On Friday, June 28th, the NLG Chicago will host a meet and greet with Colombian refugee Eliasib Amet Ramírez Herrera to talk about international observation and the NLG’s solidarity delegation to Colombia. This event is a partnership between NLG Chicago and ColPaz.

When:  Friday, June 28th, 7pm-10pm

Where: 2742 N Francisco Ave

Email chicago@nlg.org to RSVP or with any questions.

More about Eliasib Amet Ramírez Herrera: Currently studying for a degree in International Relations at UNAM, qualified in Non-Violent Conflict Resolution and Human Rights, he is member of the Colectivo de Colombianos por la Paz (ColPaz) and member of the Red de víctimas de Colombianos por la Paz en América Latina y el Caribe (REVICPAZ- LAC) and founding member of the Red Mundial de Refugiados, formed at the first World Summit of Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland in 2018.  Presently he works in the project  of Education For Peace At  Programa Casa Refugiados A.C. (PCR).

More about the delegation to Colombia, August 3 – August 10, 2019: The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) announces its upcoming delegation to Colombia to be held from August 3 – 10, 2019. This delegation continues the Guild’s on-going solidarity work in Colombia and Latin America, particularly given Colombia’s geopolitical importance, the rise of the far right in the region and the increasing political and military alliance with the U.S.

This timely delegation comes on the heels of many important landmarks – most importantly, the
signing of a final peace agreement on November 30, 2016, between the FARC-EP (Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo) guerrilla and the Colombian government. This
historic treaty, which was approved by Congress, and the possibility for a peaceful transition and
reconstruction of Colombian society is now being threatened by President Ivan Duque. Despite the
creation of the JEP (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz), the newly-created legal entity with
jurisdiction to administer the implementation of the peace accords, compliance with the accords
remains negligent at best.

Notwithstanding the Peace Accords and the ongoing implementation of disarmament and
normalization, there are ongoing concerns for human rights defenders, members of rural,
indigenous, afro-Colombian and displaced communities and victims of the conflict in general, in
particular retaliatory or repressive tactics taken against rural communities, human rights
defenders, indigenous and afro-Colombian communities.

In light of the current political context, the delegation will have several objectives aimed at
providing delegates with a solid general understanding of the human rights, socio-economic, cultural, environmental and political issues facing Colombia at this critical juncture, as well as first-
hand knowledge through meetings with directly impacted communities. We will meet with representatives of key human rights organizations, members of progressive lawyers’ associations, community-based organizations, academic experts, and journalists and/or politicians. Delegates are expected to have an understanding of Colombia’s socio-political history as well as contemporary events and will be expected to contribute to post-delegation writing and work. In addition to meetings in the capital of Bogotá, the delegation will travel to the internal department of Valle del Cauca. The Valle del Cauca is known as one of the areas most impacted by armed conflict and is home to a vast number of afro-Colombian and indigenous communities.
SPONSORS: The delegation is sponsored by the International Committee and the Indigenous
Peoples’ Rights Committee of the National Lawyers Guild. It is hosted primarily by Lazos de
Dignidad and Procesos de Comunidades Negras, two human rights organizations based in Colombia.

OBJECTIVES:
1. To evaluate and monitor the implementation of the Peace Accords in Colombia between the
Colombian government and the FARC-EP guerrilla, including an analysis of the
normalization, disarmament and the role of the U.S. in a post-conflict Colombia;

2. Learn about the human rights issues facing rural, afro-Colombian, and indigenous
communities due to the lack of judicial guarantees, ongoing armed conflict, targeting by
paramilitary forces, mining and forms of extractivist industry;

3. Learn about the human rights issues facing, labor unions, and human rights defenders;

4. Make visible the ongoing human rights violations and lack of implementation of the historic
Peace Accords.

PLANNED ITINERARY:
Upon acceptance in the delegation, a detailed travel itinerary will be provided due to security
concerns, but a general we will split our time between Bogotá and Valle de Cauca.
DELEGATIMore about the delegation to Colombia, August 3 – August 10, 2019:ON COST: Approximately $1,100 (costs may vary based on confirmed number of
participants and shifting in-country costs). Costs include lodging, 2 – 3 meals a day, in-country
transportation, trip organization, guiding, and translation. Participants will be two or more to a
room in basic accommodations and may have shared bathroom facilities. Participants should be
able to transport their own luggage through various transfers from taxi, plane, bus, and some
walking. Fee reductions for those with a demonstrated need may be available depending on
finalized costs and size of the group, but the National Lawyers Guild does not finance delegations
for its participants and participants are strongly encouraged to use crowdfunding and seek other
resources to cover costs of their trip. In the past, law students have been able to receive funding via
law schools for summer projects. Participants will arrange and pay for their own travel to and from
Colombia.
FLIGHTS: Delegates will arrange their own flights to arrive in Bogotá by Saturday, August 3, 2019,
and depart from Bogotá on Saturday, August 10, 2019.
*Cost of lodging on the last night in Bogota is not covered, as delegates may choose to stay longer in
Cali, return to Bogota, or generally go elsewhere in Colombia after the conclusion of the delegation.
TYPE OF PARTICIPANT: This delegation is open to lawyers, legal educators, legal workers, law
students, and advocates who are concerned about human rights, the rule of law, and the issues
outlined above. Spanish is not a requirement; however it is helpful to have some basic knowledge.
Participants will be expected to contribute to a delegation report as well as write articles
about the delegation and its findings or other post-delegation work as defined by the group
and in-country partners. This trip will include extensive in-country travel by public and private
buses, plane, and taxis as well as significant amounts of walking. Participants must be able to
handle unexpected changes antaked potentially rustic conditions. The anticipated group size is 10-
15.
CONTACT: For more information, please contact Natali Segovia, segovia.natali@gmail.com and/or
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, lyciaora@gmail.com. Please submit your applications ASAP to Natali
Segovia, at segovia.natali@gmail.com.
* An initial deposit of $250 will be due upon acceptance to the delegation. The remaining balance must
be paid in full prior to departure.

In an April 25 forum co-sponsored by the Puerto Rican Agenda, the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, the Puerto Rican Bar Association and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Rolando Emmanuelli Jiménez and Jessica Méndez Colberg presented to a receptive group of community leaders, lawyers and judges their “David” battle against the “Goliath” Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (“la junta”).

From their mighty two-lawyer office in Ponce, they recently succeeded in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, Aurelius Inv., LLC v. Puerto Rico, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 4645, which found unconstitutional the appointments of the seven board members. At the same time, they are opposing the junta’s application for a stay and its petition for a reversal at the U.S. Supreme Court level, Rolando and Jessica are litigating four other cases also challenging the constitutionality of PROMESA.

While they work in the courts, their main preoccupation is with the colonial nature of PROMESA and its devastating economic consequences for the people of Puerto Rico.

The legal community and others in the diaspora have much to offer our valiant colleagues, in the way of assisting with legal research and otherwise collaborating – and we have much to learn from them. Contact Rolando at rolando@emmanuelli.law, http://bufete-emmanuelli.com/.

On March 28th, the Mass Defense Committee hosted a CLE on restorative justice and abolition, to an overflowing room of more than 50 participants. Emmanuel Andre of Circles and Ciphers was in discussion with Page May of Assata’s Daughters, and Sharlyn Grace of the Chicago Community Bond Fund moderated.

Starting out with defining restorative justice and abolition, Andre said restorative justice requires “switching the lens,” because it should not be program-based but how we approach the world, with a focus on addressing harm and what’s needed for people to be whole again. May named that “abolition is a project of Black liberation specifically.” She said that to abolish the prison industrial complex (PIC) it is necessary to abolish anti-blackness; to critique the PIC one must critique capitalism and settler-colonialism.

The speakers touched on much of they day-to-day work of building an abolitionist world, including tasks that are less glamorous and visible. May said “abolition is not tomorrow” and both speakers advised the audience of action steps they can take now as part of an abolitionist vision. May emphasized the importance of creating counter-narratives on prisons and police, with actions such as disrupting racism at CAPS meetings or putting signs up saying “We DON’T call police.” Andre’s closing advice included, “Build relationships, not institutions. Don’t leave your imagination behind.”