In response to news of the murder of Father José Reinel Restrepo, parish priest of the municipality of Marmato in the department of Caldas, Colombia, we would like to express our deep concern that Canadian mining companies may well be aggravating or benefiting from violence in this area.

During the period between May to July 2011,the  THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR TRADE UNION RIGHTS received the following reports from Colombia, including serious violations of trade union rights:

On 11 May, unionists members of the national transports’ union, branch Madrid Cundinamarca Department, were sacked by the bus transport company – SOTRAM S.A., in connection with their activism as members of the trade union.

April 14th 2011 This urgent action from the Latin American Working Group asks you to take action to protect the communities in resistence accompanied by PASC and Justicia y Paz. Afro-Colombian and mestizo communities in Curvaradó and Jiguamiandó living in “Humanitarian Zones”–or areas where the peaceful civilians who declared themselves neutral in the conflict could be clearly differentiated from combatants–have come under great threat during this past week.

Canada-Colombia FTA removed from legislative agenda: Canada steps towards dignity

May 27, 2009 A joint statement from the La Chiva Collective, Pueblos en Camino, and Mingas-FTA Public pressure has forced a victory in the fight to stop the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA).