We are going through a period of importance for the future of Colombia, what with the initiation of peace talks between the insurgency and the national government. But this initiative and this political will, supported by the majority of our fellow citizens, are being challenged with threats, attacks, and intimidation. The Águilas Negras paramilitaries have launched a nationwide offensive against community processes, leaders, and organizations who are fighting for human rights, democracy, peace, and the dignity of victims in Colombia.
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We learned in December 2014 that the multinational Talisman, one of Canada's largest independent corporations, was bought by Spanish company Repsol in exchange for US$13 billion. Talisman is an oil and gas exploration and production company, operating at the international level since 1992. The company is known in Quebec for participating in shale gas projects, and has been highly criticized for its operations in Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, Iraq and Algeria, to name just a few.
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Canadian oil company Pacific Rubiales in ColombiaFairtrade certified? Pacific Rubiales has received Fairtrade certification for petroleum production in the sites of Rubiales and Quifa, Colombia. Fairtrade certification was granted by Equitable Origin, after a process carried out by Deloitte Colombia. This news is surprising. It removes all credibility from the process of Fairtrade certification.
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BOGOTA – The Colombian government has passed a law to allow the holding of a popular referendum on a possible peace agreement with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group on the same day as elections in the country, officials said.
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In July 2013, a Canadian delegation participated in a public hearing at the Popular Tribunal on Extractive Industry Practices in Puerto Gaitain, Colombia. The purpose of the trip was to listen an array of witnesses, hear evidence and then evaluate the behaviour of Canadian oil company Pacific Rubiales Energy (PRE) in Puerto Gaitan.
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Colombian officials and leftist FARC rebels returned to the bargaining table in Cuba in the past week, with both sides saying their two-year-old peace negotiations were on a stronger footing after having survived their first major crisis. The conversations were frozen Nov. 16 by President Juan Manuel Santos after the guerrillas captured Brig. Gen. Rubén Alzate, the highest-ranking military official ever to fall into rebel hands.
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This morning, a pamphlet from the paramilitary group Aguilas Negras (Black Hawks) circulated by email, this time threatening the death of journalists, communicators, and members of popular media agencies and groups, including Colombia Informa. A couple days ago, they also threatened Canal Capital, Telesur, and Reporteros Sin Fronteras. This strategy of terror that uses the force of repetition and abruptness, does not achieve the desired effects. Instead, it reinforces the networks of denouncement and solidarity.
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Prisoners in Colombia have recently gained new visibility. Prisoner protest actions are one factor. Another is discussion at the Havana peace talks of prisoners as victims of armed conflict. November 2014 marks the two-year anniversary of talks between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government.
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Inmates from all over Colombia have initiated a period of strikes and civil disobedience in response to what they call a “criminal, unjust, and elitist policy.” They are denouncing the prison and jail system which subjects them to a bad diet, severely lacks in its provision of health care, is ineffective in dealing with legal and administrative procedures, and has violated human rights. The call for action was made by the National Prison Movement (MNC) with the intention to position these demands before public opinion, and thus put pressure the government to solve the prison crisis in Colomb
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