Dans le cadre du projet de coopération d’ASF en Colombie, Me Pierre Rousseau, qui, jusqu’à sa toute récente retraite, agissait comme procureur de la couronne en matière autochtone à Victoria (Colombie-Britannique) et Me Denis L’Anglais de Québec, expert en matière de relations internationales et de droit international public, mènent du 13 au 26 septembre 2009 la 5ème des 7 missions qu’ASF Canada entend réaliser cette année dans ce pays en collaboration avec ses partenaires du Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo (CAJAR) et de l’Association colombienne d'avocats défenseurs des droits humains Eduardo Umaña Mendoza (ACADEUM).
(English follows)
D’entrée de jeu, ils ont rencontré à Bogotá, Mme Sandra Castro, directrice de l’Unidad de Derechos Humanos de la Fiscalía General de la Nación (l’équivalent de la direction des poursuites criminelles et pénales au Québec) avec qui ils ont abordé les questions touchant le nombre élevé d’homicides recensés encore et toujours dans le pays en raison des exactions systématiques des parties au conflit armé, la situation des autochtones kankuamos de la région caraïbe pris dans le feu croisé des acteurs armés illégaux, l’accès à des statistiques publiques fiables sur le nombre et les catégories d’homicides reliés au conflit armés.
Par la suite, ils ont eu une séance de travail avec des représentantes de l’ambassade du Canada à Bogotá en présence de Mme Dora Lucy Arias, avocate au sein du CAJAR. Ils ont rappelé les objectifs du projet d’ASF en Colombie et ont abordé les questions de violations des droits de l’Homme, particulièrement celles touchant les communautés autochtones. Au cours de l’échange, ils ont fait état de la préoccupation d’ASF face aux difficultés rencontrées par les ONG suite aux interventions répétées du Président Uribe stigmatisant ces dernières et les avocats défenseurs des droits humains, interventions qui suggèrent que ceux-ci sont à la solde de la guérilla en Colombie, ce qui les désigne de facto comme cible des paramilitaires et des forces publiques.
Ensuite, ils se sont déplacés à Pasto, capitale de la province de Nariño, afin de participer à la formation de plus d’une quarantaine d’avocats et défenseurs des droits de l’Homme de cette région, formation au cours de laquelle ils ont fait une présentation du système accusatoire au Canada et une présentation des mécanismes d’accès à la Cour pénale internationale (CPI).
Au terme de cet atelier, ils se sont rendu à Predio del Verde, chef-lieu du territoire des quelques soixante communautés indigènes Awa jouxtant la frontière équatorienne, qui a été l’objet en février dernier d’un massacre de trente-neuf (39) de leur membres perpétrés selon toute vraisemblance par des paramilitaires et, encore plus récemment, de l’assassinat de douze (12) membres d’une famille dont sept enfants mineurs et un poupon de six mois.
On the early morning of September 16, they travelled by road to a sensitive area that is subject to attacks by parties of the armed conflict and they met with the Awa at their local community center. Letters of support by a number of Canadian First Nations Chiefs, including Grand Chief Stewart Phillips of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Grand Chef Konrad Sioui of the Huron-Wendat First Nation, were presented to President Gabriel Bisbicus of the Unidad Indigena del Pueblo Awa (UNIDAD) and a large number of Awa governors, including Luis Gerardo Garcia, the governor of Gran Rosario, where the most recent massacre occurred. The letter was received with emotion as this support from Canadian Chiefs and Justice Programs showed how significant the ties between Aboriginal people from the Americas are now strengthening in order to face their enormous challenges.
Then followed two days of discussions involving over 70 Awa participants during which LWB members made presentations on international human rights legislation and processes as well as a presentation on Canadian Aboriginals and the challenges they are facing and that can relate to the Awa people. The discussions also centered on the protection of Awa people against the illegal belligerents in their territories (resguardos) and their cultural development. There were also discussions about the fate of those who witness murders and massacres and who have to testify in court despite the fact that they are terrorized by fear of the consequences on their families, on themselves and on their community as a whole.
Despite the fact that the Awa have a strong culture, enjoy many rights according to the Colombian constitution and laws, apply their own laws and use their own justice system, their culture and identity are threatened by the rampant violence which affects their communities as warring parties fight each other on their ancestral lands. As a consequence, entire communities are forced to abandon their homes and land, and end up in refugee camps either in their territory or even much farther in large Colombian cities or even in neighbouring Ecuador. Members of LWB were able to visit a refugee camp and even spend the night in one of those buildings, where over 200 Awa people are being sheltered and where they can have some food donated either by other Awa communities and the UN World Food Programme. Their situation is extremely sad as they are severed from their homes and have to live in confined quarters where their essential needs are barely met. At the end of those two days, the Awa prepared a workplan for their immediate future, including measures of protection against violence in their communities and strengthening of their culture and identity. They believe that international support is essential for their survival as a People and they truly and warmly received LWB Canada’s support and encouragement.
After a five-hour trip back to Pasto and a short flight to Cali, LWB delegates travelled by bus on a dangerous road to Buenaventura, a small town on the Pacific Ocean, and met some senior members of the Palenque Regional Congal. This association is composed of forty-two (42) Afro-Colombian communities in and around Buenaventura that encounter problems that are unfortunately too similar to those of the Awa people. It was their first contact with LWB Canada and there are some plans for further training in human rights issues. They discussed their own situation where their land is now either titled or under a process to provide them with communal title to their land under a special law called Ley 70. Yet, their lands attract lots of interest on the part of the government and international corporations that would like to exploit the mines and resources that are widely present there. Thus, their title is extremely fragile and a number of attacks were reported against members of their communities to chase them out of their land or to simply eliminate them physically. They want to be consulted as is provided by Colombian laws, but they feel that such consultation is not forthcoming when mega projects are involved. This situation will have to be monitored in the future and, like for the Awa, international support for Afro-Colombians is crucial to the survival of their communities, identity and culture.
Denis et Pierre