Witness for Peace put out the following call to action to hold Chiquita accountable:
The decision was easy for Chiquita executives. A couple of billion dollars in profits was worth more to them than the lives of at least 14,000 Colombians.
For 15 years, Chiquita paid millions in protection money to the two most brutal armed groups in the hemisphere, Colombia's guerrillas and paramilitaries. Company executives knew that growing bananas in a war zone was dangerous. Rather than pulling out and risking their profits, they paid vicious killers to protect the business, despite the knowledge that the armed groups they were bankrolling were murdering thousands of innocent civilians.
One week from today, Chiquita holds its annual shareholder meeting in Cincinnati.
Please help us send a strong message to Chiquita by signing the petition calling on them to:
- Publicly apologize for Chiquita's inexcusable behavior that put profit before the lives of innocent Colombians.
- Create an independent fund for the victims of Colombia's war equal to or greater than the profits earned by Chiquita through its Colombian operations during the period the company paid guerrillas and paramilitaries.
- Immediately fire all Chiquita employees who authorized and carried out illegal, immoral and deadly payments to Colombian guerrillas and paramilitaries.
Chiquita's actions are indefensible. Company executives continued bankrolling Colombian armed groups even after the U.S. government declared Colombian guerrillas and paramilitaries foreign terrorist organizations. Payments continued even after their lawyers told them to stop. Even after the Justice Department told them to stop. Even after 14,000 people had been killed by the groups they were bankrolling.
Chiquita finally stopped paying them in 2004, pulled out of Colombia and reached a sweetheart deal with the Justice Department to pay a small fine.
Not a single Chiquita official behind these deadly payments has gone to jail. No one has been fired for their actions. Chiquita has not compensated a single Colombian victim.
WFP will deliver the petition to the Chiquita annual meeting on May 27, one week from today.
Add your name today.
Don't let Chiquita get away with bankrolling the killing of 14,000 innocent civilians. Sign the petition today. Then forward this email to your friends and ask them to do the same.
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