Murder of Communist leader in Colombia

The Colombian Communist Party has denounced the treacherous murder of 
one of its popular leaders, Alfonso Lopiz, Secretary General of the Party 
in Tibacuy. Alfonso Lopiz was a man whose entire life was dedicated to the 
service of the workers and farmers, to the search for peace and the defence 
of human rights.

The murder was carried out by armed men who were said to belong to the 
national army. Hours before, public authorities had carried out more than 
60 raids and arbitrary detentions in Tibacuy, Cumaca and Silvana, accusing 
the settlers of helping the guerrillas. The murder of Alfonso Lopiz was the 
culmination of these outages raids.

In a statement following the assassination, the Colombian Communist Party 
also denounced the lack of guarantees for the life and political activity 
of its leaders throughout the country as a result of the war against the 
people that has been unleashed by the present government of President 
Alvaro Uribe.

The Colombian Communist Party has asked for an urgent meeting with the Vice 
President of Colombia, Francisco Santos, to protest to him personally over 
the assassination and to demand that the lives of the militants and leaders 
of the Communist Party be respected as well as those of the men and women 
who dare to think differently, who oppose the government's policies, who 
campaign against the referendum* and who denounce the abuses of the present 
government.

* * *

* The referendum, if approved, would make changes to the Colombia's 
Constitution which would allow monopolies to get out of their obligations 
to workers, make pensions less secure, reduce the size of Congress and give 
more powers to the President.