One
of the most outrageous details in the report is the Colombian government’s use
of a “random violence theory.” In their discussion of violence against union
members in Colombia,
government officials often distort the true motives of murderers. They claim
that violence against unionists is “random” instead of “targeted,” and that the
Colombian trade union movement “has taken advantage of high homicide rates to
inflate numbers and gain political mileage.”

The
Attorney General’s office will claim that a victimized unionist was a “guerilla
sympathizer,” even after a judge has ruled that the accusation of guerilla ties
by the union member was totally unfounded. Government officials will go so far
as labeling these “random” acts of violence as “crimes of passion,” murders
related to a personal conflict. In the case documents of victim Jorge Dario
Hoyos Franco, the Attorney General’s office stated that Mr. Hoyos’ supposed love
affair was related to his death (maybe his love affair with workers rights and
fair wages!). However, the court documents in this report clearly reveal that Hoyos’
death was related to his union activity.

It is comforting to learn from this report that many of the judges assigned to these homicide cases overrule the Attorney General’s determination of motive. However, it is equally discomforting to consider the situation of Judge Jose Nirio Sanchez, who was dismissed from the special labor courts because of his commitment to accurate determination of motive.

This report is important because it looks at violence and impunity in Colombia on a case by case level, bringing hidden problems to the surface. Check it out!