Federal Judges on Strike in Medellin After Slayings of Jurist and Congressman

All 42 of the federal judges in Medellin went on strike indefinitely today after the slaying of a federal judge and a congressman, apparently by drug traffickers.

The strike was called after the Wednesday night slayings of federal Judge Mariela Espinoza in Medellin and federal Rep. Luis Francisco Madero in Bogota.

Madero had organized a demonstration to protest drug trafficking in Pacho, a city 60 miles north of Bogota. Eight years ago, he had issued a congressional report supporting extradition of drug suspects to the United States.

The strike will continue until the judges get protection from drug traffickers, federal Judge Jaime Gomez, president of the 42-judge federal panel in Medellin, said in a communique.

Meanwhile, 1,600 members of the National Assn. of Court Workers in the state of Antioquia, of which Medellin is the capital, declared a one-week strike to protest Espinoza’s assassination, the union’s Medellin office said in a communique.

The Bogota branch of the union declared a four-hour strike for today and Friday and a strike for all of next Tuesday and Wednesday, the union office in the capital said.

The union includes municipal judges and court employes.

The president of Colombia’s House of Representatives urged in a broadcast interview that the government open talks with drug traffickers.

“I insist that the door be opened to air these problems,” Rep. Norberto Morales told the Colombian radio network RCN.

Two weeks ago, Morales told President Virgilio Barco Vargas that he had talked with leaders of the Medellin cartel and that they want to negotiate. Barco has rejected such talks.

In Medellin, the national police on Wednesday raided an office building owned by the reputed head of the Medellin cartel, Pablo Emilio Escobar-Gaviria, the police said in a communique today.

The police found records showing that 144 killers were on Escobar’s payroll.