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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

A member of a rebel group has been convicted of killing three American Indian activists, the Colombian government reported on Monday.

But German Briceno, whom the government says is a senior member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC in Spanish), may never see a jail cell for ordering the killings of Terence Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahneenae Gay. He was convicted of homicide, kidnapping and rebellion and sentenced to 40 years in absentia, meaning he was not present to receive the punishment.

The report of the convictions of Briceno and a lower-level guerilla comes as Secretary of State Colin Powell travels to Colombia for a two-day visit, which begins today. Powell will meet with President Andres Pastrana to show the United States' support for Colombia's drug-fighting campaign.

At the same time, the United States is facing questions about its relationship with the Andean nation. The U.S. has been funding Colombia's anti-drug efforts -- which have been challenged by Indian farmers -- to the tune of $1.3 billion but has expressed concerns how Pastrana handles the rebel groups, who frequently target Indian communities.

The State Department in February, in fact, criticized Colombia for abuses dealt out by the guerillas. Indian tribes "suffer disproportionately" at the hands of groups like the FARC said the department in its annual review of human rights practices throughout the world.

More specifically, however, the United States cited the lack of justice for the murders of Freitas, Washinawatok and Gay. In 1999, the three traveled to northeastern Colombia to help the U'wa Nation oppose attempts by Occidental Petroleum, an American company, to drill for oil on traditional land.

Their bullet-ridden and blindfolded bodies were later found dumped just over the border in Venezuela.

The struggle of the activists and the U'wa represents one reason why tribes are targeted. Rebel groups who already control vast swath of land the size of Switzerland also eye the more than 50 million acres of federally-recognized reservations, which often contain vast natural resources.

According to Indigenous Organization of Colombia, about 30 tribes out of 84 are endangered. The nearly 40-year civil war has claimed 40,000 lives, many of them Indians.

The news organization Reuters said yesterday it last saw Briceno -- nicknamed "Granobles" -- in June. Briceno's brother is Jorge Briceno, the military commander of FARC.

Freitas, of Oakland, California, was 24 when he died. Washinawatok, Menominee who lived in New York was 41 and and Gay, a Native Hawaiian activist, was 39.

The State Department is expected to discuss the handling of rebel groups while in Colombia.

Relevant Links:
Friends & Relatives of the People, Ingrid Washinawatok, Terence Freitas and Lahe'ena'e Gay - http://www.ienearth.org/colombia.html

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