Colombia This Week
30/05/2006
Fri 19 –Constitutional Court amends J&P Law; situation in Nariño still critical
· A decision by the Constitutional Court upheld the Justice and Peace Law but amended some of its provisions that human rights groups had criticised as too lenient. According to the ruling, paramilitaries must fully confess their crimes in order to benefit from the law and must hand over all their assets rather than just those illegally acquired; victims may participate in all stages of the proceedings; investigators are to be allowed more than six months to investigate paramilitary crimes; the time paramilitaries have spent negotiating cannot be used to further reduce their sentences, and the crime of sedition will not be considered a political crime, Human Rights Watch reports. The Interior Minister Sabas Pretelt said that the government was perplexed and worried by the ruling, while Ernesto Baez, a demobilised paramilitary chief, called the decision “a mortal blow for peace in the country”, CNN reports.
· The situation of the indigenous, peasants and afro-descendents, who have been holding demonstrations in Nariño department since 15 May, is still critical. In Remolinos, the demonstrators were sprayed with gas and beaten, while a school and a medical centre were attacked by military forces. 500 people were forced to displace to Pasto, the capital of the department. The Regional Human Rights Ombudsman, Carlos Maya Aguirre, was also caught in the violence while he was visiting Remolinos to assess the situation and had to be carried to a medical facility, the Nariño Regional Ombudsman’s Office and the National Indigenous Organisation (ONIC) report. Four journalists were also arrested while reporting on the demonstrations in Cauca department, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports.
· President Uribe blamed the FARC for a bomb attack that hit one of his electoral offices in Pereira (Risaralda department) on Thursday. The explosion damaged several buildings but caused no injuries, VOA reports. The FARC were also blamed for bombing the Caño Limon- Covenas oil pipeline which transports oil from Arauca department to the Caribbean coast, Reuters reports.
· Seven leaders of the Wounaan indigenous group fled with their families to neighbouring Panama because of continuous threats and fears for their safety. In April, hundreds of Wounaan had fled their ancestral territories in Choco department after two of their leaders were killed in 48 hours, the UNHCR reports.
Sat 20– FARC attack Buenaventura; new US aid to Colombia untied from anti-drugs budget
· The Pacific port of Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca department), which handles more than half of Colombia’s international commerce, has been left without electricity after the FARC attacked its power installation. The bombing came after two days of grenade attacks, which left 24 people injured. Police said they arrested several children who were used in the grenade attacks. Police Colonel Jaime Gutierrez said the children were given the equivalent of $8 by the FARC, along with a grenade and instructions on how to throw it, the BBC and Reuters report.
· The US House of Representatives approved a proposal to untie part of the US aid to Colombia from the anti-narcotics budget. $135 million will be allocated to Colombia through the Economic Support Fund (ESF), which is currently used to support strategic allies such as Egypt and Israel, and which would give the Colombian government more independence on deciding how to invest the resources. Adam Isacson, from the Centre for International Policy, described the move as the beginning of the end of Plan Colombia, El Tiempo reports.
Sun 21 – FTA to be negotiated with Central America ; man arrested for Gaviria murder
· The northern Central American countries, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, will hold joint negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Colombia. The talks will take place between 5 and 9 June, Caracol Radio reports.
· The police arrested Alexander Ortiz Tierradentro in Neiva (Huila department) in connection with the murder of Liliana Gaviria. The authorities believe that he is a member of the Teofilo Forero column of the FARC, EFE reports.
Mon 22 – Mining strike in Cesar ; FARC pre-election attacks intensify
· The national mining and energy union Sintramienergetica began a strike at the multinational coal producer Drummond’s La Loma mine and shipping port (Cesar department). Sintramienergetica also represents workers at the Carbones de la Jagua coal operations in the same department, where a strike has been going on for several days. The workers’ demands include more humane working conditions, wage increases and direct employment. The two mines produce 70,000 tons of coal a day and the strike has already caused a loss of 9.5 billion pesos (approx $4m), Business News America reports.
· Two soldiers and two civilians died in an attack by the FARC in Morales (Cauca department). The attack occurred while technicians were repairing an electricity pylon which had been bombed by the rebels, EFE reports. The FARC also kidnapped three people, including a pro-Uribe town councillor, in Frontino (Antioquia department). Truck drivers in Choco received a statement by the guerrilla threatening an armed strike during the period 20-30 May, Colprensa reports.
· The secret intelligence police (DAS) dismissed 16 agents who were involved in crimes including extortion, kidnappings and owning stolen goods. Since the new DAS director, Andres Peñate, was appointed in October 2005, 70 employees have been dismissed, AP reports.
· The head of the electoral monitoring mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Santiago Murray, said the security situation ahead of the elections is much better than four years ago. The 15 members of the OAS mission will work alongside a total of 50 international observers, AP reports.
· Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez formally announced his country’s withdrawal from the Group of Three (G-3), a trade agreement with Colombia and Mexico signed in 1994, the BBC reports.
Tues 23 – Army accidentally kills 10 police officers ; paramilitary chiefs hold meeting
· Soldiers accidentally shot dead 10 undercover police officers who were working on an anti-drug operation in Jamundi (Valle department). According to the Defence Minister Camilo Ospina, the police officers were mistaken for drug traffickers, although Oscar Naranjo, director of the judicial police (DIJIN), said the men were wearing their uniforms and were easily identifiable. President Uribe described the shooting as ‘extremely serious’ and urged a speedy and complete investigation, the BBC reports.
· Former paramilitary leaders including Salvatore Mancuso, Vicente Castaño and Ernesto Baez, have been having a meeting for four consecutive days to decide what position to take in the wake of the Constitutional Court’s decision on the Justice and Peace Law. Although the Court specified that the ruling is not retroactive, the commanders want to make sure that paramilitarism is defined as a political crime and that they will not be extradited. Meanwhile, El Aleman, chief of the Elmer Cardenas Block, confirmed that despite the court’s ruling his group will still demobilise as planned, El Tiempo and El Colombiano report.
· The Colombian human rights organisation CODHES complained that several social and human rights organisations received new letters containing death threats by a paramilitary group known as Democratic Group Free Colombia. The European Union delegation and its Presidency expressed its solidarity with the victims in a press conference and called on the Colombian government to offer more guarantees to human rights defenders, CODHES reports.
· Amnesty International published its 2005 annual report, according to which Colombia is still experiencing grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The organisation is particularly concerned for the high number of extrajudicial executions, EFE reports. The Vice-president Santos said that the launch of the report a week before the Colombian elections is not a coincidence, IPS reports.
· Despite the announcement by the FARC that they would not disrupt the elections, the guerrilla group has been intensifying its attacks. Nine buses were set on fire on the Atlantic Coast of Bolivar and Magdalena departments, areas that had experienced security for the last three years, El Tiempo reports.
Weds 24 – Indigenous protestors return home; Cacique Pipinta block suspends demobilisation
· The indigenous and peasants who were protesting as part of the National Summit of Social Organisations in Cauca and Nariño departments have decided to go back to their villages and create a permanent assembly which will negotiate with the government. However, the National Indigenous Organisation (ONIC) continued to express its concern over the maltreatment the returnees received from the armed forces, ONIC reports.
· The paramilitary block Cacique Pipinta, which was supposed to demobilise today in El Tambor de La Merced (Caldas department), decided to suspend the demobilisation until more clarity is made on the Constitutional Court’s ruling, El Tiempo reports.
· Through an internet communiqué, the FARC secretariat rejected the offer of negotiation that President Uribe made last week, which they judged as an “opportunistic electoral offer”. The FARC also denied their responsibility in the murder of Liliana Gaviria, El Tiempo reports.
· The government published a report on the progress of the Familias Guardabosques (forestry protection families) project. According to the report, cultivation of illegal crops was reduced by 22.4% in the departments where the project was implemented. Guaviare and Putumayo are the departments where most success has been registered, SNE reports.
· The European Parliament announced that it will send six MEPs to monitor the Colombian elections on 28 May, RCN Radio reports.
Thurs 25 – University of Antioquia receives more threats; female soldiers proposal rejected
· The paramilitary group Self-Defence Group of the University of Antioquia sent more death threats to students and staff at the University of Antioquia, adding a further eight people to the list of 15 students and professors threatened on 10 May, Amnesty International reports. Due to the threats, the university had to be closed, El Colombiano reports.
· A Senate committee rejected a proposal by the conservative senator Gonzalo Gomez, which would have made it compulsory for women to serve in the army. The senator Jimmy Chamorro, who opposed the proposal, said that women are already affected by the conflict as they are used as sexual slaves, combatants and informants and that such a law would only increase their involvement in the war, RCN Radio reports.
· The judicial sector strike entered its fifteenth day, causing a loss of 52 billion pesos and a backlog of 25,000 trials, El Tiempo reports.
· The Organisation of American States (OAS) presented its report on the March parliamentary elections. According to the report, the counting of the votes was “adequate and reliable”, El Tiempo reports.
· Some congressmen from the government coalition expressed their opinion in favour of indefinite presidential re-elections; however, they confirmed that no such legislative proposal exists at the moment, Caracol Radio reports.
Colombia This Week is a news summary produced and distributed by ABColombia Group. Sources include daily Colombian, US, European and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-governmental organisations and the UN System. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the ABColombia Group.
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