Colombia’s Supreme Court convicts ex-lawmaker of masterminding massacre, sets 30-year sentence

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Colombia’s Supreme Court convicts ex-lawmaker of masterminding massacre, sets 30-year sentence
By Associated Press,
Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 7:43 PM

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s Supreme Court has convicted a former longtime congressman of being the mastermind behind the massacre of 43 people by right-wing paramilitary fighters in the north of the country more than two decades ago. It has sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

The high court says the 78-year-old Cesar Perez Garcia was found responsible for a “crime against humanity” as the result of the mass slaying the night of Nov. 11, 1988, in an area about 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) northwest of Bogota.

The court’s press office said Wednesday that he ex-lawmaker was found guilty of homicide, personal injury and criminal conspiracy.

Defense lawyer Jorge Anibal Gomez calls the verdict unfair.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/colombias-supreme-court-convicts-ex-lawmaker-of-masterminding-massacre-sets-30-year-sentence/2013/05/15/9ef0fcce-bdc1-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html

---

(Short article, no more at link.)

[Judi Lynn]

1. unclassified document released in full - US Department of State

unclassified released in full unclassified - US Department of State

~snip~

A MACABRE MASSACRE, EVEN BY LOCAL STANDARDS
2. (U) COLOMBIAN PROSECUTORS RESTED MARCH 24 THEIR CRIMINAL CASE
AGAINST TWO PARAMILITARY LEADERS, FIVE ARMY OFFICERS AND A POLICE
COMMANDER ACCUSED OF HAVING ORCHESTRATED ONE OF COLOMBIA'S MOST
MACABRE AND INFAMOUS CASES OF MASS-MURDER: THE NOVEMBER 11,
1988, MASSACRE IN SEGOVIA, ANTIOQUIA (IN THE MAGDALENA MEDIC
REGION), FORTY-NINE PERSONS WERE KILLED AND ANOTHER 56 INJURED
IN A BLOODY RAMPAGE WHICH BEGAN IN THE TOWN'S SQUARE. THE
SLAUGHTER OCCURRED MID-DAY ON A FRIDAY PAYDAY, WHEN GOLD-MINERS
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 BOGOTA 03766 01 OF 02 032221Z
FROM THE NEARBY HILLS AND HOLLOWS CONVERGED ON THE , TOWN TO CASH
THEIR PAYCHECKS. THREE TRUCKS OF ARMED MEN ARRIVED AND BEGAN
OPENING FIRE, APPARENTLY RANDOMLY, AGAINST THE TOWNSPEOPLE. THE
BODIES OF THE DEAD MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE THEN LOADED ON
THE TRUCKS, WHICH CONTINUED TO CIRCULATE THROUGH THE STREETS AS
THE PARAMILITARY FIGHTERS STOOD ATOP THE DEAD, CHEERING AND
DRINKING TO THEIR "GOOD HUNTING." THROUGH IT ALL, NEITHER THE
TOWN'S ARMY BATTALION NOR POLICE DETACHMENT STIRRED FROM THEIR
BASES.
3. (U) ACCUSED OF DIRECTING THE KILLINGS, PARAMILITARY LEADERS
FIDEL CASTANO AND LUIS ALBERTO ARRIETA AND THEN-LT. COL. HERNANDO
NAVAS RUBIO WERE FORMALLY CHARGED WITH TERRORISM, CONSPIRACY,
PERSONAL INJURY AND MULTIPLE HOMICIDE WITH TERRORIST ENDS. AT
THE TIME OF THE MASSACRE, NAVAS RUBIO WAS SERVING AS CHIEF
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR THE ARMY'S 14TH BRIGADE, HEADQUARTERED
IN THE NEARBY TOWN OF PUERTO BERRIO; FIDEL CASTANO SERVED AS HEAD
OF THE SELF-DEFENSE GROUPS OF CORDOBA AND URABA ("ACCU&quot ; ARRIETA
WAS THE PERSONAL BODYGUARD AND SIDEKICK OF "VLADIMIR," A
GUERRILLA-TURNED-PARAMILITARY LEADER (WHO HAS ALREADY CONFESSED
AND BEEN SENTENCED FOR HIS OWN INVOLVEMENT IN THE MASSACRE).
4. (U) THE OTHER CO-DEFENDANTS IN THE TRIAL INCLUDE AN ARMY
Current Class: CONFIDENTIAL Page: 2
UNCLASSIFIED
Current Class: CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED
Page: 3
Current Handling: n/a
Document Number: 1998BOOOTA03766 Channel: n/a
LIEUTENANT COLONEL, A MAJOR, A LIEUTENANT AND THE LOCAL POLICE
COMMANDER. THE FISCALIA ORDERED THE RELEASE OF ANOTHER ARMY
OFFICER, MAJOR BERNARDO BLANCO PINEDA, AFTER DETERMINING THAT
THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO WARRANT CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
THE FISCALIA ALSO CONTINUES BUILDING ITS RELATED CASE AGAINST THE
PRESUMED INTELLECTUAL AUTHOR OF THE MASSACRE, THEN-CONGRESSMAN
CESAR PEREZ GARCIA, THE ANTIOQUIA POLITICAL STRONGMAN (AND
MULTIPLE-TERM PRESIDENT OF THE LOWER HOUSE OF COLOMBIA'S
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL.
PAGE 04 BOGOTA 03766 01 OF 02 032221Z
CONGRESS, THE CHAMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES) WHO HAD ROUTINELY
APPOINTED MAYORS IN THE REGION. PEREZ IS BELIEVED TO HAVE
ORDERED THE MASSACRE TO DISRUPT THE POLITICAL ADVANCES MADE BY
THE "U.P.", A POLITICAL COALITION OF LEFTISTS, COMMUNISTS AND
DEMOBILIZED PARC GUERRILLAS WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1985. THE
U.P. HAD CHALLENGED PEREZ' DECADES-LONG DOMINANCE BY HANDILY
WINNING THE SEGOVIA MAYORALTY THE PREVIOUS MONTH, IN COLOMBIA'S
FIRST DIRECT ELECTIONS FOR LOCAL MAYORS.
THE SUSPECTS' "RAP SHEETS"
5. (C) NAVAS RUBIO IS BECOMING QUITE THE HOUSEHOLD NAME.
ALONGSIDE RETIRED GENERAL FAROUK YANINE DIAZ, NAVAS RUBIO WAS
JUST CLEARED ON 17 MARCH BY THE MILITARY COURT OF APPEALS
("TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR MILITAR&quot OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE 1987
PARAMILITARY MASSACRE OF 19 TRAVELING MERCHANTS OPERATING OUT OF
PUERTO BERRIO. NAVAS RUBIO REMAINS IN MILITARY DETENTION, NOT
JUST BECAUSE OF HIS PROSECUTION IN THE SEGOVIA CASE, BUT BECAUSE
OF HIS INVOLVEMENT IN SEVERAL OTHER NOTORIOUS KILLINGS (SEE
REFTEL).
6. (C) NAVAS RUBIO WAS FIRST ARRESTED, HOWEVER, NOT FOR ANY OF
THESE VIOLENT CRIMES BUT BECAUSE OF HIS 1992 ROLE IN
ORCHESTRATING THE ESCAPE OF NONE OTHER THAN MEDELLIN CARTEL
KINGPIN CARLOS ESCOBAR FROM "DETENTION." THE NATIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL OUTRAGE OVER ESCOBAR'S ESCAPE FROM THE "LA CATEDRAL
PRISON" THAT HE BUILT FOR HIMSELF NEAR MEDELLIN PROMPTED THE
INVESTIGATION, DETENTION AND CONVICTION OF NAVAS RUBIO -- WHO WAS
THEN SERVING AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE ONE-INMATE PRISON. ONLY THEN
WAS NAVAS RUBIO FORCED TO RETIRE FROM THE ARMY (WITH FULL PENSION
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 05

More:
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/138199.pdf

[center]

Right-winger Cesar Perez Garcia [/center]

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Ho-hum. Did you hear Venezuela has a toilet paper shortage?

That is far more worthy of discussion than horrid human rights abuses conducted by our allies and aid recipients.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Right! What was I thinking? At least these massacre victims probably had TP!

In that respect they were a whole lot better off, weren't they?

It's true, the same country whose President told the CIA head, Richard Helms, regarding leftist Chile, "Make the economy scream" would NEVER interfere in the economy of Venezuela>

Just because they (via C.I.A.) financed the truck strike which prevented delivery of groceries to Chilean grocery stores, and the longshoremens' strike, which prevented unloading imported products to be delivered to Chilean stores, as well, and had food rotting in trucks AND in ships in the harbor, backed up far into the ocean, creating bedlam in Chilean households doesn't mean a thing. The U.S. has NOT been caught in any covert ops in Venezuelan product misdirection so far. We'll have to wait for the declassified documents to be available to learn that, just as we did with Chile!

Yep, it's time to work up a real snit over this toilet paper SCANDAL.

[Bacchus4.0]

5. Venezuela has a much higher murder rate and raw number of murders each year

while at the same time having much less toilet paper.

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. Murders not committed by the government and its allies, but by common criminals.

There's a lot of that in the neighborhood. I think the murder rate in that capitalist paradise Honduras exceeds the murder rate in venezuela.

[Bacchus4.0]

9. Honduras does. But I reiterate that 20% of murders committed by police in Ven

that the admission of Ven's own interior minister so you can take it up with him if you don't believe me. You won't see many stories of Venezuelan murderers, police or otherwise, being convicted of atrocities because the justice system sucks.

So we are not comparing toilet paper to violence or the respective criminal justice systems in Venezuela versus Colombia, but Venezuela is worse on all accounts.

[Bacchus4.0]

4. it shows that Colombia has an independent judiciary compared to their neighbor

where only about 3% of homicides are prosecuted and 20% of crime is committed by the police. Colombia also does not have a toilet paper shortage and has a large trade surplus with Venezuela.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Very impressive. It only took them 25 years to convict this guy.

Meanwhile, where's Uribe? Teaching at Harvard or something?

[Judi Lynn]

10. The Teflon Anus has been added to Rupert Murdoch's board!

News Corp. Nominates Alvaro Uribe, Colombia President Involved In Wiretapping Scandal, To Board
Posted: 10/15/2012 2:01 pm Updated: 10/15/2012 3:40 pm

News Corp. plans to welcome the newest member to its board of directors on Tuesday: the former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe.

For Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate, still reeling from a phone hacking scandal, Uribe is an odd choice, many journalists and press advocates say. Under Uribe's command, Colombia's intelligence service became mired in an illegal wiretapping scandal. Several ex-intelligence agents and former aides to Uribe now face criminal charges or investigations from the public prosecutor’s office, which accuses them of illegally spying on Supreme Court justices, journalists and human rights activists. Uribe, a controversial conservative leader, himself lashed out at journalists he perceived as critical during his two-term presidency from 2002 to 2010.

“It’s ironic that someone who has such an adversarial relationship with the press would be elected to the board of a media company,” Carlos Lauria, senior Americas program coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told The Huffington Post. “His accusations endangered the lives of local reporters.”

News Corp. declined to comment on Uribe's appointment or his relationship with the press. The company did share a written statement submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission in September, describing Uribe as a potential addition to the board with meaningful international political experience. News Corp. contacted a spokesperson for Uribe on behalf of The Huffington Post, who did not respond to requests for comment.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/news-corp-alvaro-uribe_n_1965730.html

(There is absolute compatibility between Uribe and people like Murdoch. They're on the same side, after all!)

[Peace Patriot]

12. "The Teflon Anus"! HAR-HAR-HAR-HAR!

Judi, you have surpassed yourself in the description of U.S. supported monsters in Latin America!

This one is priceless in its aptness and accuracy!

Teflon (CIA protection). Anus (U.S. crimes where the sun don't shine).

[Bacchus4.0]

11. if Colombia decides to indict him they will, you think Maduro or any chavista official

would EVER be indicted???

[Judi Lynn]

8. Families of massacre victims welcome congressman’s 30-year sentence

Families of massacre victims welcome congressman’s 30-year sentence
posted by Adriaan Alsema
May 16, 2013

Families of victims of a 1988 massacre during which 43 people were killed by paramilitary forces on Thursday said to feel relieved over the 30-year prison sentence handed down to a former Congressman who had ordered the killings.

“I thank God, like, we were waiting for 25 years to let our loved ones rest in peace,” one of the victims’ family members told Caracol Radio in response to the sentencing of former House Representative Cesar Perez.

The former lawmaker was sentenced over the Segovia massacre that was carried out by paramilitary forces and aimed at wiping out leftist political forces in the town of Segovia, Antioquia where the politician had failed to win mayoral elections.

The massacre was one of the first of hundreds of massacres and political killings carried out by the paramilitaries who would later form the AUC.

http://colombiareports.com/families-of-massacre-victims-welcome-congressmans-30-year-sentence/