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Jul 27
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Last week, NSW secretary of the Construction Division of the CFMEU, Andrew Ferguson, paid a visit to trade unionist and human rights activist Liliany Obando who is being held on trumped up charges in the Buen Pastor women’s prison in Bogotá, Colombia. He was moved by Liliany’s strength and good spirits but appalled by the conditions he saw: “There are 89 persons in her section of the jail built for 60. Her room consists of a bunk bed for two prisoners with a third sleeping on the floor. The jail is riddled with asbestos and is rat infested. There are seven children living in this section of the jail. When the children turn three they are prohibited from continuing to stay with their mums,” he noted in a brief email report. He said that support systems for political prisoners can barely function in the repressive political atmosphere of Colombia and called for increased international solidarity.
In related news, the Colombian Supreme Court announced recently that the politically motivated charges of supporting the country’s guerrilla forces against Senators Gloria Ramírez and Piedad Córdoba and several other opposition figures have been dropped. Liliany’s matters come to court on August 27. Continue reading »
