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Dear Comrades:
We just found out that a young militant and student leader of our party in Colombia- Stephanny Carolina Garzón Ardila – disappeared while on vacation in Ecuador on April 28th, 2012 and is still missing. Needless to say, our entire International is extremely concerned about Stephanny. While the reasons for her disappearance are not clear, what is clear is that her disappearance was involuntary and that neither the Ecuadorian nor the Colombian governments are not taking appropriate measures to investigate her disappearance and guarantee her safety. The case is very serious and so we are urgently requesting your help to pressure the Ecuadorian and Colombian governments to investigate and ensure her safe return.
Stephanny is a student at the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Bogota,Colombia. She writes for the school paper and is a leader of Student Unity [UNES – a student caucus organizing to push forward the construction of a national Student Union] and an activist with the Comprehensive National Student Board [MANE – a national coordination of students against the privatization of higher education that led the student protests across Colombia last year and is working towards establishing a democratic, militant Student Union in Colombia] and the Coordination of Solidarity With Sectors in Conflict [CSC – an organizing body of the workers’ movement in Colombia independent from the main union centers that is bringing together different branches of production and services to fight back attacks from the bosses and the State].
Please fill out the online petition. Alternatively, we are attaching in annex a letter to the Ecuadorean government that folks could sign and send [see below for information about who to send it to]. If you would prefer to just let us know its okay to include your name, we can send one letter listing all organizations willing to sign also. We are planning a delegation to the Ecuadorian Consulate for this Thursday.
To get more information about her situation, see here: http://blogs.www.lacordinadora.wordpress.com/ or here: http://www.facebook.com/pstcolombia  or here: http://unidadestudiantilunes.wordpress.com/.
Here is an interview with her family from a week and a half ago: http://www.pstcolombia.org/video/familia-colombiana-busca-hija-desaparecida-en-quito
Please sign this petition with your name and email. Alternatively, you can send all letters to: Maria.Holguin@cancilleria.gov.co Maria.Salas@cancilleria.gov.co equito@cancilleria.gov.co
And copy to Stephanny’s father at: waltergarzon55@gmail.com
Thanks so much for your help and shared concern!
La Voz de los Trabajadores