Last January, while in Ecuador to arrange a meeting for Colombian rebels and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the problem of Colombia's mistreated political prisoners, Ricardo Palmera was kidnapped and brought back to Colombia, where he joined the ranks of these prisoners. On December 31, 2004, he was extradited to the United States on bogus charges of kidnapping, terrorism and drug trafficking.

In agreeing to send Palmera to the U.S., ultra-right wing Colombian President Uribe ignored the Constitution, which prohibits extradition for political reasons. Uribe himself has been closely linked with Colombian drug cartels, and has headed up "negotiations" with Colombia's paramilitary death squads. In contrast, he has taken a hard line with the guerrillas, and Palmera's extradition is further proof that he is unwilling to work towards a negotiated political settlement to the civil war.

In negotiations with the death squads, President Uribe offered the release of paramilitary prisoners in exchange for a cease-fire. The brutal paramilitaries continue to violate this cease-fire, yet the Colombian government defends its continuing peace process with them. On the other hand, Uribe refuses to negotiate with the guerrillas or offer any exchange for their political prisoners. Uribe told the guerrillas that he would revoke the extradition of Palmera if they release all 63 of the hostages in their possession, including three Americans. The guerrillas rejected this unreasonable offer.

The imprisonment of Ricardo Palmera is the latest example of U.S. involvement in Colombia's forty-year-old civil war. The U.S. has spent billions, and committed thousands of troops, in a failed effort to defeat Colombia's guerrillas. Now the Bush Administration is

bringing intervention in Colombia's civil war into the courtrooms of the United States.

U.S. involvement in the political affairs of Colombia is not only a violation of Colombian sovereignty, but it is also a barrier to peace negotiations. The extradition of Ricardo Palmera will only close the avenue for peace talks in the future, and will likely escalate the conflict. Palmera’s case has nothing to do with false drug charges. It has everything to do with the U.S. trying to gain political leverage. But the U.S. government does not have jurisdiction over Colombian soil, and the guerrillas know this.

Ricardo Palmera is a political leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest guerrilla group. His political work for the FARC has included acting as a negotiator during peace talks with the Colombian government and as a diplomat in relations between the FARC and other countries or international agencies.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (1/9/05), "The Colombian government blamed Palmera for kidnapping three U.S. Defense Department contractors in 2002 although he was not the commander in the area where the Americans were taken hostage. Even his harshest critics say the drug trafficking charges were trumped up."

In December, Palmera said he was innocent of the charges and had been framed by U.S. agents. "The Colombian government believed they could dampen my revolutionary zeal with extradition, but this will never happen," he said. Ricardo Palmera has done nothing to deserve criminal prosecution in the U.S. To the contrary, he has consistently defended the sovereignty of his country, Colombia’s right to self-determination, and the rights of the Colombian people.

Ricardo Palmera has been uprooted from Colombia, extradited to the United States and imprisoned as part of the Pentagon’s counter-insurgency war. He is the latest victim of the Bush Administration's so-called "War on Terror" – an unending war that respects no national boundaries and leads to repression and death around the world. We ask all people who stand for peace with justice, who uphold international law, who support democracy, and who know right from wrong, demand the immediate release of Ricardo Palmera!

You can help to Free Ricardo Palmera: Take action now by calling or writing to demand that Ricardo Palmera be released and allowed to travel to the country of his choice.
   * President George Bush:
     202-456-1111 or president@whitehouse.gov
   * Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:
     202-353-1555 or AskDOJ@usdoj.gov