Justice for Colombia

Unite delegate Jim Kelly spoke on the last day of the Labour Party Conference this week (September 30) in support of Colombian trade unionists whose struggle goes beyond anything we could even begin to  imagine. For them, state violence is a daily reality.

“I had the honour of travelling to Colombia over the summer on a delegation organised by Justice for Colombia and it is something that will stay with me for a very long time,” Kelly said.

“You can hear the figures and the stories, but meeting with the trade unionists on the front line, speaking with mothers of children killed by the army, travelling to areas of extreme poverty, to areas controlled by paramilitaries, has made it all so much more real,” he added.

Kelly highlighted “the commitment, the conviction, the dedication” of the people he met in their struggles for justice, for workers’ rights and for peace.

“They are an inspiration, an example to follow for our struggles here. These people do not want charity, they want solidarity, and we need to work together with them, together with Justice for Colombia, to raise awareness, to pressure our government, and to pressure the Colombian authorities on all cases of abuses, like that of Miguel Beltran and Huber Ballesteros, and more generally, so that people can live in peace in Colombia,” he said.

Kelly explained how only two weeks ago, Didier, the son of a trade union leader from Unite’s sister union in Colombia, was shot five times. He is now in hospital in serious condition.

He also went to visit imprisoned union leader Huber Ballesteros in his prison cell in Bogota – he was imprisoned over two years ago whilst leading a national strike.

“This is somebody being punished just for being a trade unionist – two years in prison, no trial, and on top of that he is being denied the treatment he needs for his diabetes,” he said.

“But we are not talking about a charity case,” he added. “Huber is not sitting on his hands whilst in prison. He has recently published an organising manual for activists, he has been organising the prisoners, and campaigning for improved conditions in the prisons across Colombia.”

Kelly recounted meeting David Ravelo, a human rights activist who has been in prison since 2010.

“I will never forget what he said to me when I asked him if he regretted getting involved in human rights work. ‘Never,’ he said. This is a man sentenced to more than 18 years in prison on made up murder charges.”

“Despite the great progress on the peace process, be assured that the struggle is going to be a long one,” Kelly added. “In one meeting with the Colombian government, a representative celebrated the fact that only 26 trade unionists were killed in 2013! We all know that there is nothing to celebrate until not a single trade unionist is killed, and not a single one remains locked up behind bars.”

“Justice for Colombia is the trade union campaign and we are proud of its achievements – its work to release prisoners, and its involvement in the peace process,” he concluded. “We must give it all our possible support. Together we will bring an end to the violence in Colombia.”

Find out more about Justice for Colombia here.