13) JUSTICE FOR COLOMBIAN POLITICAL PRISONER DAVID RAVELO!

Information from the Alliance for Global Justice website, http://afgj.org.

     The complex struggle for social justice and democratic freedoms in Colombia continues on several fronts. On one level, a difficult set of negotiations between the government and the FARC insurgents has begun, with the goal of ending the nearly five‑decade civil conflict. People's Voice will carry further reports on this important process.

     Meanwhile, the Colombian state has not abandoned its policy of repression against many movements and individuals who carry on heroic efforts to achieve human rights, such as political prisoner David Ravelo.

     Ravelo is a member of Colombia's Regional Human Rights Corporation and was honoured by the Catholic Diocese of Barrancabermeja for his defense of human rights. He was recently convicted to 18 years in prison for what is widely regarded as a sham trial by human rights organizations.

     The North American Committee to Free David Ravelo is canvassing for signatures on the following letter to the Colombian authorities. (For more information, visit the website above, or email freedavidravelo@gmail.com or atwhit@roadrunner.com.)

     "This letter concerns David Ravelo, who was arrested on Sept. 14, 2010. He is presently wrongly held by your government at La Picota Prison in Bogota. It was announced on Dec. 11, 2012 that he had been convicted of "aggravated homicide" and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

     "The pretext for David Ravelo's arrest and conviction is the allegation he participated in the murder in 1991 of David Nunez Cala, Secretary of Public Works in Barrancabermeja. That charge is false. David Ravelo is innocent. He must be released from prison. Both Mr. Ravelo's family and his colleagues at the CREDHOS human rights organization in Barrancabermeja have long been subjected to death threats. The Colombian government must guarantee their safety.

     "Your government's purpose in inflicting a long prison sentence on David Ravelo, we suspect, was to silence a recognized defender of human rights. David Ravelo was instrumental in publicizing abuses and violence in Barrancabermeja at the hands of murderous paramilitary criminals.

     "Conduct of Mr. Ravelo's trial was scandalous. The case against him rested on accusations from two jailed paramilitary murderers who, by testifying, gained reductions in their sentences. Witness Orlando Noguera testified that the accusers tried to bribe him to corroborate their story. Over 30 witnesses prepared to defend David Ravelo were prevented from testifying at his trial. (See sidebar article for further details.)

     "...The world is watching. United Nations human rights specialists and the Inter‑American Commission of Human Rights have come to David Ravelo's defense. In December, 2012, British parliamentarians denounced his trial and conviction. We join these international human rights advocates. We call for justice to be done, now."

(The above article is from the February 1-14, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)