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Colombia's Armed Forces Deadly Bounty Program "Gone Awry" Say Human Right Groups

GRANADA, Colombia -- Fabio Rodríguez Benavides, 23, a cheerful young man known as Little Horse because of the size of his teeth, said goodbye to his mother at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2007, to meet his girlfriend and have some drinks.

Three days later, he turned up dead. Authorities say he was killed in a firefight with the Colombian armed forces, that he was well armed and wore the boots of a rebel fighter.

His family says that's preposterous; he was a member of the armed forces, on leave because of an injured leg, and he revered the military.

Rodríguez's death is one of 1,855 being investigated by the Colombian attorney general's office as possible examples of nonjudicial executions linked to the armed forces. Many victims were peasants, some were teens, or mentally impaired individuals, or drug addicts. One was a street mime.

http://www.miamiherald.com/579/story/1096347.html

By miamimike on Jun 13, 2009, 21:21 in Politics & the war.

billyb says on Jun 14, 2009, 00:30:

Of course there is going to be abuses Mike, but on the whole, the program has resulted in more successes than abuses, we don't want to throw out the child with the bath water.

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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El Expatriado says on Jun 14, 2009, 01:56:

I think they should court martial and execute some of the abusers to stop this, likethe purport to do in the US.

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miamimike says on Jun 14, 2009, 04:16:

Not saying it should Billy but on the wrongful deaths the Perps should be rounded up,, tried in court and justice meted out in the court of law. Our Soldiers in Iraq are held to this standard and if Col is using Plan Colombia Funds, they should be held to the same standard. It will help with the passage of a FTA in Colombia.

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Soy Yo, Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska.

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dwmte7 says on Jun 14, 2009, 04:16:

in a previous post, someone suggeted that human rights abusers should receive as their punishment, go out and clear land mines. great learning potential in this punishment.

billy.....common. there are so many horrific abuses in colombia right now that have their roots at the very top. corruption is a hydra headed cobra. they're--literally--getting away with murder and the body count continues to climb while the prosecutions decline. pity.

patriarch

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 14, 2009, 04:37:

"the prosecutions decline."
That´s not true. There are a lots of investigations going on. The problem is these investigations are not whore to print them for the foreign press. They are just looking to find something to hurt the colombian military and government.

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miamimike says on Jun 14, 2009, 04:45:

makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 14, 2009, 04:37 (today): flag

"the prosecutions decline."
That´s not true. There are a lots of investigations going on.
-------------------------

Got a Link?

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Soy Yo, Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 14, 2009, 05:20:

http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-4623984
http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-4632749
http://www.semana.com/noticias-justicia/condenan-soldado-falso-positiv...

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 14, 2009, 05:41:

http://www.elespectador.com/articulo118317-soldado-profesional-condena...
http://bloguerosrevolucion.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2522192:Blog...
http://www.radioguatapuri.com/rg/index.php?option=com_content&view=art...
http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Mayo142009/milifalsosp.html

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miamimike says on Jun 14, 2009, 05:54:

Makopp-In your links, it doesn't show sum total of all the Perps rounded up, tried in court and who are actually sitting in jail.

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Soy Yo, Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 14, 2009, 07:06:

MM

don´t worry it needs sometime to investigate. But you can see there is going on a lot of investigation and some military personal is in prison.

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dwmte7 says on Jun 14, 2009, 10:56:

martin.....screw prison........put them in the selva clearing mines.

patriarch

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 14, 2009, 11:57:

Tone loc

there are a lot of investigation going on. The first ones are in Jail 40 years.
http://www.elespectador.com/articulo118317-soldado-profesional-condena...
http://bloguerosrevolucion.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2522192:Blog...
http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Mayo142009/milifalsosp.html

douglas this sounds to me a very good idea.
And that the EU will pay for them.They have to pay a tax of 20% of all consumed cocain in the world.

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dwmte7 says on Jun 14, 2009, 16:45:

i didn't understand that last line?

after twenty years there, i take everything out of government--insurgents also--with a grain of salt. i'[ve seen the corruption first hand and the murdering and sequester. every one has their hand in the dope pie and is on the take. i'm from missouri, where you gotta "SHOW ME" there are certainly some descent colombians...obviously....but there's one hell of a lot of what i loosly call ass holes. the husslers, thugs, rip offs, liars, cheats, rapists and abusers. every family has one. and since you live there, you know full well what i'm talking about. i've watched people murdered in front of my face for no more than target practice...nothing else. it's a real tough place and not for the feint hearted. things have changed and calmed down a lot.....but under the surface, it's still colombia. si o no?
douglas

patriarch

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