Faith guides Colombian in exposing widespread human rights abuses

Published: 2003-12-17

CLEVELAND (CNS) -- Colombia is a very dangerous place these days for anyone working in support of human rights or even just trying to make a living. Just ask Yebrail Alvarez Santoyo. He has plenty of stories to tell. As the director of the Jesuit-sponsored Data Bank of Human Rights and Political Violence based in Bogota, the Colombian capital, Alvarez has documented hundreds of threats, kidnappings, incidents of torture and murders of people who worked to better the lives of the poor, who make up the vast majority of the population. Life is perilous for most Colombians, especially outside the major cities, Alvarez told the Catholic Universe Bulletin, Cleveland diocesan newspaper, through an interpreter. On the one side is the Colombian military and its ties to paramilitary forces, he said, and on the other are rebel groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and National Liberation Army. In the middle are the people who often are forced to choose sides. Even a poor vendor who operates a stand in a community market will come under threat for simply selling fruit to one side or the other, said Alvarez.

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