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Gustavo Moncayo and Consuelo González de Perdomo
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We invite you to participate in a meeting featuring Gustavo Moncayo and Consuelo González de Perdomo.

Gustavo Moncayo, a high school teacher from the southern province of Nariño, led a walk of approximately 600 miles through Colombia to promote the "humanitarian accord" to secure the release of the many persons held by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), including his son Pablo Emilio. Pablo Emilio is a member of Colombia's National Police who was taken prisoner in 1997 by the FARC and remains in captivity today.

Consuelo González de Perdomo was trained as a social psychologist, and has devoted her entire life to political and social work in the department of Huila, where she is from, and where she has served in elective office at the local, regional, and national levels. Most recently she was elected to serve in the Colombian Congress. As a member of Congress she was kidnapped on September 10, 2001, by the FARC. For 6 years and 4 months she was part of a group of hostages who the guerrillas proposed to release in the "humanitarian accord." During her captivity she lost her husband, but at the same time became a grandmother. On January 10, 2008, she was unilaterally released by the FARC, yet from that day on she has said that she will not be free until all those who continue to suffer the tragedy of kidnapping have returned to their homes.

This meeting is a part of a speaking tour sponsored by the Colombia Human Rights Committee, Lutheran World Relief, the Manuel Zapata Olivella Center, Periodico Impacto Latino, Accion Colombia, Movimiento Por la Paz en Colombia, Colombia Vive, United Steelworkers Associate Member Program and Benedict College. During this visit Gustavo and Consuelo will discuss concern for the remaining hostages held by Colombia's illegal armed actors, the struggles of the victims' families, and how we can all be part of helping to attain a humanitarian accord to secure the hostages' release, and a path towards peace in Colombia.

Panelists

• Gustavo Moncayo
  Colombia Human Rights Committee
• Consuelo González de Perdomo
  Colombia Human Rights Committee
• Mary Hope Schwoebel, Moderator
  Education and Training Center/International, U.S. Institute of Peace

Media Inquiries

Please contact Ian Larsen (+1.202.429.3870) or Lauren Sucher (+1.202.429.3822) in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.