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Union Members Murder

Why Are Union Members Murdered in Colombia?

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A careful analysis of available rulings by Colombian judges shows substantial inaccuracies in public documentation of cases, and undermines Colombian government claims that trade unionists in Colombia are not killed for trade union activity. The following information is based off of the court documents for 22 cases heard by the three special ILO judges in 2007. (While there were 29 distinct cases for 2007, viewing each victim or group of victims as a single case, the Colombian government did not provide the court documents in 7 cases.)

When Leonidas Gomez, leader of the bank workers’ union, was murdered in March 2008, Maria Isabel Nieto, Vice Minister of Justice, suggested during a televised interview that it may have simply been a “crime of passion,” rather than targeted political violence. Representatives of the Colombian government make such statements frequently, casting doubt on the legitimacy of claims that trade union violence in Colombia is targeted, not random. Editorialists have picked up the “random violence theory,” insinuating that thee

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Column One : Murder Or Natural Causes? : Four Years After Crystal Spencer’s Death, Her Case Remains A Mystery. Following The Trail Leads To Rumors, Theories And Mishandled Evidence.

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The death of Crystal Spencer has evolved into a bizarre mystery--a tangled web of rumors and botched evidence, lawsuits and personal obsession.

Nearly four years ago, the 29-year-old topless dancer was found dead in her disheveled Burbank apartment. She was half-nude, her body decomposed beyond recognition. Her telephone was off the hook.

Whether she was murdered, or merely died of a sudden illness, is a lingering question. Authorities labeled the cause of death "undetermined," leaving angry, tormented loved ones to cling to theories: Spencer was killed by the Japanese mafia. Spencer was an FBI informant murdered by strip-club hoodlums. Spencer was strangled by a ruthless suitor.

The case has taken on a "Twilight Zone" quality, as if fate intended some sleight of hand. On the night of her death, the couple downstairs heard what they later described as muffled shrieks and screams, the apparent cries of someone "being tortured." But they never called police...

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