British academics call for release of Colombian political prisoner, Dr Miguel Angel Beltran
3rd November 2010
Miguel Beltran
Over a thousand British academics have signed an open letter to the Colombian president calling on him to immediately order the release of Dr Miguel Angel Beltran, a Colombian academic imprisoned since May 2009 without being convicted of any crime.
Coordinated by the University and College Union, the letter’s signatories include Nobel Prize winner, Professor Sir Richard Roberts, more than 100 senior university professors, and several Latin America experts. According to their letter Dr Beltran “has been jailed for his political beliefs rather than for any crime” and “is being deprived of his liberty in order to silence him”. The academics go on to accuse the Colombian regime of violating academic freedom and freedom of expression and say that “the large number of political prisoners in Colombia’s jails.... belies claims that human rights are being respected by the Colombian State.”
Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union, said “Dr Beltran is an innocent man jailed by an intolerant regime that is intent on suppressing criticism. While hundreds are unjustly imprisoned, many other critics of the government have been murdered or tortured by the Colombian security forces with complete impunity. It is time that the international community spoke out about what is happening in Colombia and time for the Colombian authorities to release Dr Beltran and all other political prisoners.”
Colombia currently holds over 5,000 political prisoners in appalling and often dangerous conditions. Many are legally accused of ‘rebellion’, which the British Government recently said “certainly does not seem like a law that respects human rights.”
visit the UCU website to see the full list of signatories.
