New Evidence Reveals Close Ties Between Colombian Military and Rebels

[Judi Lynn]

Source: PBS

October 7th, 2010
New Evidence Reveals Close Ties Between Colombian Military and Rebels

A former U.S. ambassador to Colombia wrote in a secret cable to Washington in 1998 that the “systematic arming and equipping of aggressive regional paramilitaries” was “pivotal” to the military success of Colombian General Rito Alejo del Río Rojas, who is now on trial for murder and collaboration with paramilitary death squads while commanding a key army unit in the north of Colombia.

The secret “biographic note” from then-Ambassador Curtis Kamman was one of several documents pertaining to Del Rio that was published on September 29 by the National Security Archive.“The collection is a unique and potentially valuable source of evidence in the case against Del Rio, reflecting years of reports linking the senior army commander to paramilitarism,” Michael Evans, director of the Archive’s Colombia Documentation Project, told news outlet Colombia Reports. “As Del Rio’s trial resumes, the court should examine the contemporaneous accounts of U.S. officials who were required by law to monitor and certify Colombia’s human rights performance.”

The declassified cables are evidence that the U.S. government had knowledge of the Colombian military’s collusion with right-wing paramilitaries, who, according to the Office of Justice and Peace Promotion, have collectively admitted to murdering or disappearing over 30,000 Colombians since the 1980s. Since then, billions of dollars in U.S. aid have been given to the Colombian government to support its military in the fight against narco-terrorism.

In two other U.S. military reports from early 1998, Del Rio, who attended the U.S. Army School of the Americas, is lauded as a U.S. military training “success story,” then, in a corrected report, he is called a “not-so-success” story, with reference to his alleged paramilitary ties.

Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/blog/new-evidence-reveals-close-ties-between-colombian-military-and-rebels/6249/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Medellin crime boss jailed for 7 years

Medellin crime boss jailed for 7 years
Thursday, 07 October 2010 09:16 Christina Filipovic

Hugo Albeiro Quintero, alias "El Patron," a gang leader in Colombia's second city Medellin, is sentenced to seven years and five months in jail for planning to create new paramilitary groups.

The sentence was handed down by a criminal court in Medellin, which found him guilty of aggravated conspiracy with the purpose of forming illegal organizations, reports Caracol Radio. The decision was made in one of the lower courts, meaning that Quintero has the option of appealing to a higher court in Medellin.

Quintero was arrested in September 2008 in Bello on charges of homicide and forced disappearance.

The criminal boss, who owned the transport company Bellanita de Transportes, was linked to the AUC paramilitary coalition, and is accused of harboring former paramilitary leader Vicente Castaño Quintero when he broke off peace negotiations with the Colombian government in August 2006.

During his trial, two key witnesses were murdered and one disappeared. An investigation into these killings is ongoing.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12247-businessman-convicted-for-paramilitary-activities.html

[Judi Lynn]

2. Former President to Be Investigated in Colombia Spying Case

Former President to Be Investigated in Colombia Spying Case
Caracas,
Friday
October 8,2010

BOGOTA – Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he is putting himself at the disposal of Congress and the Supreme Court so they can investigate him in connection with an illegal wiretapping scandal.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Uribe acknowledged his “legal and political responsibility” for the conduct of his former chief of staff, Bernardo Moreno, whom the Inspector General’s Office earlier this week barred from public office for his role in the spying. The conservative former head of state said Moreno went through the DAS security service concerning allegations of infiltration by drug traffickers in matters involving certain judges but that he never suggested any “illegal activities.” Uribe added that it has been his “custom to assume responsibility in public and private life and this occasion cannot be an exception” and that therefore he is putting himself “at the disposal of Congress and the Supreme Court.”

On Monday, the IG’s office meted out sanctions against nine former officials for illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court justices, opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists.

Moreno was barred from carrying out public duties for 18 years for “exceeding his duties,” while former DAS directors Jorge Noguera and Maria del Pilar Hurtado were prohibited from involvement in public service for 20 years and 18 years, respectively. Another former DAS director, Andres Peñate, was barred from holding public office for eight months. Those three ex-officials were at the helm of DAS during Uribe’s two terms in office from 2002-2006 and 2006-2010.

Uribe’s remarks came hours after political leaders and other targets of the illegal spying called for a public statement from the former president.

Former presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, one of the targets of the eavesdropping, told Caracol Radio that the former DAS directors must reveal which government official ordered the illegal intercepts.

More:
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=370253&CategoryId=12393