- Target:
- US Justice Department, Colombian Government and Dole and Chiquita
- Region:
- GLOBAL
- Website:
- www.bananalandcampaign.org
The Banana Land Campaign is promoting a human rights issue, not a political issue.
Currently, Chiquita (formerly United Fruit Company) and Dole, are in US courts defending themselves against allegations of payments made to AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) paramilitaries who murdered, displaced and maimed their workers in the interest of global business.
The AUC was officially designated a terrorist organization by the US State Department in 2001.
The history of the big banana companies in Colombia is long and bloody. On December 6, 1928 close to 2000 banana workers and their families were gunned down during a peaceful protest in Cienaga, Colombia by mercenaries and the Colombian military. The company these families were protesting was their employer, United Fruit Company. The violence continues today.
We are launching the Banana Land Campaign to build a bridge between the consumer and the Colombian communities aeffected by this continuing tragedy.
By linking mothers with mothers and workers with workers the campaign will provide concrete information that will educate banana consumers in both their hearts and minds, inspiring them to make sure that justice is served in both US and Colombian courts and that meaningful reparations are made.
Thank you for your help.
We, the undersigned, call upon the banana industry giants Chiquita and Dole, the US Government and the Colombian Government to address the issue of banana company financed terror in Colombia in a meaningful and significant way by meeting the following criteria:
1. We ask the US Justice Department to run a thorough investigation of Dole's facilitation and orchestration of terrorist violence in Colombia and to make sure that the corporate veil is pierced as appropriate so that the individuals who made the decisions to finance terror at the company and its subsidiaries are held accountable. Further, we demand that the punishment levied against the company is a more just reflection than the sweetheart deal Chiquita was given for their involvement in these atrocities.
2. Chiquita and Dole must make reparations to those affected by the violence they facilitated and orchestrated in Colombia and must change their operations practices in a meaningful way that ensures that these companies never again find themselves supporting terrorism for any reason.
3. We call upon the Colombian and US Governments to ensure that any employees or members of Chiquita's organization, both current and past, who participated in the management and funding of the AUC's actions in Colombia are extradited for trial in Colombia. We ask that the same extradition occur in regard to any and all members or employees of Dole's organization both past and present.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Banana Land Campaign petition to US Justice Department, Colombian Government and Dole and Chiquita was written by Daniel Brothers and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.