Colombia: Murders of Teachers Continue into 2011
Colombia: Murders of Teachers Continue into
2011
Brussels, 25 January 2011 (ITUC OnLine): The International Trade Union Confederation has reiterated its support for its affiliated organisations in Colombia and has strongly condemned the murder, on 10 January, of Manuel Esteban Tejada, a teacher at the "Palma Soriana" education centre, affiliated to the teachers' association of Córdoba, ADEMACOR.
According to the latest figures received by the ITUC, 25 out of the 46 trade unionists assassinated in 2010 were teachers. The ITUC has joined with CUT, the Colombian trade union centre, and ADEMACOR in demanding that the relevant ministries and authorities - departmental, municipal and national - ensure the launch of an immediate and exhaustive investigation into this crime, to identify those responsible at every level.
"It is inadmissible that the majority of the crimes and offences in Colombia go unpunished," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow, "Impunity is a scourge that we all have a duty to fight."
ENDS