The essay below was written by Colombian trade unionist, video documentary producer, and political prisoner Liliany Obando. Liliany wrote her "Reflections" with Mother's Day in mind. Like many organizers for social justice in Colombia, Liliany is imprisoned with little to no evidence. The US government is funding and advising Colombia's judicial system, but it has only worsened with time. The US government also continues to fund and direct the Colombian Military and their paramilitary death squads. Under the US "Plan Colombia", labor unionists are murdered every week, nearly 4 million Colombian peasants are displaced from their land, and 7000 political opponents of President Uribe are imprisoned. The CAN wants to thank James Jordan of the Campaign for Labor Rights for translating the original Spanish essay. We demand "Free Liliany Obando!"

Chicago, IL - The Colombia Action Network is organizing events in six cities to honor and remember those killed by the U.S.-backed war in Colombia. March 1 is significant because one year ago the U.S. government directed an attack inside Ecuador that killed Raul Reyes and 25 others. Raul Reyes was a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP). Angela Denio who will be speaking in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said, "We will remember the brave Colombian rebels, Ecuadorian supporters and Mexican students who died at the hands of the U.S.-sponsored attack in Ecuador, especially FARC leader Raul Reyes who gave his life for the freedom of the Colombian people."

THE POLITICAL PRISONERS:
Political prisoners, a term that many Colombians are used to hearing but few acknowledge and many prefer to forget they exist. The political prisoners are those compatriots that for thinking differently are excluded and incarcerated for supposedly representing a danger to society. “Rebels”, “terrorists”, are a few of the names chosen by the Colombian government to call those people from different sectors of society and social classes who dare to think about a different type of country.

For years, we have seen how different sectors of society have been persecuted with different excuses--the fight against communism, against narco-trafficking, and now, against terrorism. First we were witnesses to the persecution and death of an entire political party, our UP (Union Patriotica*), then the repression against the campesinos for residing in rural areas where there was guerrilla activity and the government named them as “collaborators”, then against social activists, indigenous peoples and community leaders as well as students and teachers particularly those from public universities, (this is typical of fascist regimes).

In the following attached documents you will find testimony of Colombian political prisoners. They have been provided by Peace & Justice for Colombia

Colombian trade unionist Lily Obando is imprisoned based on phony evidence a court revealed last week. In another case, Colombian police investigator Captain Ronald Hayden Coy Cortiz admitted there were no emails found on the computers of Raul Reyes. Commander Reyes and 25 other members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were killed when Colombian troops under U.S.

Bogotá, Colombia, November 28, 2008 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.