Colombian witness appeals to RCMP
Told of plot to kill him in Canada
Graeme Hamilton And Natalie Alcoba, National Post
Published: Saturday, April 26, 2008
MONTREAL - Colombia's witness-protection agency has warned a former paramilitary turned state witness that two assassins posing as tourists plan to travel to his new home in Canada to kill him.
Jairo Castillo Peralta has been living at an undisclosed location in Quebec since being granted political asylum in 2002. Turned informant on members of a paramilitary group he joined in his home state of Antioquia, his testimony has already helped put several members of congress in jail. This week, Mario Uribe, a former senator who is a cousin and close ally of President Alvaro Uribe, was arrested for alleged ties to paramilitary death squads after being implicated by Mr. Castillo.
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"I am less fearful than in Colombia, but I'm still scared, because we're dealing with a dirty state that is capable of killing anyone," he said of his native country. "I had got used to the peace and quiet."
He said he is waiting to hear what kind of protection the RCMP can offer. "I feel alone, without any government support. Because in a country like Colombia, it's common that someone who testifies in favour of the government doesn't even see the light of day. Now who is going to protect me, if they're sending people to assassinate me in Canada?"
Mr. Castillo has been trying to build a new life here with his wife and six children, but his past has followed him. He has continued to work with Colombian authorities investigating connections between lawmakers, landowners and violent right-wing paramilitary organizations in Antioquia, which is also the home state of the President.
He has said he was forced to join a local paramilitary group in 1995, serving as a chauffeur and bodyguard. He earlier described Mario Uribe as "a strong collaborator of the paramilitaries" and said he was present at two meetings between the senator and paramilitary groups, during which they talked of ways to grab land from private landowners.
His revelations about Mr. Uribe and others have helped propel an inquiry in Colombia that has led to the arrest of 32 members of congress for ties to paramilitary groups. The groups, formed initially to counter leftist guerillas, are accused of killing thousands of civilians and trafficking cocaine.
Mr. Castillo said the threat will not stop him from aiding Colombian investigators.
"Until the Canadian government tells me to stop testifying, I'll keep co-operating with authorities, because it's a personal mission of mine," he said. "I'm doing it for the future of my children, of other young Colombians who deserve to live in a proper country, like Canada."
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