Supporters of the Colombia agreement have mocked statistics published by leading international human rights organizations, which show that more than 400 Colombian unionists have been murdered during Uribe’s tenure. The rate of impunity remains at roughly 97 percent, even taking government statistics at face value, and nearly half of the convicted assassins are not even in custody.

Colombia claims to be taking steps to reduce the violence. That’s good. But so far, it has done too little. And it has failed to bring its labor laws into compliance with international labor standards or enforce them effectively.

Seventeen trade unionists have been murdered since Jan. 1 — up 70 percent over last year at this time — according to the National Labor School, a respected nongovernmental organization.

How many murders are “acceptable”? How many is too many? My answer to those questions cannot be a number other than zero.

Unless working people can exercise their right to lift their families out of poverty and exploitation, trade cannot strengthen democracy or advance a better world. And until they can exercise their fundamental human rights without fear that they will end up in a garbage dump, or their teenage son will be picked up at gunpoint, there should be no trade agreement with Colombia.

Of course, the corporate apologists see no shame in the deaths of others as lone as they get their price.