Four Educators Assassinated in Cordoba, Colombia

5.05.10

Central Workers’ Union

The Central Workers’ Union of Colombia (CUT) denounces before the national and international community the assassination of four educators affiliated with the Teachers’ Association of Cordoba (ADEMACOR).

On January 28, 2010, Overto Beltran Narvaez was assassinated. Narvaez worked in the Julio Cesar Miranda Educational Institute in the Municipality of San Antero. The professor was intercepted and made to get off of the motorbike he was riding as a passenger only 800 meters from the school where he worked. He was then riddled with bullets by hit men.

On February 3, 2010, Rigoberto Polo Contreras, licensed in child education, was assassinated at 6:45 a.m. near the educational institution of El Provenir, located in the urban center of the Municipality of Tuchin. The victim was traveling as a passenger on a motorbike taxi when two other motorbikes caught up to him and ordered Contreras to get off of his bike. His murderers then riddled him with bullets on the side of the road.

On April 21, 2010, in the sub-region of the Manso river, a rural zone of the Municipality of Tierralta in the Department of Cordoba, the lifeless body of teacher Elkin Eduardo Gonzalez, who had been missing for two days, was found in a solitary place with various bullet holes.

On April 25, 2010, Benito Diaz Alvarez was found in his home in the urban center of the Municipality of San Bernardo del Viento with his throat slit.

The National Executive Committee of CUT expresses its most heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, companions and students of our lost teachers that always extolled social justice and the fight for collective good.

At the same time, we call to national and international human rights organizations, and in general to the entire union movement to reclaim respect for life and justice in the wake of these heinous crimes.

We demand guarantees from the National Government protecting the exercise of union activities and we demand that competent authorities investigate these abominable acts.

Tarsicio Mora Godoy,
President

Domingo Tovar Arrieta,
Secretary General

Luis Alberto Vanegas Z.,
Director of the Department of Human Rights and Solidarity

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