Government Building) where he hid amongst the support of the police.

During the struggles to expel these individuals from the crowds, some marchers were threatened and attacked physically as well as verbally. Two of these were injured, one of whom is a human rights defender.

All these situations (possibly provoked by agents of the state) meant that the ceremony of commemoration and denunciation that is carried out each year after the march could not be finished.

It is probable that intention was to provoke some demonstrators during the mobilization but that they were not able to because of the determination of the marchers.

We call to all unions, social organizations, of national and international human rights to be on the alert that these occurrences may reoccur in future mobilizations. The purpose is to provoke marchers and to generate chaos. Police may then proceed to detain marchers and retaliate with armed aggression.

THE FOUNDATION COMMITTEE OF SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS (VALLE DE CAUCA SECTION),

Santiago of Cali, May 23, 2007

Please send your denunciations to:

Por favor, enviar sus denunciaciones a:

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Procuradurma General de la Nacisn, Dr. Edgardo Josi Maya Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Fiscalia General de la Nacisn, Dr. Mario Iguaran Arana Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ; This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Defensoria del Pueblo Dr Wolmar Perez Ortiz Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Comisisn Interamericana de Derechos Humanos Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

S.O.S

La Fundacisn Comiti de Solidaridad con los Presos Polmticos seccional Valle del Cauca, alerta a las organizaciones sociales, sindicales y de derechos humanos nacionales e internacionales de la presencia de dos miembros y funcionarios de la policma infiltrados en la marcha del paro nacional convocada por la CUT, la Gran Coalicisn Democratica, en el dma de hoy, 23 de Mayo de 2007, por la Democracia, la Verdad, el Alza en los Salarios y Contra El Plan de Desarrollo, la Parapolitica, Recortes en las Transferencias, Las Privatizaciones de las Empresas Estatales.

La marcha que se convoco para salir desde los predios de la Universidad del Valle en la ciudad de Cali, hacia las 9:00 AM, venia transcurriendo en relativa calma, hasta eso de las 11:40 AM cuando a la altura de la Calle 5* con carrera 56, cuando los compaqeros se percatan que hay dos individuos sospechosos dentro de la marcha, a los que intervinieron para saber quienes eran, al darse cuenta que son miembros infiltrados de la Sijin, estos a su vez reaccionaron esgrimiendo sus armas de dotacisn, cuando se les pidis que abandonaran la marcha.

Cabe anotar que el primero de mayo, igualmente en la plaza de San Francisco se detectaron a tres individuos de la sijin, pese a que la marcha inicis su recorrido en completa calma, no fue difmcil notar la presencia de personas de los organismos de inteligencia del estado infiltrados entre los machistas observando y fotografiando a muchas personas durante el recorrido.

Algunos de estos infiltrados tan pronto eran detectados fueron denunciados para que se vieran obligados a retirarse, fue asm como al verse descubierto procedman a alejarse, la mayorma de estas personas miembros activos de la SIJIN se desplazaban en parejas dentro de las cuales se encontraban inclusive mujeres.

Despuis de la llegada a la plaza de San Francisco, cuando se iniciaba el acto, fueron identificados en lugares distintos varios infiltrados mas, uno de ellos armado, quien al verse descubierto trats de perderse entre la gente, segundos mas tarde desenfundo el arma y le apunto a varios compaqeros, entre ellos un miembro de la junta directiva del sindicato SINTRAMETAL, luego guardo nuevamente el arma y huys hacia la porterma de la gobernacisn donde se ocults con el apoyo de la policma.

Durante los forcejeos para expulsar a los infiltrados de la masa, hubo compaqeros amenazados y agredidos tanto fmsica como verbalmente, dos de ellos resultaron heridos, uno de los cuales es defensor de derechos humanos.

Todas estas situaciones, posiblemente provocadas por agentes del estado, fueron la causa por la que no se pudo Terminar el tradicional acto de conmemorativo y de denuncia, que realizamos cada aqo despuis de la marcha en esta fecha.

Es probable que intencisn fuera atentar contra algzn(os) manifestante(s) durante la movilizacisn y no lo pudieron lograr por la persuasisn de la gente.

Hacemos un llamado a todas las organizaciones sociales, sindicales, de derechos humanos nacionales e internacionales a estar alertas frente a estos hechos que ya se vuelven reiterativos en las movilizaciones, con la intencionalidad de provocar a los marchantes y generar caos en las movilizaciones, para tener motivos y proceder a las detenciones, los golpes y la agresisn policial por parte del ESMAD.

FUNDACION COMITI DE SOLIDARIDAD CON LOS PRESOS POLITICOS

SECCIONAL VALLE DEL CAUCA

Santiago de Cali, 23 de Mayo