August, 03 2010, 09:18pm EDT
BREAKING NEWS: Former Prisoners of Conscience Take Protest to Military Base in Colombia
Nine U.S. human rights activists are holding a vigil at the Tolemaida military base in Colombia with a 12 foot banner that reads "U.S. Military out of Colombia."
TOLEMAIDA MILITARY BASE
The Tolemaida military base is one of seven Colombian bases to which the
U.S. military has been granted access for 10 years under the
U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in October
2009. The
agreement has been met with opposition by Colombian and international
human rights groups. It caused tensions in the region after a U.S. Air Force document became public that revealed that the United States military is planning to use the seven Colombian bases for "full spectrum operations throughout South America" against threats not only from drug trade and guerrilla movements, but also from "anti-U.S. governments" in the region.
Father Roy Bourgeois, SOA Watch founder and Purple Heart recipient, is
leading this delegation of SOA Watch activists. Most of them have
served federal prison terms for nonviolently calling for closure of the
School of the Americas (SOA), now called the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). By confronting this
current escalation of U.S. policy, the U.S. activists at Tolemaida are
expressing solidarity with courageous Colombians working for peace and
justice. Members of the delegation come from all over the United States,
are equally male and female, and represent a wide variety of life and
faith experiences.
To read the press statement that they are now delivering at the Tolemaida base, visit SOAW.org/docs/aug3statement.doc
For bios and quotes from the human rights activists, visit SOAW.org/docs/aug3bios.doc
Press statement in Spanish: SOAW.org/docs/aug3espanol.doc
Bios and quotes in Spanish: SOAW.org/docs/aug3biosespanol.doc
"The bases agreement operates from the same failed military
mindset that has given rise to the School of the Americas (SOA/
WHINSEC)," said Father Roy Bourgeois. "The purpose of the
bases and the purpose of the SOA/ WHINSEC are the same: to ensure U.S.
control over the region through military means."
SOA/WHINSEC is a U.S. military training school for Latin American
soldiers in Fort Benning, Georgia. SOA/WHINSEC has trained over 12,000
Colombian soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, sniper skills,
commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and
interrogation tactics. Human-rights groups are calling for closure of
the Institute. The recently released report Military Assistance and Human Rights: Colombia, U.S. Accountability, and Global Implications
outlined the connections between SOA/ WHINSEC graduates and instructors
with extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations
in Colombia.
From November 19-21, 2010, thousands will gather at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia,
to call for the closure of the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC)
and to speak out for justice in solidarity with the people of Colombia
and all of the Americas.
SOA Watch is an independent organization that seeks to close the US Army School of the Americas, under whatever name it is called, through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work.
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