Mother wants U.S. military to allow justice for girl's rape (Colombia)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald

Posted on Saturday, 09.05.09
Mother wants U.S. military to allow justice for girl's rape

The alleged rape of a girl at the hands of a U.S. officer on a Colombian military base has rekindled the anger and frustration of her mother, who also was raped 12 years ago and faces major hurdles in her quest for justice.

BY GONZALO GUILLEN AND GERARDO REYES
El Nuevo Herald

Olga Lucía Castillo could never bring to justice the men who raped her in Bogotá when she was pregnant with her daughter. Twelve years later, she is putting up the fight of her life to have a U.S. Army officer and a Mexican-born contractor indicted because, according to her, they raped her daughter at the military base in Melgar.

The older of her two daughters was sexually abused at a military base in this city, 62 miles from Bogotá, in August 2007, according to a criminal charge filed by Castillo at the Colombian prosecutor's office.

The suspects are U.S. Army sergeant Michael Coen and Mexican-born contractor César Ruiz, whose arrest was ordered by prosecutors following testimonies. There is no forensic evidence to implicate them, and after both suspects were taken out of the country under diplomatic immunity, the investigation could not move forward.

`I WILL NOT STOP'

Castillo is outraged and does not want the crime to go unpunished this time, as it happened in her case. She remembered bitterly that her husband had left her at the time, arguing that she had let the men rape her.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1218573.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombian Congresswomen wouldn't allow her to speak in Congress:

From the article:

She was not even allowed to enter the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, where she wanted to demand information on the investigation. She then tried to present the case before the Colombian congress last month, and two congresswomen opposed her presentation arguing that they would not allow intimate ``pornographic'' descriptions on the congress floor.

Simply unbelievable.

[ixion]

7. ah, I see... so no porn stories on the congress floor, but

rape is okay, I guess, as long as it's not on the congress floor. :grr:

[sabrina 1]

11. That's the same argument as not allowing

PHOTOS from the war zone to be published in the press since they violate standards of 'decency'. Well, according to Bush, and now Gates. But no mention of the violation of decency war itself is.

No description of the rape should be heard because of delicate sensibilies regarding hearing about such things. And no condemnation of the act itself.

Not unbelievable, as we here in the US fully support that kind of logic when it comes to war and other crimes against humanity.

[MisterP]

2. US bases often are salted wounds to their host countries

especially when the bases are there for ulterior motives (I mean, more so than usual)
there's lots of bad blood in South Korea, Okinawa, West Germany, Honduras, etc., over the US garrisoning and activities
just look at Ecuador: Correa agreed to a US base only if the US agreed to an Ecuadorean base; the US fled like it had been stung

[defendandprotect]

3. Disgusting and it's been going on for decades . . . and we have our own rapes in military . ..

of females -- just recently watched Congressional hearing on that which seemed to

be merely a catch up after so many years of Bush/brutal rule --

[Vidar]

4. All too typical, unfortunately.

[Odin2005]

5. There are no words...

:grr:

[AlphaCentauri]

6. I used to blame republicans for this acts but since there is an agreement for 7 military bases

under the current administration I'm just mute

[TheWraith]

8. So let's see...

A girl is allegedly raped, maybe by some US personnel, who were stationed at a Columbian Air Force base, all of which happened in 2007... and it's Obama's fault?

[Hulk]

9. You sure we couldn't blame this on the Clintons?

This imperialistic rape and plunder by "this mighty nation" are enough to make me want to vomit.

We are No innocent "home of the brave", unless you want to include these scum bags and the rest of the psychotic murderers that are in our armed forces as well.

I'll salute the brave that stepped forward to defend their country. Those of us who were simply puppets sent to foreign lands to grow this empire deserve nothing special from me.

[ScottLand]

10. And of course, everyone hates us

because we're so good and decent.

[nosmokes]

12. A by-product of our failed WAR ON DRUGS.