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Successful national call-in day demands, “Peace for Colombia! Free Simon Trinidad!”

By Tom Burke

Denver, Colorado – Hundreds of anti-war and international solidarity activists called the White House, June 25, with a message for President Obama, “Peace for Colombia! Free Simon Trinidad!”

Jim Byrne of Tucson, who helped organize the calls, said, “The U.S. government freeing Simon Trinidad will add to the process of achieving a lasting peace with justice in Colombia. It is time for the president to act.”

The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera said in their statement, “Ricardo Palmera, popularly known as Simon Trinidad in Colombia, is a political prisoner of the U.S. government. Simon Trinidad is being tortured in solitary confinement in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison.”

Negotiations between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) and the Colombian government are making slow but steady progress. The U.S. recently sent a special envoy to work with the Colombian government as they talk with FARC. Now Simon Trinidad is needed to add momentum to the process. Trinidad participated in past peace negotiations and is an important leader to many of the poor, farmers, and working-class Colombians.

“I just sent this announcement out to the Latin American Solidarity Committee (LASC) list in Milwaukee so hopefully we can generate some more calls. The LASC has always worked for peace and social justice,” posted Babette Grunow after making her call to President Obama at the White House.

For more information, https://www.facebook.com/SupportTheColombiaPeaceProcess or www.freericardopalmera.org

#DenverCO #AntiwarMovement #FARCEP #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #SimónTrinidad #Americas