BTL:Amnesty International Condemns White House Human Rights Certification of...

...Colombian Military.Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Eric Olson, Amnesty International's Advocacy director for the Americas.

Interview with Eric Olson, of Amnesty International, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.

On Sept. 9, the Bush administration released $42 million in military aid to the Colombian government after certifying human rights there had improved enough to meet a congressional requirement. Factions, including leftist guerillas, the military and the police have been waging war in Colombia for almost four decades, joined in recent years by right-wing paramilitaries blamed for an increasing share of human rights violations.

Amnesty International estimates that there are 4,000 politically related killings annually in Colombia, with the number likely to go higher this year. Gross human rights violations, including massacres, extra-judicial executions, torture, disappearances and massive displacement of populations have all continued.

Amnesty has protested the most recent White House certification that human rights in Colombia are being respected, as it has in all past certifications. Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Eric Olson, Amnesty International's Advocacy director for the Americas, about what he views as a flawed certification process and how the war is impacting Colombians.

Contact Amnesty International at (202) 544-0200 or visit their Web site at www.amnestyinternational.org

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