November 15, 2013
Trade union member Oscar López Triviño, who worked for Nestlé, was killed on 9 November in Bugalagrande, south-western Colombia. One day earlier, paramilitaries sent a death threat to members of the union to which he belongs. Other members of the union are still at risk. Click here to take action together with the International Union of Food Workers (IUF)….
On 9 November, a man shot and killed Oscar López Triviño in a billiard hall in Bugalagrande, Valle del Cauca Department. Oscar López Triviño worked for Nestlé and was a member of the Bugalagrande branch of the National Union of Food Industry Workers (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos, SINALTRAINAL). On 8 November, the paramilitary group Los Urabeños sent a death threat by SMS to the phones of José Onofre Esquivel Luna and Álvaro Varela Pérez, who are both leaders of the Bugalagrande branch of SINALTRAINAL and work for Nestlé. The death threat read: “Guerrilla fighters [SOB] you continue to mess with Nestlé [,] no more forgiveness [,] we will cut you up [,] death to all communists of SINALTRAINAL Urabeños” (guerrilleros hp siguen jodiendo a Nestlé no mas perdón los picaremos muerte a todos los comunistas de Sinaltrainal Urabeños).
Members of SINALTRAINAL have been on hunger strike since 5 November in front of the Nestlé factory in Bugalagrande. They have been demanding that various agreements made with the company are respected. Initially the hunger strike was to start on 10 October but had to be stopped after a few hours due to threats.
Since its creation in 1982, members of SINALTRAINAL have received repeated death threats from paramilitaries and more than 20 members of SINALTRAINAL have been killed. According to the trade union, 13 of those killed had worked for Nestlé. Nestlé has previously denied any link to paramilitary violence. However, Nestlé does have a duty to assist the authorities in undertaking full and impartial investigations into the latest killing and threats and to call on the authorities to undertake such action, as a means to guarantee the safety of the trade union members and ensure that the company does not benefit from paramilitary acts.
Click here for the IUF campaign.
Amnesty Canada has also put out an Urgent Action and calls on supporters to press the authorities to identify the killer of trade unionist and Nestle employee Oscar Lopez Trivino before other union members are harmed. This action is posted here.
Another trade unionist killed in Colombia. Act now to prevent other members from being killed
TAKE ACTION
Please write immediately:
– Expressing concern for the safety of ONIC, CRIC and ACIN members and the Indigenous leaders mentioned above following the paramilitary death threat;
– Calling for full and impartial investigations by the civilian justice system into these threats, for the results to be made public, for those responsible to be brought to justice and for authorities to take appropriate measures to guarantee the safety of those under threat;
– Urging full and impartial investigations by the civilian justice system into the injuries of many protesters, to establish if these were the result of excessive use of force by the security forces.
Please send appeals to:
President
Señor Juan Manuel Santos
Presidente de la República,
Palacio de Nariño, Carrera 8 No.7-26, Bogotá, Colombia
Tel/Fax: 011 57 1 596 0631 (keep trying)
Salutation: Dear President Santos/Excmo. Sr. Presidente Santos
Defence Minister
Señor Juan Carlos Pinzón
Ministerio de Defensa
Carrera 54, No.26-29
Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 266 1003
Salutation: Dear Minister Pinzón/Sr. Ministro Pinzón /Estimado Sr. Ministro
And copies to:
Colombian Indigenous Organization
ONIC
Calle 13, No.4-38
Bogotá, Colombia
His Excellency Nicolás Lloreda Ricaurte
Ambassador for Colombia
360 Albert Street, Suite 1002
Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7X7
Fax: (613) 230-4416
E-mail: [email protected]
Honourable John Baird
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Postage: None required
Email: [email protected]
Fax: (613) 996-9880
For more information visit: www.amnesty.ca
November 15, 2013
Trade union member Oscar López Triviño, who worked for Nestlé, was killed on 9 November in Bugalagrande, south-western Colombia. One day earlier, paramilitaries sent a death threat to members of the union to which he belongs. Other members of the union are still at risk. Click here to take action together with the International Union of Food Workers (IUF)….
On 9 November, a man shot and killed Oscar López Triviño in a billiard hall in Bugalagrande, Valle del Cauca Department. Oscar López Triviño worked for Nestlé and was a member of the Bugalagrande branch of the National Union of Food Industry Workers (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos, SINALTRAINAL). On 8 November, the paramilitary group Los Urabeños sent a death threat by SMS to the phones of José Onofre Esquivel Luna and Álvaro Varela Pérez, who are both leaders of the Bugalagrande branch of SINALTRAINAL and work for Nestlé. The death threat read: “Guerrilla fighters [SOB] you continue to mess with Nestlé [,] no more forgiveness [,] we will cut you up [,] death to all communists of SINALTRAINAL Urabeños” (guerrilleros hp siguen jodiendo a Nestlé no mas perdón los picaremos muerte a todos los comunistas de Sinaltrainal Urabeños).
Members of SINALTRAINAL have been on hunger strike since 5 November in front of the Nestlé factory in Bugalagrande. They have been demanding that various agreements made with the company are respected. Initially the hunger strike was to start on 10 October but had to be stopped after a few hours due to threats.
Since its creation in 1982, members of SINALTRAINAL have received repeated death threats from paramilitaries and more than 20 members of SINALTRAINAL have been killed. According to the trade union, 13 of those killed had worked for Nestlé. Nestlé has previously denied any link to paramilitary violence. However, Nestlé does have a duty to assist the authorities in undertaking full and impartial investigations into the latest killing and threats and to call on the authorities to undertake such action, as a means to guarantee the safety of the trade union members and ensure that the company does not benefit from paramilitary acts.
Click here for the IUF campaign.
Amnesty Canada has also put out an Urgent Action and calls on supporters to press the authorities to identify the killer of trade unionist and Nestle employee Oscar Lopez Trivino before other union members are harmed. This action is posted here.