Sisters and Brothers,
Though we've been more prolific than usual with our e-communications over the past two months, and we try not to overload your inbox, the Fellowship of Reconciliation released a report on Thursday that has significant bearing on our work there.
Click here to get the summary, the recommendations, and the full report through our website.
Extensive research by FOR's staff and colleagues shows fairly conclusively that there is at least a correlation, if not a causal link, between U.S. Military aid to Colombia and the number of civilian deaths in the areas where the Colombian Military is most active.
"For the 16 largest increases of aid...the number of reported executions in the jurisdiction increased an average of 56%.... In other words, when there were significant increases in assistance to units, there were increases in reported killings in the periods following the assistance in the assisted units' areas of operation."
This has significant implications for U.S. funding there, and appears to be a violation of the Leahy Amendment, which "prohibits assistance to any foreign security force unit if the State Department has credible evidence that the unit has committed gross human rights violations."
Rev. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, PPF's Director of Colombia Programs, is currently in Colombia and was present for the launch of this report. "I have seen glimpses of grace in the midst of great trauma and pain in so many that we have met. The staff of FOR and Witness for Peace who are working tirelessly for human rights in Colombia are an inspiration—as they struggle to deal with the personal pain of holding so much information and seeing so much destruction on a daily basis."
Please take the time to read the entire report, which is well-documented and powerfully written, take action by contacting Secretary of State Clinton, and share it with others.
If you would like to join a group that is working on closing U.S. Military Bases in Colombia, please write to ppfwitness@gmail.com.
Peace, peace, though there is no peace,
Rick
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