STOP THE FORCED DISPLACEMENT OF MORE THAN 5,000
FARMING, INDIGENOUS, AND AFROCOLOMBIAN
COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN PUTUMAYO, COLOMBIA!
An inside view of the infamous La Tramacua penitentiary in Valledupar, Colombia–built and maintained in consultation with the US Bureau of Prisons.
Take Action to Demand Humane Conditions at La Tramacua
Penitentiary in Valledupar: Another Example of US Support
for Repression and War in Colombia
Campaign for Labor Rights has received several alarming reports from La Tramacua’s Women Political Prisoners about conditions there, including lack of access to drinkable water or sanitary toilets, overcrowding, excessive punishment and high temperatures. In September, 2009, an inmate of the Ninth Tower, where women prisoners are held, committed suicide over conditions. When warned about this inmate’s threats to kill herself, the Director of Colombia’s prison system, Dr. Teresa Moya Suta responded, “Let her kill herself–I will assume responsibility.” It is of special concern to us in the US to know that Colombia’s maximum security prisons, including La Tramacua, are run with the advice and consultation of the US Bureau of Prisons. Colombia’s political prisoners are largely workers and farmers, union members, students, and members of the political opposition. It is a shame that these conditions exist at all, and that they are used as a way to stifle dissent and punish workers and others who speak out for a just peace in Colombia. And it is a shame that this happens in our names, with the approval and oversight of a US government agency.
