27 October, 2015Francisco Ramirez Cuellar is a Colombian trade union leader under serious threat from paramilitary groups in the country because of his trade union activism. IndustriALL is taking action and demanding that his life be protected.
Francisco Ramirez Cuellar is a member of the national executive committee of FUNTRAENERGETICA, and lead the process which condemned US based coal company Drummond for their involvement in the assassination and displacement of thousands of Colombians.
Having already escaped eight attempts on his life, IndustriALL is asking the government of Colombia to protect Cuellar's life and to identify those responsible for the attacks and threats against him. The government should take immediate action to dissolve the paramilitary groups in accordance with repeated recommendations by the United Nations.
IndustriALL assistant general secretary Fernando Lopes says:
We demand the highest guarantees to protect the work and the life of Francisco Ramirez, who acts as special advisor on human and trade union rights for IndustriALL, against threats and intimidations by Drummond’s lawyers. His investigations are fundamental for all workers, in particular in the mining sector in Colombia.
IndustriALL is asking the Comisón Interamericana de Derechos Humanos to ensure that the government takes the necessary steps to ensure Cuellar¹s safety.
Drummond must immediately drop the charges of defamation brought against Cuellar and provide guarantees that it will not condone any threats or violence against him.
Help us send the message that Cuellar should be protected by clicking on Take action to the right!