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PJFC Liliany’s campaign update No. 3
Peace and Justice for Colombia / Monday 8 September 2008 / Español
 

Dear friends:

Today is exactly one month since Liliany Obando was incarcerated by the Colombian government and despite her legal defence team applying for home detention to allow her to care for her children she remains in the maximum security prison of "El Buen Pastor" in Bogota. Her legal team will appeal the court ruling as it violates the rights of Liliany’s children as well as her constitutional rights as head of family.

A precedent was established last week by the Colombian legal system granting house arrest to former congresswoman Yidis Medina found guilty of bribery in one of the infamous cases of para-politics.

"Former congresswoman Yidis Medina was allowed to leave prison Friday to serve her four and a half years of house arrest for bribery after months of fighting between Colombia’s prison authority and the Supreme Court…"Medina was found guilty last month of taking illegal favours from government officials in return for voting for the constitutional amendment that permitted the 2006 re-election."

Through her legal team, Liliany has received messages of solidarity from those involved in the National and International campaigns across Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Her lawyer forwarded a statement expressing the thoughts from Liliany that she is emotionally touched and tremendously encouraged by such a broad mass of support for herself and for all Colombians subjugated to such treatment at this troubling time. Liliany through PJFC thanks you all for your support and expressions of solidarity.

PJFC urges you to continue putting pressure on the Colombian government to free Liliany immediately or to grant her home detention while her case is heard. This is her right guaranteed in the Colombian legal system as she is head of family.

The violation of Liliany’s constitutional rights is also the violation of the rights of her two young children!

Please write to the International Organisations on human rights demanding that the Colombian government release Liliany Obando or to grant her home detention.

Send your messages to:

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at cidhoea@oas.org

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: oacnudh@hchr.org.co

Send copy of your messages to:

pjfcolombia@gmail.com; denuncias@fiscalia.gov.co; contacto@fiscalia.gov.co; auribe@presidencia.gov.co; fcspp_presidente@etb.net.co; derechosh_fensuagro@yahoo.es

Yours in solidarity,