Argentina, is
In grave danger. In January of this year, Paez was arrested, along with his wife, and accused of
"Illegal associations and possession of subversive materials." He was subsequently tried and is
According to first-hand accounts, several prisoners are taken away from the Cordoba penitentiary each evening. In the morning, their bodles are found, supposedly killed in confrontations between the military and the guerrillas. It has also become known that the Cordoba penitentiary officials are constructing a funnel near the prison: There is reason to fear that additional political prisoners may be murdered under the guise of a pre-arranged "escape" aftempt. These facts make the situa-
The arrest and Imprisonment of Pdez has already stimed protests from individuals and organizations around the world. Among them are 30 members of the Colombian Parliament, including Villar
Borda, head of the Liberal party and close associate of President Lopez Michelsen, and the Co-
Tombian Federation of Educators, one of the leading trade union organizations, which is urging
Póez, 39, began working in the Fiat Concord auto plant in Córdoba at the age of 20. His role as a leader of the massive strikes waged by the Fiat workers in the last several years won him nationwide fame as one of the most able and respected trade-union leaders in Córdoba. In 1969 he was among the leaders of a large-scale strike wave, in which the Fiat workers were in the forefront. In 1971 another huge mobilization of workers in Cordoba - known as the Cordobazo
- shook the nation. Again the Fiat workers union, SITRAC-SITRAM, led the way. The union was eventually occupied by the army and Paez was arrested along with several other strike leaders. Although later released, Páez continued to be persecuted by the military dictatorship and was forced to spend nine months underground. In September 1973 Pez became the vice-presiden-
In January of this year the provincial government of Cordoba called a meeting of all political parties to discuss the wave of right-wing terrorism gripping the province. Póez attended this meeting representing the PST. He accused the Peronist government of protecting the right-wing gangs that had been murdering trade-union activists, lawyers who defended political prisoners, and even relatives of political figures. Hours later, a group of armed men in civilian clothing attempted to kidnap him in broad daylight os he was leaving a bank in the center of town with his wife, but failed to do so when Póez screamed and drew a crowd around him. Shortly after this
Despite-its false proclamations concerning human rights, the ruling military junta in Argentina is now being exposed as one of the most ruthless in Latin America. Páez is one of more than 10,000 political prisoners now held. José Páez is imprisoned for the sole "crime" of defending the democrafic and human rights of the Argentine people. He has become a symbol of the political persecution suffered by the Argentine labor movement. Help us defend him! Only a massive international outcry can save the life of this recognized trode-union leader and ensure his release!
Send a telegram or letter today demanding the immediate release of Jose Francisco Páez to:
now being held incommunicado in the Cordoba penitentiary - tion of José Póez all the more critical.
Incident, Páez and his wife were arrested.
other Colombian trade unions to also issue protest statements.
tial candidate of the Partido Socialista de los Trabajadores (PST) -
General Jorge Videla
Casa Rosada
Buenos Aires, Argentino
31
Editmut responsoble: Reni Groslambert, 34 rue Narlomb, T040 Druzelles: