Roar Mikalsen - HUMAN RISING - radiofri..

conflict.” LEAVE US IN PEACE!’ Amnesty International, Targeting civilians in Colombia’s
internal armed conflict, 2008 s. 4
Og rapportens konklusjon: “As this report has demonstrated, some indicators of conflictrelated
violence have shown a significant improvement in recent years, especially the
reduction in hostage-taking and in the overall number of conflict-related killings of civilians.
However, other human rights indicators – such as extrajudicial executions by the security
forces, displacement, enforced disappearances, the killing of trade unionists, threats against
human rights defenders, and forced recruitment by guerrilla and paramilitary groups – have
not improved and in some cases have even deteriorated.“ LEAVE US IN PEACE!’ Amnesty
International, Targeting civilians in Colombia’s internal armed conflict, 2008 s 72.
517 Det har lenge vært en kjent sak at å bruke ressurser på å ødelegge koka- og
opiumsavlinger i produksjonslandene uten å ta tak i de underliggende problemene, virker
mot sin hensikt. Studier utført i Burma, Peru, Afghanistan og Colombia viser dette med all
klarhet som skal til, og denne rapporten fra Beckley Foundation sier sitt om det: ”Decades of
forced eradication efforts in Latin America have left a trail of social conflict, political unrest,
violence and human rights violations. In Bolivia, for example, U.S.-backed counter-drug
efforts led to a disturbing pattern of killings, mistreatment and abuse of the local population
and arbitrary detentions by members of local security forces. Government efforts to meet
coca eradication targets set by Washington led to massive protests, in which both
government forces and coca growers have been killed. These potential negative
consequences are even greater when aerial herbicide spraying is undertaken. There is ample
reason for concern that spraying causes serious harm to the environment and human health,
both immediately and in the long-term. In its 2006 report on Colombia, the Committee on
the Rights of the Child noted it was ‘concerned about environmental health problems arising
from the usage of the substance glyphosate in aerial fumigation campaigns against coca
plantations (which form part of Plan Colombia), as these affect the health of vulnerable
groups, including children’. The damage often inflicted upon licit food crops — and hence
food security for a very vulnerable segment of the population — is also cause for concern.
(…) Collecting data on health complaints in areas where fumigation occurs is difficult as
causality is very hard to determine. However, local health workers in Colombia often report
increased skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems following aerial spraying. While the
scientific evidence is not yet definitive, the widespread perception among Ecuadorians and
Colombians alike is that fumigation jeopardizes the region’s water sources and rich
biodiversity” (Recalibrating the regime: The Need for a Human Rights-Based Approach to
International Drug Policy, Beckley Foundation Report 13. mars 2008).
518 Clintons ledende narkotikabekjemper, General Barry McCaffrey, er uenig: Han kan
fortelle oss at resultatene av Plan Colombia de siste ti årene har vært en ”ufattelig suksess,”
517