From the beginning of the year up until the beginning of December, more than 150 trade union activists had been assassinated, more than 70 had been disappeared and there had been more than 30 registered assassination attempts. Government protection programmes instituted to try and stem the tide of paramilitary/army killings have been rendered useless by lack of money, lack of government will to dismantle paramilitary/army groups and bring the army into line, paramilitary/army infiltrations into the system which means that having protection can be an even more certain death sentence, and the sheer scale of the paramilitary/army assassination programme.

Of course, for people living in remote rural locations, there is no protection at all from the savagery of paramilitary death squads. The army and state security forces supporting these death squads go out of their way not to protect them as we well know. October and November were two months filled with tragedy, but they are like every month in Colombia, and still only a handful of people know the grim truth behind one more in a long history of Latin American tragedies which gets more tragic by the day. The new US/UK-led "war on terrorism" has given the Colombian state further ammunition to use against social and popular movements, as the recent arrest for "terrorism" of several trade unionists who were peacefully protesting demonstrated.

The following list, harrowing but by no means exhaustive, has been compiled from a number of reliable information sources:

26 September 2001

A founder-member of the alternative movement the Social and Political Front (FSP), deputy in the Democratic Union and former president of the Cordoba Teachers’ Association (ADEMACAR), Manuel Ruiz Alvarez, was assassinated by paramilitaries in Monteria, Cordoba. A leader of the Social and Political Front, Jorge Gantiva, said: "There had been clear threats against him and against trade union and popular leaders in the department... Unfortunately in Cordoba there are no guarantees when you carry out your [independent] political activities.

1 October 2001

Around 90 campesinos, mostly young, were abducted by paramilitaries in Catatumba, North of Santander. It is thought they were taken to work as forced labourers on the AUC paramilitaries’ coca plantations.

2 October 2001

68-year-old member of congress, Octavio Sarmiento Bohorquez, was murdered 20 minutes away from Tame, Arauca. Paramilitaries dragged him from his home in the early hours of the morning and decapitated him. Bohorquez was the first popularly elected mayor of the Municipality of Tame, a representative in the legislative assembly and a candidate for the governorship of Arauca on three occasions. In spite of being a congressman for the Liberal party he had a leftist point of view and on two occasions in the 1980s was the representative in congress for the Patriotic Union. Since the duplicitous peace agreement made by the government of Belisario Betancur with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) which gave rise to the Patriotic Union, more than 4,500 members of the party have been assassinated by the army and State-sponsored paramilitaries.

Farmers Marco Antonio Vega, and his son, Marco Vega, were shot dead by paramilitaries in the village of Los Aceites, Tame, Arauca. Their bodies were left near to that of murdered congressman Octavio Sarmiento.

The brother of Octavio Sarmiento, Fortunato Sarmiento, was disappeared by paramilitaries. To date his whereabouts are unknown.

Note on Arauca:
Warnings of an imminent paramilitary incursion in Arauca were given several months ago. They said they were coming "to finish with the guerrilla". There is a significant armed confrontation between paramilitaries and guerrilla fighters in the region and it is of grave concern that when there is a confrontation, the armed forces provide aerial support to the paramilitaries. Arauca is a highly militarised region with one member of the armed forces for every 17 inhabitants. It is also the department with the second highest number of political assassinations per number of inhabitants.

3 October 2001

Gustavo Soler Mora, president of the trade union at multinational coal mining plant, Drummond, was assassinated by paramilitaries in the department of Cesar. He is the third member of this union to be assassinated this year. His predecessor, Balmore Locarno, was murdered on 12 March 2001.

4 October 2001

Paramilitary gunmen raided the hamlet of Puerto Lajas, north of Santander, and abducted nearly 50 people, including a number of small children. They executed several of them there and then. The victims included: Luz Dary Gil Palacios (f), four yrs, Luis Fernando Gil Palacios (m), 14 yrs, Wilmer Jaimes Quintero (m), two yrs, Solmarida Gil Palacios (f), six yrs, Edgar Gil Palacios (m), six yrs, Franklin Quintero (m), 10 yrs, Sor Angel Palacios Sanchez (f), Jose del Carmen Quintero (m), Olga Maria Quintero (f)

5 October 2001

Luis Alfredo Colmenares Chia, liberal representative in congress for Arauca, was assassinated in Bogota by paramilitaries. Chia had been the first popularly elected governor of Arauca and had been on a paramilitary hit list for at least four years. They accused him of supporting the guerrillas.

Dr Luis Alberto Pinzon and Carlos Lozana, both members of the VIP commission appointed to find ways of combatting paramilitarism, were forced to leave the country after death threats were issued against them by AUC paramilitary leader, Carlos Castano.

9 October 2001

In northwest Magdalena, at least 12 fishermen were disappeared by paramilitary gunmen.They included: Enrique and Carlos Gutierrez Sanchez (56 and 53); Wilder Rafael de Avila (45), Manuel Santiago Mejia (35), Gilberto Gutierrez Garizabalo (42), Agapito Gutierrez Melendez (50), Horacio Sandoval Altamar (42), Jose Dario Garizabalo Monsalvo (32), Juan Suarez Mendoza (46), Cesar Mejia Gutierrez (76) and Franklin Bustamente Gutierrez, who was only 13.

Four members of one family were dragged from their home in the village of Aguas Claras, Magdalena, by paramilitaries and disappeared. Their dead bodies were found one day later.

Paramilitaries assassinated the secretary of the municipal government of Tibu, North of Santander, Gonzalo Cardenas.

10 October 2001

A husband and wife were murdered by paramilitaries in the rural district of Remolino in northwest Magdalena. The victims were Latiffe Jamit Morron (28) and her husband, Luis Carlos Pabon Solano (28).

The bodies of six of the at least 12 fishermen abducted some days earlier were found. They had been shot dead.

Paramilitaries murdered more than 30 campesinos, including some young children, in three different villages in Buga, Valle. The victims were dragged from their homes, made to lie down in the street and were then shot dead. One woman lost a husband and two sons, aged 16 and 17.

Public Defender, Eduardo Cifuentes Munoz, criticised the inaction of the Palace Batallion of the Colombian Armed Forces stationed only 30 minutes drive away in Buga. They had been well informed about the movements of the paramilitary death squads in the region but failed to take any steps to prevent them entering villages and murdering the inhabitants. According to Pablo Catatumbo, head of the ‘Alirio Torres’ division of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), paramilitary massacres in the region of Valle del Cauca, committed with the complicity of the army, have resulted in nearly 600 deaths and more than 20,000 forced displacements since the late 1990s.

Teacher, Jorge Ivan Rivero Manrique, was assassinated by paramilitaries in Pereira.

The leader of the teachers’ union, FECODE, was disappeared by paramilitaries in Pereira.

Seven members of the teachers’ union, FECODE, received death threats from paramilitaries.

Paramilitary death squads murdered at least 40 people in Antioquia in a wave of selective assassinations and killed at least 13 in La Guajira and Magdalena.

Paramilitaries entered the demilitarised zone, established for peace talks between the government and the FARC, and murdered the mayor of Cartagena del Chaira, Caqueta. He and the four companions he was travelling with were dragged from their car and shot in the head.

Paramilitaries infiltrated the demilitarised zone again and killed taxi driver Lelo Celis in Puerto Rico, Caqueta.

Two people were assassinated by paramilitaries in Tolima department.

Paramilitaries assassinated Ecopetrol oil worker, Servando Lerma, one of the union leaders representing temporary workers. The murder took place in the centre of Barrancabermeja.

Paramilitaries murdered campesinos Gustavo Gonzales and Carlos Cortes in Granada, Meta. Their bodies were found on one of the town’s refuse dumps and bore the marks of brutal torture.

11 October 2001

A contingent of paramilitaries entered the village of Matituy, Florida municipality, Narino, with a list of alleged guerrilla collaborators. The only person on their list that they found was Edilberto Espana, who owned a small car repair workshop. They beat and tortured him in front of the other villagers, made him crawl to the main sqaure and shot him in the head three times.

Paramilitaries murdered at least 10 people in Samaniego, Narino department. Five of the victims were bundled into a truck and their bodies were later thrown onto the main road to Tuguerres.

Paramilitaries ambushed a car in Arauca in which a delegation from the Communist party of Tolima and La Juco were travelling. They murdered the secretary of the Communist Youth Organisation, Camilo Zuluaga, and a Communist party activist, Jesus Arias. The two other passengers in the car were seriously injured.

12 October 2001

Four young men were murdered by paramilitaries in Samaniego, Narino.

15 October 2001

Paramilitaries disappeared Julio Ernesto Ceballos Guzman, teacher at San Rafael college, Antioquia. The victim was a member of the Antioquia Teachers’ Association.

Paramilitaries assassinated teacher, Jesus Agreda. He was the head of a rural school in the municipality of Sandona, Narino.

A writer and director of the Sandona Cultural Centre was assassinated in Sandona, Narino.

Two communal graves were found in Tumaco. In the first the bodies of Marin Nazareno (30), Julpan Ardila Duran (21) and Emilio Mina Nazareno (45) were found. They were all of Ecuatorian nationality and believed to have been assasinated by paramilitaries. In the second grave, a large but unconfirmed number of bodies were found and it is thought they may have been the bodies of 40 people who were disappeared during the wave of massacres and atrocities committed by paramilitaries during Holy Week earlier this year.

17 October 2001

In a savage rampage, paramilitaries murdered at least 13 campesinos, including three children aged from 11-13, in Alejandria, Antioquia. When their bodies were recovered, it was found that they had all had their throats cut.

Paramilitaries killed four members of one family, accusing the mother of having two other sons fighting for the guerrillas. Promises that the army would arrive promptly to stop the bloodbath and regain control of the region did not materialise and humanitarian aid was prevented from getting through.

18 October 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated the chief of the investigative unit of the judicial police, Jesus David Corzo Mendoza, in Cucuta.

19 October 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated Luis Lopez, president of the Transport Workers’ Union of San Silvestre. Lopez was killed outside his house in Barrancabermeja. He was on his way to the funeral of another trade union activist.

21 October 2001

Paramilitaries murdered trade union activist, Gustavo Castellon Puentes, in Barrancabermeja. He was a member of CAFABA (Sindicato de la Caja de Compensacion Familiar). He was dragged from his home at 2am and his dead body was found minutes later in a district known as ‘La Parrillas’.

22 October 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated Luis Jose Mendoza Manjarres at the entrance to the Cesar Popular University in the town of Valledupar. He was a teacher at the university and a member of the University Professors’ Union (ASPU - CUT).

Paramilitaries assassinated two brothers and their sister, Francisco, Jose and Nidia Reyes Malagon, in San Juan de Arama, Meta. They were closely related to the murdered Communist leaders Jose Rafael Reyes Malagon and Pedro Malagon, killed respectively in Granada in 1986 and in Villavicencio in 1996. The extermination of this family is part of a paramilitary/army campaign to eliminate the Communist party. In recent years, 500 members of the Communist party have been assassinated.

23 October 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated union leader, Martin Contreras Quintero, in the municipality of Sampues, Sucre, He was a founder member of the Colombian Electricity Workers’ Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Electricidad de Colombia - SINTRAELECOL). He is one of many members of this union to have been assassinated by paramilitaries, including Ivan Franco Hoyos (president of the Bolivar branch), Odulfo Zambrano Lopez (president of the Atlantic branch), Javier Carbono Maldonaldo (president of the Magdalena branch), Doris Nunez (Fusagasuga branch), Edgar Manuel Ramirez (vicepresident of the Malaga branch), Jorge Orteg Garcia (vicepresident of the CUT and SINTAELECOL leader).

26 October 2001

Paramilitaries butchered at least nine people in Tolima province.

27 October 2001

Paramilitaries forced at least nine campesinos from their homes and shot them dead in front of their families. Five of the campesinos were killed in the town of Chiriguana, 340 miles north of Bogota, and four others were murdered in Fresno, 74 miles west of the capital.

30 October 2001

Paramilitaries shot dead Sandro Antonio Rios, member of the trade union SINTRAEMSDES which is linked to the Pereira telephone company.

3 November 2001

Paramilitaries disappeared Jorge Enrique Posada in Antioquia. He is Civil Judge 12 and a member of the National Association of Functionaries and Employees of the Judicial Branch.

5 November 2001

Paramilitaries disappeared Carlina Ballesteroa Garcia in Bolivar. She is a teacher and a member of the teachers’ union, SUDEB-CUT.

8-11 November 2001

Paramilitaries killed Martha Yanet Calderon and Abraham because they were originally from the demilitarised zone.

8 November 2001

State security forces opened fire on a peaceful demonstration at the National University of Bogota and killed student Carlos Giovanni Blanco, injured 23 and arrested many others.

9 November 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated Pedro Cordere in Tuquerres, Narino. He was a teacher and a member of the trade union SIMANA-CUT.

Note on Narino:
The department of Narino is in a state of war with 33 of its municipalities isolated and without any means of communication, eight car bombs set up on different roads and thousands of displaced people. The government has done nothing to recuperate this region or to remedy an acute humanitarian crisis.

Paramilitaries entered the premises of the University of Antioquia, Medellin, where students were peacefully protesting the killing of their colleague Carlos Giovanni Blanco in Bogota, and shot dead students David Santiago Jaramillo Urrego (23) and Juan Manuel Jimenez Escobar (27).

10 November 2001

Paramilitary gunmen made an attempt on the life of teacher Luis Alberto Delgado in Tuquerres, Narino department. He was an activist in the trade union SIMANA-CUT.

The body of Edgar Sierra Parra was found in Puerto Rondon, Arauca. He had been tortured and then killed by paramilitaries after having been disappeared on 3 October 2001 in Tame, Arauca. He had been an activist with the health workers union, ANTHOC-CUT.

Paramilitaries shot dead a young girl, Paola Acosta Lozano, in Puente Alcaravan, Granada. Her crime was that she was originally from the demilitarised zone. She had just recently come to live in Granada.

Note:
It is of great concern for all those campaigning for support for the continuation of the peace process between the government and the Farc that a termination of the demilitarised zone, given current conditions in the country, would result in a blood bath with paramilitary/state forces massacring everyone who was resident inside the zone.

12 November 2001

The mutilated body of SINTRAEMSDES trade unionist Huber de Jesus Galeano, disappeared by paramilitaries, was found in Pereira. The comrade had been tortured, shot and his throat had been cut. He had been a member of the branch executive for the last 14 years.

Teacher, Tirso Reyes, was found assassinated on the highway between Burgos and Santa Rosa, Bolivar. He had been disappeared by paramilitaries the previous day. Reyes had been a member of the teachers’ union, SUDEB-CUT.

13 November 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated Emiro Enrique Pava de la Ossa in Puerto Reales, Antioquia. He had been a union leader in Magdalena Medio and a delegate to the National Assembly of the oil workers’ union, USO-CUT.

14 November 2001

Paramilitaries shot dead Diego de Jesus Botero Salazar, in the municipality of Cartago, Cauca department. He had been a senior member of the Workers and Employees of Public Services Union, Autonomous and Decentralised Institutes of Colombia, SINTRAEMSDES-CUT.

16 November 2001

Paramilitaries attempted to kill Herbeth Cuadros in Valle del Cauca. He is a member of the education workers’ union, SUTEV-CUT.

18 November 2001

Paramilitaries murdered 13 campesinos and indigenous people who were travelling on a bus in Corinto, Cauca department, accusing them of supporting the guerrillas. The victims included Marcos Medina, Loid Emidio Morales, Jose Willam Rojas, Edie Alexander Orozco, Frank Indico, president of the Las Cruces Association for Community Action, Eliecer Orozco, Heriberto Sandoval, Julio Vitones, Ernesto Talaga, Sigifredo Rojas, Adelmo Vitones, Benilda Ley (16) and Jhon Eduard Osorio (15).

24 November 2001

Gunmen wearing paramilitary armbands, i.e they could have been paramilitaries or they could have been members of the state security forces, attacked Ana Rubiiela and her family in their home in Caldas department. They tied her husband’s hands behind his back and killed him and then they threatened to kill her and her four young children. Ana’s sister is a human rights defender for ASFADDES.

24/25 November 2001

Paramilitaries assassinated five indigenous leaders and several other indigenous people in a two-day killing spree in Riosucio, Caldas. The assassinated leaders included Luis Angel Chaurra Tapasco, one of the founders of National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia. The victims were gagged, tortured and then shot in the back. The paramilitaries also disappeared two of Chaurra Tapasco’s daughters, one 29 and the other just 16.

30 November 2001

Paramilitaries disappeared USO official Aury Sara Marrugo and his bodyguard in Cartagena. Their dead bodies were found several days later on 5 December. They had been assassinated.

1 December 2001

Paramilitaries stopped a bus travelling along a rural road in Boyaca and shot dead 15 of the passengers. The victims included Jose Antonio Mongul, Arturo Bonilla, Luis Angel Gil Orduz, Gonzalo Rincon Barrera, Mercedes Rivera, Jairo Isidro Pena, John Freddy Poveda Bayona, Isidro Alba Guio. Luis Alejandro Perez, Maria Paulina Alarcon Barrera, Abel Cudric Rodriguez and Hernando Gomez Garavito. The three other victims included a young boy. All were unarmed civilians.