URGENT ACTION! Lawyers for political prisoners in Colombia, LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS and ARMANDO COLON, disappeared
12th September 2011
URGENT ACTION!
Lawyers for political prisoners in Colombia – LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS and ARMANDO COLON – disappeared
THE LAZOS Foundation has issued an Urgent Appeal for action regarding the disappearance of lawyers for political prisoners, LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS and ARMANDO COLON, which occurred in Bogotá on September 10, 2011, in the following manner:
FACTS
1. On September 10, 2011, at approximately 1:30 pm, lawyer LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS made a telephone call reporting that he was in Bogotá and had been arrested by subjects who identified themselves as police officers attached to the SIJIN [security service]. During the call, his cell phone was snatched from him and then the communication terminated.
2. Upon receiving this report, our foundation presented itself at the premises of the SIJIN located in Bogotá, where we were informed no arrest was reported of the lawyer LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS.
3. We then communicated with the human rights office of the national police for information on where the lawyer LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS was being detained, but we were answered with an inability to communicate with other places of detention in the city to obtain such information.
4. On the morning of September 11, 2011 our foundation received the news of the disappearance of lawyer ARMANDO COLON, who was to have met yesterday with his colleague LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS, but the date from which his whereabouts is known is not clear as the calls to his cell phone have gone to his voicemail.
5. Lawyers LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS and ARMANDO COLON are graduates of the University of the Atlantic, where they distinguished themselves by being part of the student movement in defence of the public university, for which they suffered threats, arrests and harassment on several occasions.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MISSING LAWYERS
LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS: Male, approximately 33 years of age, skin colour brown, honey-coloured big eyes, full lips, oval face, short wavy dark brown hair, thin build, approximately 1.60 meters in height.
ARMANDO COLON: Male, approximately 40 years of age, skin colour white, medium brown eyes, dark eyebrows, lips of medium thickness, round face, short wavy dark brown hair of thick texture, about 1.70 meters tall.
BE ADVISED
The rights to life and physical integrity of the defence lawyers for political prisoners LUIS EDUARDO MANOTAS and ARMANDO COLON who may be victims of enforced disappearance are at risk.
CALL TO THE COLOMBIAN STATE
Activate urgent search measures for the defence lawyers for political prisoners and , and immediately send communications to the authorities at the national level to prevent violations of the right to life and physical integrity of the lawyers mentioned.
CALL FOR SOLIDARITY
We ask the media, national and international organizations that defend human rights and social movements to disseminate this urgent call for action and support our request by sending their submissions to following Colombian authorities:
JUAN MANUEL SANTOS CALDERONPresident of the Republic of Colombia
Carrera 8 No. 7-26 Palacio de Nariño Bogotá
Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71
E-mail: fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
Angelino Garzon
Vice President of the Republic of Colombia
Carrera 8 No.7-57 Bogotá D.C.
Phone (57 1) 444 2120 - 444 2122
Fax: (57 1) 596 0651
E-mail: contactovicepresidencia@presidencia.gov.co
Twitter: @ angelino_garzon
*GERMÁN VARGAS LLERAS*
Minister for Justice and Law
Carrera 9a. No. 14-10 - Bogotá, D.C.
e-mail: ministro@minjusticia.gov.co, reclamos@mij.gov.co
PBX (+57) 444 31 00 Ext. 1820
ALEJANDRO ORDONEZ MALDONADO
Attorney General's Office
Cra 5 No.15 - 80F Bogotá D.C.
anticorrupción@presidencia.gov.co, reygon@procuraduría.gov.co
WOLMAR ANTONIO PEREZ ORTIZ
Ombudsman
Calle 55 # 10-32, Bogotá
Fax: (+571) 640.04.91
E-mail, secretaria_privada@hotmail.com, agenda@agenda.gov.co,
defensoria@defensoria.org.co
D.C. Bogotá, September 11, 2011