I was pleased to see José Miguel Vivanco and Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno’s thoughtful and well-considered article on the terrible conditions in Colombia in the latest edition of Progress (Troubled Times, February 2008).
For too long, Labour in government has chosen to ignore the evidence of widespread extrajudicial executions and other blatant abuses of fundamental human rights in Colombia. Despite compelling evidence from the UN, NGOs, trade unions and the TUC in the UK and organisations such as Justice for Colombia, the government has continued to provide military assistance to some of the most brutal elements in the Colombian armed forces.
When visiting Colombia in 2005 I was amazed by the resilience and strength of those who were standing up for democracy and human rights in the face of state-inspired terrorism and fear. I was equally amazed at the attitude of the UK diplomats in Bogota who appeared to be in a state of complete denial about military assistance or the condition of working people and their trade unions. One British diplomat suggested that I must be a supporter of the Marxist Farc guerrillas in response to questions about the death of a trade union leader.
The UK government continues to supply military aid to the Colombian government. Whilst I accept that it is not appropriate, given the vital need to protect the lives of UK troops, to provide full details of exactly how and where the money is spent, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office still refuses to disclose the total value of the aid provided. As a point of comparison, the US government does disclose the amount of total aid and where it is spent. There are no human rights conditions attached to the provision of UK military aid, though the US government does impose these conditions.
The evidence shows that human rights abuses and extrajudicial executions are on the increase, and yet the aid continues. The justifications for continuing to provide military aid are that the money provides for human rights training, humanitarian de-mining and explosive ordinance disposal and counter-narcotics operations. However, human rights violations are on the increase and the flow of cocaine out of Colombia continues. In terms of de-mining, a parliamentary answer in January 2008 revealed that only 8% of the aid money is spent in this way. This leaves 92% of UK military aid unaccounted for thus far.
As your writers suggest, the UK should rethink its policy towards Colombia. In the US, the Democrats have already signalled a clear intention to change policy direction. Prominent Democrats, including Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi have raised strong concerns about the conduct of the Colombian government. Barack Obama has joined with Clinton and Pelosi in opposing a free trade agreement with Colombia due to concerns about violence towards trade unionists in Colombia. The UK government must look again at its policy toward Colombia – not only because we risk falling behind our colleagues in the US, but because this is the right thing to do.
We are working closely with Justice for Colombia and the trade union movement to build bridges with our colleagues in Colombia and to exert pressure on the UK government to change its policy. There is pressure from within the Labour party for a change in direction – with support from all non-government members of Labour’s NEC, all Labour MEPs and a large part of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
I would urge all progressive thinkers to join with us and call for the UK government to look again at its support for the Colombian regime.