Sample Press Release

This is a very basic document from which you can cut and paste, then change to suit your personal voice or context.

Vigils for Peace in Colombia
[date of release]
For more information, contact: [name, phone, e-mail]

On [date], [name of organization] will hold a candlelight vigil at [time and location] to join people of faith and conscience across the United States in sharing our grief and alarm over the lack of response to the horrific massacre in the peace community of San José de Apartadó this February, and the continued attacks against peaceful communities throughout Colombia. All are invited to join us in this show of solidarity with and support for our Colombian neighbors who are living with senseless violence.

Our experiences with Colombian communities and partners lead us to say in all sincerity that peace is possible in Colombia. Unfortunately, these same partners -- churches, Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, humanitarian organizations and many others -- continue to find themselves in harm's way simply because of their leadership for peace, or because battle takes place in and around their communities with no respect for humanitarian law or the need to protect innocent civilians. We hold vigil to recognize the tragic continued loss of life, while we also celebrate the lives of our courageous partners in Colombia for their unwavering commitment to peace.

Vigils are being held nationwide on and around Mothers' Day, a day of love and remembrance that originated after the Civil War, when mothers called for a halt to war and violence. This year we remember Colombian mothers who, like the founders of this special holiday, want nothing more than for their children and families to grow and flourish in peace.

Massive U.S. aid (3 billion plus dollars into the Colombian armed forces in the past 5 years) has not resulted in peace. Instead it has produced increased fighting, abandoned peace talks, and rampant human rights abuses. For example, the Bojayá region in the department of Chocó faces escalating violence from guerrillas and paramilitaries failing to respect the rights or the very lives of civilians. Also, in mid-April, guerrilla attacks on the indigenous peace communities of Toribío and Jambaló in the southwestern department of Cauca led to a battle between the Colombian armed forces and the guerrillas. The results: the displacement of more than 3,000 people, the death of a nine-year-old child and the wounding of 21 civilians. The lives of these survivors, like the thousands of other Afro-Colombian and indigenous regional inhabitants trying to stay out of the conflict, continue to be gravely endangered.

We call upon the United States and Colombian governments to denounce the massacre in San José de Apartadó and to ensure the massacre is fully investigated and the criminals prosecuted in a court of law.

We lift up communities in Bojayá, Chocó, Cacarica, Toribío and Jambaló, and the many others who are caught in the crossfire of senseless violence. We call upon the U.S. and Colombian governments to take immediate action to protect civilians in conflict and prevent more disastrous violence.

We urge the U.S. government to consider a new policy toward Colombia, one that will create and sustain peace through social, economic, and humanitarian support. The U.S. government should make clear that lasting peace is a priority. The role of the United States has been central to the Colombian conflict. It can and should be central to achieving a lasting solution.