A New Letter from Political Prisoner Lily Obando

National Women's Penitentiary
Bogotá, Colombia, November 28, 2008

Fellow Unionists, Peace Activists, Defenders of Human Rights, Academics, Political Leaders, Students….

Receive my fraternal greeting.

With much emotion and gratitude I received here in the jail a copy of your letters of solidarity and pressure on the Colombian Government that they return to me my liberty.

Friends, the solidarity of comrades such as you, steadfast and defenders of the human rights and of the workers, is a great incentive for maintaining high morale in this condition as a political prisoner and prisoner of conscience to which this fascist government of Alvaro Uribe Vélez has subjected us.

Already there are almost four months since the day of my detention, of the break-in at my place of residence, and of this unjust imprisonment.

In Colombia, the level of political persecution and of violations of Human Rights is so ridiculous that only international pressure has served to curb in some measure so much abuse.

Recently the Office of the Prosecutor newly denied to my attorney my right to home detention with the absurd argument that it would put the community and my children in danger. For this reason, today, with my lawyer, we are copying letters from all the persons and organizations that knew me as a one who struggles for the rights of workers and of campesinos and for human rights and for Peace with Social Justice for my county, and not how the Prosecutor claims to portray me, as a "terrorist" that puts society in danger. Also, we hope to continue the international pressure demanding that they respect my "due process" and the right that , as a mother who is the head of the family, belongs to my children and me for home detention while the juridical situation is resolved. My situation is only one of thousands of comrades who like me are in prison for having been unionists, campesino leaders, indigenous, Black, defenders of Human Rights, community activists, members of the political opposition. We are more than 7,200, the political prisoners of whom the world knows very little. This is part of the other face of the Colombian Internal Conflict that must be known and denounced.

For this, I have assumed the Campaign for my liberty that various comrades in different countries have raised, not as an individual campaign but as an opportunity to denounce the situation of the Political Prisoners in Colombia and to look for solutions for all.

We are raising the banner of the Humanitarian Exchange of Political Prisoners and we may not renounce the search for a political way out of the Colombian Social and Armed Conflict that is the only way to construct a better Colombia with Peace and Social Justice; we hope that you may accompany us also in this struggle.

Meanwhile, continue accompanying us with your solidarity and continue lending us your voices for which ours may be heard, today in prison, where we have won a battle with our oppressors that only look to silence us; our Just Cause will be kept alive and our dream of a just nation will be made nearer.

In Solidarity,

Liliany Obando
Political Prisoner
Prisoner of Conscience
Survivor of the Genocide against the Patriotic Union