Colombia This Week
21/07/2006
Fri 14 –Constitutional Court publishes sentence on J&P law; Villa Esperanza inaugurated
· The Constitutional Court published the complete text of its ruling on the Justice and Peace Law, which states that demobilised paramilitaries must confess all their crimes and compensate the victims from all of their assets, including those that were legally acquired. The Court also specified that, although the paramilitaries could benefit from alternative prison terms of 5 to 8 years, longer sentences can still be applied if they do not comply with the requisites of the law. Finally, the time that paramilitaries spent in the concentration areas after their demobilisation will not count as part of their prison terms, the BBC reports.
· Former paramilitary chiefs inaugurated Villa Esperanza in Medellin, a place that, according to the founders, will foster reconciliation and where meetings with civil society will be organised. Jaime Jaramillo Panesso, from the National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation, suggested that the place could also be used as a site for discussion on what lands and assets will be given as reparation, El Colombiano reports.
· The Paraguayan Attorney General’s office requested the extradition of the FARC leader Rodrigo Granda, in relation to the kidnapping and murder of Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former Paraguayan president Raul Cubas. Granda is believed to have provided support and advice to the leaders of Patria Libre, the group responsible for the killing, AP reports.
· The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) expressed its concern over the invasion of indigenous territories in Morales (Cauca department) by the armed forces. The presence of the army not only violates the collective property of the territories, but also puts their inhabitants in danger, as it could attract other armed actors, the CRIC reports.
· The municipal council of Puerto Rico (Caqueta department) resigned after they received leaflets containing death threats from the FARC. 25 members of the family of Geraldo Collazos, a councillor murdered last year, also had to leave the town, El Tiempo reports.
Sat 15– FARC kill 10 and kidnap 100 in Choco; son of indigenous leader harassed
· The FARC took 30 loggers hostage following clashes with paramilitaries belonging to the Elmer Cardenas block in Riosucio (Choco department). The guerrilla group also attacked other logging camps, killing 10 people and kidnapping a further 100. Military officials denied that the number of hostages is as high as that; however, no official figure was available from the national government. The FARC, who had declared the loggers a military target for collaborating with paramilitaries, are trying to regain territories as the Elmer Cardenas block is about to demobilise, AP reports.
· Duvier Daniel, son of the kankuamo indigenous leader Imer Villazon Arias, was arbitrarily detained by the police in Bogota. The minor was then tied to the policemen’s motorbike and dragged along at high speed, Humanidad Vigente reports.
Sun 16 – Escobar’s ex lover accuses Santofimio ; annulment of elections demanded
· Virginia Vallejo, ex TV star and lover of Pablo Escobar, said she has evidence that proves the responsibility of the ex Minister Alberto Santofimio Botero in the murder of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan. However, the former vice-Attorney General, Francisco Jose Sintura, said that Vallejo’s testimony would not be taken into consideration, as the trial has already ended and the judges are about to emit their sentence, El Nuevo Herald and El Espectador report.
· The Inspector General’s office demanded the annulment of the poll that elected the Senate in several municipalities of the Caribbean coast. According to the Inspector General, there were irregularities such as replacement of ballots and manipulation of documents. However, the director of the National Electoral Council, Guillermo Mejia, said that the action will not impact on the legitimacy of the election, Prensa Latina and Caracol Radio report.
Mon 17 – More killings in Choco ; paramilitaries and victims working side by side
· The FARC decapitated four peasants in Unguia (Choco department). The attack, which was similar to that perpetrated in Riosucio a few days earlier, is part of the guerrilla’s strategy to regain territories belonging to paramilitaries and to punish civilians who supported them, El Colombiano reports.
· Demobilised paramilitaries and victims of the conflict are working alongside each other in an agricultural project in Barrancabermeja (Santander department). The project, devised by the Seeds of Peace Foundation, an organisation of demobilised members of the Central Bolivar Block, was praised by Juan David Angel, director of the Reinsertion Programme, which will destine 500 million pesos to it, El Tiempo reports.
· A car bomb was deactivated in a shopping centre in the south of Bogota. According to official sources, the bomb was prepared by the FARC. General Gustavo Matamoros, commander of the Army’s 13th Brigade, said that it is too early to say whether this was the first of a series of attacks to disrupt the 20th July National Independence celebrations and the start of the Uribe’s second mandate on 7th August, RCN Radio reports.
· The Departmental Meeting on Reinsertion took place in Medellin (Antioquia department) with the participation of local, regional and national authorities. The meeting concluded that more coordination and a national policy are needed to guarantee the success of the reinsertion of the 11,000 demobilised paramilitaries present in Antioquia, El Colombiano reports.
· Yesid Arteta, the FARC leader released from prison last week, said that the solution to the conflict would be easier if the guerrilla could negotiate with the army, rather than the government. He also added that he is waiting for the armed group’s consent to start helping in the process, El Tiempo reports.
Tues 18 – UNHCR warns of civilians caught in violence ; BP reaches agreement with farmers
· The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis warned that thousands of civilians are caught up in fighting and violence in Nariño and Choco departments. In Nariño, more than 1,300 people have fled since fighting between the army and irregular armed groups started a week ago, while 92 Awa indigenous people are unable the leave the village of Cumbas. More than 1,000 displaced people, most of them indigenous, are now seeking shelter in the town of Ricaurte. In Choco, several Embera indigenous communities have been cut off from the rest of the world following fighting between irregular armed groups, the UNHCR reports.
· BP has secretly settled the case being brought by more than 50 Colombian farmers rendered homeless by the construction of a major oil pipeline through their land. Although the settlement included no admission of liability by BP, the deal is believed to be up to £3 million in compensation and legal costs, Colombia Solidarity Campaign reports.
· Following the Constitutional Court’s ruling, former paramilitary chiefs made it known that integral reparation to the victims would be impossible. They said that, as the ruling introduced a more comprehensive notion of victim, there would not be enough resources to pay three million people, El Tiempo reports.
· Members of Los Traquetos criminal gang were arrested in Tierralta (Cordoba department). The gang, made up of former demobilised, drug traffickers and common criminals, had been accused by former paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso of killing people involved in coca eradication programmes, El Tiempo reports.
· More than 4,500 Colombian policemen will be trained by the US to act as bodyguards to the congressmen who will take office on Thursday. The scheme is part of the restructuring of the police intelligence service (DAS), which was until now providing security to threatened individuals, AP reports.
Weds 19 – HRW urges government to implement Court’s ruling; corruption improves in Colombia
· Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asked the Colombian Government to implement the paramilitary demobilisation process in accordance with the recent Constitutional Court’s decision. According to Jose Miguel Vivanco, the organisation’s Americas director, the government would this way show its commitment to the rule of law and peace and would dismantle the paramilitaries’ criminal and financial networks, HRW reports.
· According to a new report by Transparency International (TI), Colombia is the third least corrupt country in Latin America, after Chile and Uruguay. While it was ranked 61 in the 2004 report, its position improved to 55 last year, TI reports.
· The Army managed to regain control of Marquetalia (Tolima department), the place where the FARC started their guerrilla campaign 42 years ago. The Defence Minister Camilo Ospina said that a military base will soon be built in the area, Caracol Radio reports.
· Indigenous organisations of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile gathered in Cusco (Peru) and agreed to create a regional coordinating body. The meeting’s final declaration expressed its opposition to “capitalist colonisation and neo-liberal strategy”, AP reports.
· The government took the first measure to attend to the humanitarian crisis in Nariño and Choco departments. 30 tonnes of food have been delivered, two army battalions have been set up to guarantee people’s safety and forensic teams have been sent to identify the victims of the massacres, El Pais reports.
Thurs 20 – Demobilised will respect the peace process; Jamundi case back to military justice
· About 30 lawyers of the former paramilitary chiefs said that they cannot defend their clients anymore because the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Justice and Peace Law denies them basic judicial guarantees. Soon afterwards, Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, alias Jorge 40, read a communiqué on behalf of the former paramilitary leaders, according to which they commit to continue the peace process. Jorge 40 also said that they hope it will be possible to establish a national movement for peace. Some analysts believe that the leaders will put pressure on the government for a referendum on extradition, the BBC and El Colombiano report.
· The Attorney General Mario Iguaran said that he will challenge the decision of the judge Oscar Hurtado Reina to move the Jamundi case back to the military justice system. Iguaran said that the decision contradicts that expressed by President Uribe, the Defence Minister and the law, RCN Radio reports.
· Raul Reyes, member of the FARC secretariat, sent a letter to the EU presidency, asking for the removal of the armed group from the list of terrorist organisations. In the letter, Reyes expressed his appreciation for the effort of some European countries in working towards a humanitarian exchange, AFP reports.
· The coalition that supports President Uribe reached an agreement on the appointments of the Senate and Lower House presidents. The U Party senator Dilian Francisca Toro will be president of the Senate, while Alfredo Cuello Baute, from the Conservative Party, will be president of the Lower House. Members of Cambio Radical, the third biggest party in the coalition, will hold the vice-presidencies, Caracol Radio reports.
· Brazil granted asylum status to the FARC leader Francisco Cadena, alias Cura Camilo, who had been arrested in August 2004. The Colombian foreign ministry is asking the Brazilian government to revise its decision, El Tiempo 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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