There is concern for the safety of several human rights workers following the arbitrary detention and torture of Luis Tellez and Ayda Martinez Nieto on 1 May 1994 by members of the SIJIN (Judicial and Investigative Police Section). Luis Tellez, a member of the Human Rights Committee of Ciudad Bolivar, and Ayda Martinez Nieto were detained after participating in a march in Bogota organized by Colombian human rights organizations as part of International Labour Day. They were freed during the night of 1 May after they had been forced to sign a statement saying that they had been treated well. In the last week several human rights organizations have reported being under surveillance from the security forces.
