Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on May 11th, 2021

[The Clerk]

Yes. Just a moment.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

I heard the interpretation come through.

[The Clerk]

Mr. Guzman, you're a little too close to your microphone.

[Mario Gil Guzman]

Yes, I'm close to my microphone.

[The Clerk]

Can you try again?

[Mario Gil Guzman]

Okay.

I want to talk to you about Colombia and the human rights situation in Colombia.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Okay, we're going to have his statement right now.

Mr. Guzman, you can make your opening statement of, we'll say, no more than four or five minutes.

You can start.

[Mario Gil Guzman]

Then I'll summarize the speech I had prepared, which was longer.

I'd like to begin by saying good evening to the hon. members of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights and thank them very much for inviting me to appear.

I'm here to represent Colombians living in Canada as well as several organizations that have been in solidarity with our cause: the fight against human rights violations in Colombia.

Since his election, Mr. Duque has been strongly opposed to the peace agreement reached with FARC. In the context of all this opposition, we've seen how thousands of social leaders have been murdered without the government really taking any action to correct the situation.

The people of Colombia had been protesting since 2019, but the pandemic sent people home, leaving them in quarantine. Colombians have lost their quality of life. According to the Colombian bureau of statistics, about 42% of Colombians are poor, meaning that they earn less than $5 a day. That's one of the consequences of the mismanagement of the pandemic. No one had a guaranteed income during the pandemic; it lasted six months.

The government then proposed a tax reform that imposed a 19% tax on basic goods, including food such as coffee and eggs, and even funeral services. It also planned to tax pensioners by collecting up to 41% of their pensions. People were angry because the pandemic hit them very hard. I would like to point out that 72,000 people died during the pandemic. The current poverty rate of 42% is unsustainable for the population.

Even though the third wave of COVID-19 was at its peak, people decided to protest against this unfair tax reform. On April 28, there was an unlimited general strike on tax reform. Even though the tax reform bill was ultimately withdrawn, people continued to protest against other reforms, such as the one to completely privatize health care. They also opposed the aerial spraying of glyphosate.

From the outset of the strike, the police have brutalized and abused protestors, even shooting at them. When the population refused to end the strike, the government deployed the military to cities.

According to human rights organizations Temblores and Indepaz, between April 28 and May 8, 12 women were sexually assaulted by police officers, revealing that they use captive women as spoils of war. In addition, law enforcement was responsible for 52% of homicidal violence, with most victims killed by police bullets. There were 36 homicides in Cali, a city bordered by the Pacific. In addition, 548 people have gone missing, which is a serious violation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. In addition, 489 people were injured, 33 people suffered eye injuries, 48 people were injured by firearms, and 69 human rights defenders were assaulted by police officers. Furthermore, people providing medical services to protesters were assaulted by police officers, and members of the UN verification mission have also been intimidated by the police in Cali.

On May 4, the Colombian ombudsman recorded 19 dead, 89 missing and 846 wounded. Since then, the ombudsman's website is no longer accessible.

The videos that people have shared on social media, which you may have already seen, show the severity of the repression of people, even those who demonstrate peacefully, such as at candlelight vigils, or who demonstrate through artistic performances. These videos also show how law enforcement waits until nightfall to cut off electricity and the Internet, and make protesters disappear. It's like a dictatorship. The police and the army act toward the protesters as if they were an armed group in a civil war.

Recently, police officers in civilian clothes have been seen shooting at protestors, and paramilitary groups have been seen walking around cities, threatening protestors. On May 9, indigenous people from Cauca, which another witness spoke about yesterday—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Thank you, Mr. Guzman. You're going to have a lot of opportunity during questions to be able to elaborate on what you've said in your statement.

Could you put your mike on mute, Mr. Guzman?

We're going to move to MP Reid for seven minutes.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Why don't I give one minute of my time to Mr. Guzman to finish his intervention?

[Mario Gil Guzman]

Thank you very much. That's very kind.

I would just like to finish up the part about Canada.

The European Parliament considered it important to stop the escalation of violence. The United States has spoken out against the widespread violence against protestors. Amnesty International called for an end to the repression of demonstrations and the militarization of cities.

Canada has a very strong trade relationship with Colombia. A bilateral economic agreement has been in place for 10 years. The impact of this agreement on the economy and on human rights has been quite difficult for Colombian society. Canada has supported the actions of a number of Canadian companies in Colombia through subsidies and political interventions.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marc Garneau, issued a statement yesterday condemning the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement and defending the right to peaceful protest. In that statement, however, the minister focused on vandalism, attacks on public officials and the blocking of highways, and expressed his support for the Colombian government in investigating human rights violations. This statement demonstrates a misinterpretation of the situation in Colombia, which does not take into account the responsibility of the state and the government in the serious human rights violations that have been recorded, the fact that vandalism is in part promoted by dark forces linked to the state, nor the perpetual situation of impunity for crimes committed by the state for decades.

The Government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Trudeau must take its share of responsibility for this conflict and unequivocally condemn the current repression, while ensuring that the armed forces are withdrawn from the cities so that the repression will end and the rights of those participating in the protests will be respected. We would like to see an observer mission to protect the lives of those who remain on the street.

Thank you.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Guzman. Your testimony is very important.

I want to address my first question to Mr. Pappier, if I can.

You gave what I thought was what we would call a pregnant suggestion. Early in your testimony, you talked about the need for public diplomacy, or you said that the Colombian government is responsive to public diplomacy. That's the term you used.

That seems like an invitation to ask what you have in mind. How do you feel that Canada could best engage in public diplomacy with the Colombian government?

[Juan Pappier]

Thank you.

I think if there are statements from the Canadian government, statements from this congress, making reference to this concern, the Colombian government is sensitive to all of that. The Colombian government is very sensitive to its reputation globally, and it will take note of any statements that the Canadian government and the Canadian congress make on concerns about the human rights situation in the country.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

What does Colombia's government want its international reputation to be? What is its ideal of how it would like the world to see it? If we know that, I think we can better try to incentivize it properly.

[Juan Pappier]

The Duque administration wants to be seen globally as a government that is implementing the peace accord and is respectful of human rights and wants to be seen as a reliable partner for the United States, of course, and for Canada and for other countries in the European Union.

I think that's critical in the mindset of President Duque and in the mindset of his government. I think that's part of the reason they're so sensitive to diplomacy and to public statements of concern.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

I see that Mr. Guzman has raised his hand and would also like to answer the question.

[Mario Gil Guzman]

Yes, thank you.

The Colombian government is in complete violation of the rights of the people. The government itself supported the armed forces after seeing videos that showed without a shadow of a doubt that the armed forces and the police were shooting at protestors. This attitude demonstrates its lack of respect for international human rights.

The Colombian government is completely hypocritical when it comes to its international relations with Canada and the United States. Everyone knows that Canada is a country that promotes democracy. Even in his last statement, the president said that he promotes the protection of human rights. A U.S. official who watched the videos said that the police were seen shooting at the protestors. Despite this, the president denies that the police shot at the protesters and denies that the protesters were peaceful. However, they did shoot at participants at candlelight vigils and cultural events organized by the communities.

More than 40 people have died at the hands of the police. This is not a show of political will to end the violence. If the government wanted to put an end to the violence, it would have already ordered the withdrawal of the military from the cities and talked to the protestors. However, they are being ignored. Yet, the protesters said that it was because of the solidarity of the people that they could now feed themselves, which they could not do before.

The Colombian government is not listening to its citizens and is imposing reforms. It has even bought weapons and airplanes instead of spending that money on the people who have suffered from the effects of the pandemic.

The Colombian government says it's a defender of human rights, but it is not. That is unfortunate.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

I have only 30 seconds, and I have one last question for Mr. Pappier.

There's a higher level of violence against indigenous human rights defenders than other defenders. I'm wondering what the reason is for that. Is it because they're less visible? Is it because they're in rural areas, where it's harder to keep track of abuses? Is it because the public tolerates it more? What's the reason for that group of people being particularly subject—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

MP Reid, I think Mr. Pappier will be able to send an answer in writing to the committee if he'd like to answer, but we have to move on.

We're moving to MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe now, for seven minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Guzman and Mr. Pappier, thank you so much for being with us this evening.

I have a special fondness for Colombia. In fact, I've already filmed the documentary À fleur de peau, or A Flor de Piel, there.

[Member spoke in Spanish.]

[English]

Mr. Guzman, we have often heard the Colombian president say that the protestors were vandals. Is that the case?

[Mario Gil Guzman]

I just wanted to clarify this point.

Indeed, we have been called vandals. However, we've seen images showing police officers dressed in civilian clothes and carrying sticks in order to fight and destroy public places. Everyone can see these videos.

Even if there were vandals, it's important to remember that everyone deserves to be treated fairly before the courts, as is the case under international law. Why are the police shooting at people? It's a disproportionate response. Why are they shooting people en masse? If they know who the vandals are, they should search for them, find them and bring them to justice. Why do they have to murder people?

Vandalism is just an excuse that doesn't hold up.

In fact, the U.S. official who watched the videos said that the idea of vandalism was a fallacy and that it was a conspiracy theory to justify the murders that are taking place in Colombia.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I'd like to ask you a question that may seem strange. In fact, I'd like to see the other side of the coin.

Why are the demonstrations continuing if the tax reform bill has been abandoned?

[Mario Gil Guzman]

It's because of an accumulation of planned reforms, including the one to further privatize the health care system. In addition, people are angry that the government has acted violently against the public. Imagine your entire government doing this to an unarmed population in a city under siege.

It isn't just the 40 people who were murdered, but also the 540 missing persons people who were abducted by the police. Can you imagine the suffering of the mothers of these children and these people? People are wondering what to do. Do they have to stand idly by and watch these 540 people disappear, while the government doesn't want to take responsibility, pull the military out of cities and shed light on the enforced disappearances? We have far exceeded the record of Ayotzinapa, in Mexico, where 44 students disappeared. Now we are talking about 540 people.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I understand. It is completely legitimate. I would probably also be in the streets, if that happened here.

What are the demands of the protesters at this time?

[Mario Gil Guzman]

First, the protesters are asking the government to withdraw the army from the city.

Second, they are asking that the police be reformed. Right now, the police are part of the ministry of defence, so they are a military entity. That is why the police treat the protesters as if they were an armed group, by attacking them. People are calling for the anti-riot squad to be dismantled and for a police force that serves the people more.

Third, they are asking the government to cancel the health care reform and to talk to the protesters in the street, because they have not been invited to the dialogue. Instead, the government has engaged in a dialogue with its own political party and the judiciary. They all said that the government was acting properly and no criticism was expressed about the disappearances and deaths. The last meeting was with a committee of trade unionists, the National Strike Committee, but this committee does not represent the people in the streets, because their demands go beyond those of the National Strike Committee.