CAMPAIGNS: Police
Brutality -
Justice for Jhonny Silva
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Some of us were part of a delegation to Colombian universities in September 2005, were present at a peaceful student protest against the free trade agreement between Colombia and the US, during which Colombian riot police murdered the student Jhonny Silva.
See the delegation report for more information on the murder and the human rights situation in Colombian universities (Spanish version also available).
Most human rights violations by the state forces and paramilitaries remain in impunity, which gives the green light to keep killing protesters. This means that it is very important to keep up the pressure, even years later.
Social and human rights organisations and representatives of the university community have formed a Truth Commission to undertake an alternative investigation into Jhonny’s murder in order to establish the truth and make sure that what happened is not erased from historical memory. Several members of the commission have received threats and Julian Hurtado, one of the students involved in the commission, was killed by paramilitaries on 5 October 2006.
What you can do
According to Colombian law, the authorities have to respond to written
enquiries under the ‘right to petition’. Lawyers for the
case have prepared a draft letter which you can fax to the Fiscalia
(attorney general’s office) in Cali on 0057 2 888 93 36
