US army investigates reports that soldiers raped dozens in Colombia
US army investigates reports that soldiers raped dozens in Colombia
US soldiers or civilian defense contractors said to have sexually assaulted dozens in lengthy report on country’s decades-old internal conflict
Sibylla Brodzinsky in Bogotá
Tuesday 7 April 2015 15.25 EDT
The US army says it will look into claims that soldiers or civilian defence contractors sexually assaulted as many as 53 women and girls while stationed in Colombia between 2003 and 2007.
“After coordinating with Colombian authorities, we will initiate investigations into any credible allegations of sexual assault or any crime,” said Chris Grey, a spokesman for the US army criminal investigation command.
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The allegations resurfaced recently after they were included in a chapter of an 800-page report about the historical reasons behind Colombia’s 50-year-old internal conflict, commissioned by the Colombian government and leftist Farc rebels who are engaged in peace talks.
The author of the chapter on the role in the conflict of the United States – which has provided more than $9bn in mostly military aid to Colombia since 2000 – wrote that there was “abundant information about the sexual violence” by US servicemen and civilian contractors in towns near the Tolemaida military base in Tolima province. The alleged crimes have gone unpunished “thanks to bilateral agreements and diplomatic immunity granted to officials of the United States”, wrote Renán Vega, a professor of history.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/07/us-army-colombia-rapes-investigation
(My emphasis.)