Former President Gaviria's Sister Murdered in Alleged Kidnapping Attempt

platano says on Apr 27, 2006, 21:13:

¿Qué trabajo tenía Liliana? Espero que no fuese asesora de la campaña de Gaviria. Pues, ya secuestraron y asesinaron al asesor de la campaña de Piedad Gomez y Horacio Serpa.plátano

plátano

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juancegomez says on Apr 27, 2006, 21:59:

She was not actively involved in politics, platano "Liliana Gaviria, de 52 años, se desempeñaba como Gerente de Conurbanos, una empresa de transporte de Pereira y manejaba los negocios de la familia. Era la tercera de cuatro hermanos."

It has also been mentioned in the news that she had no recent political involvement.

And btw, you should talk about Horacio Serpa's campaign, because César Gaviria has no campaign per se (he's no candidate, he isn't running for anything at all).

So I don't think that an immediate comparison can be made just yet, given that the differences seem greater than the similarities (the only obvious thing they have in common is death, because Jaime Gómez "disappeared" and died alone in an absolutely horrible yet still very mysterious fashion, not in what seems like a kidnapping attempt out in the open, far from covert. Not the same "modus operandi").

Btw, I hope we avoid threadjacking this too early.

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juancegomez says on Apr 27, 2006, 22:09:

Sister of Ex-Colombian President Killed

By TOBY MUSE, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago

BOGOTA, Colombia - The sister of former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria was killed late Thursday in a botched kidnapping that underscored fears of violence a month before national elections.


Liliana Gaviria, 52, a real estate agent, was killed by unknown assailants in the province of Risaralda, 110 miles west of Bogota.

Cesar Gaviria was president of Colombia between 1990-1994, before becoming secretary general of the Organization of American States. He currently leads the main opposition party, the Liberals.

"It pains us. It pains us greatly that such crimes occur," said President Alvaro Uribe, announcing a $430,000 reward for the capture of those responsible. "The government will do all in its power to make sure this crime doesn't go unpunished."

Between four and eight armed men intercepted Gaviria as she was traveling with her security detail. In the ensuing shootout, one of her bodyguards was killed and two of the kidnappers were injured, said Uberney Marin, mayor of the nearby city of Pereira.

Gaviria's body was found about 15 minutes after her abduction.

Colombian elections have traditionally been marked by violence as leftist rebels, far-right paramilitaries and drug-traffickers attempt to assert influence.

Despite a widening corruption scandal, Uribe continues to hold a commanding lead in polls ahead of the May 28 election. Voters appear to approve of his dogged pursuit of leftist rebels, which is credited with a dramatic drop in kidnapping and politically motivated homicides.

Cesar Gaviria's political career has been framed by the violence that has gripped Colombia for decades.

Ten years ago this month, his brother was kidnapped and kept for 70 days by a leftist rebel group before being set free in exchange for the release of eight prisoners.

In 1989, he was campaign manager for leading presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Luis Carlos Galan, who was assassinated at a rally by gunmen working for cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel. Gaviria replaced Galan as the Liberal Party's candidate and went on to win the election.

Escobar was killed in 1993 during a rooftop shootout in Medellin, while Gaviria was in office.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060428/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_gaviria_killed_2

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platano says on Apr 28, 2006, 12:28:

Juance, no hablaba yo de César sino de Gaviria Díaz, Carlos Gaviria denuncia asesinato de activistas
y pide observadores internacionales en campañas

El candidato presidencial de izquierda, el ex magistrado Carlos Gaviria Díaz, denunció asesinatos de activistas y opositores y pidió la presencia de observadores internacionales para la campaña de los comicios del próximo 28 de mayo en Colombia.

El jurista y senador Gaviria Díaz, candidato por el Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA), enumeró una serie de asesinatos ocurridos en las últimas semanas y pidió aclararlos.

"En las últimas semanas tiende a consolidarse un clima de ostensible deterioro de las condiciones de seguridad de las campañas presidenciales", expresó el político en una declaración escrita.

Agregó que "a la ausencia de democracia que hemos denunciado en nuestros pronunciamientos, debemos adicionarle, con una mezcla de dolor, indignación y desconcierto, hechos de suma gravedad: Desapariciones, asesinatos, denuncias de hostigamientos a un candidato presidencial" que "enrarecen el ambiente electoral".

Citó la desaparición del historiador Jaime Gómez Velásquez, asesor de la senadora opositora Piedad Córdoba y cuyo cadáver fue encontrado el domingo pasado en un parque de Bogotá.

También el asesinato el domingo pasado de un militante de su partido, �lvaro Garnica, en Montería (Córdoba), horas después de una visita suya a la ciudad y, tras expresar su pesar a la familia, reclamó "total y pronto esclarecimiento de los hechos".

"Es inaceptable que la campaña sea manchada por el cruel derramamiento de sangre de miembros de la oposición", sostuvo Gaviria. Recordó los asesinatos de un guardaespaldas del senador del PDA, Gustavo Petro, y de la directora de la Corporación para la Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos "Reiniciar", Jahel Quiroga, quien lleva una demanda contra el Estado por el extermino de miles de militantes del grupo comunista Unión Patriótica (UP) en las décadas de 1980 y 90.

"Por todo lo anterior, queremos solicitarle a la comunidad internacional considerar las excepcionalmente graves condiciones de seguridad y garantías del proceso electoral, lo cual demanda la presencia de observadores", manifestó el candidato del PDA. También solicitó al Gobierno "garantizar las condiciones requeridas para garantizar la presencia de las misiones de observación internacional".

Otro candidato presidencial, el independiente �lvaro Leyva, de tendencia conservadora, denunció el pasado lunes posibles seguimientos por parte de agentes estatales y el descubrimiento de un micrófono oculto en su oficina. Sin embargo, el ministro del Interior y Justicia, Sabas Pretelt, destacó las medidas de seguridad ofrecidas por el Gobierno.

plátano

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juancegomez says on Apr 28, 2006, 14:39:

Pues bonita forma de demostrarlo... Tengo la leve impresión de que si hablabas de "Liliana" en el contexto de la noticia principal no tendría mucho sentido el que te refirieras a eso que ahora publicas, pero igual realmente no voy a discutirlo a fondo hoy...no tengo ganas.

Que conste que eso que acabas de poner sin duda es un tema válido, por sus propios méritos, pero como ya he dado a entender, en este caso no comparto la idea de un "threadjacking".

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miamimike says on Apr 28, 2006, 14:55:

They Had this Article in the Miami Herald Today on Her Murder.. "COLOMBIA
Former president's sister killed in abduction
The sister of former Colombian President César Gaviria was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt.
By STEVEN DUDLEY
sdudley at MiamiHerald.com

WILLIAM FERNANDO/AP/CROP
PRAYERS AND PAIN: Family and friends, of Liliana Gaviria, 52, a real estate agent, and owner of a transport company, are mourning her tragic death.
More photos
10/31/1996 | Solution to brother's kidnapping backfires on Gaviria
BOGOTA - Liliana Gaviria, the sister of César Gaviria, the former Colombian president and ex-secretary general of the Organization of American States, was assassinated Thursday evening during an apparent kidnapping attempt, authorities said.

''The government will use all its forces to make sure this act doesn't go unpunished,'' President Alvaro Uribe said in a national address before offering a $440,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of the kidnappers.

Uribe also dispatched Chief of Police Jorge Castro and Minister of Defense Camilo Ospina to Pereira, the southwestern city about 220 miles from Bogotá where several armed men intercepted 52-year-old Liliana Gaviria as she returned home with her bodyguards. Uribe said he would go to Pereira today.

Initial reports said that one of Gaviria's bodyguards was killed and another was injured.

It's not clear whether Gaviria herself was also killed in the firefight or if she was murdered after the kidnapping.

Authorities in Pereira said her body was found 15 minutes after her abduction in a nearby park.

PARTY LEADER

César Gaviria is the head of the powerful Liberal Party in Colombia, a country enmeshed in a four-decades-old civil war between leftist rebels, rightist paramilitaries and the government. Colombia is a month from elections during which these groups traditionally try to exert their influence and often intimidate or assassinate politicians.

Colombia is also the kidnapping capital of the world. Over 2,000 kidnappings are reported each year in this country of 45 million, many of them victims of these armed groups seeking to finance their wars against one another.

But no group has taken responsibility for the death of Gaviria or her bodyguard.

''I'm confused. We're all confused,'' Liberal Party presidential candidate Horacio Serpa told Caracol Radio.

Gaviria has faced violence his whole career. His brother, Juan Carlos Gaviria, was kidnapped in Pereira in 1996 and later released by former leftist insurgents connected to drug traffickers. Eight kidnappers were given asylum in Cuba in return for Juan Carlos Gaviria's release.

The event damaged Gaviria's reputation after it was learned he had appealed to Fidel Castro, who helped broker the release of his brother and the asylum of the kidnappers.

WON IN 1990

Gaviria ran and won the presidency in 1990, after Liberal Party candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated by drug traffickers during the campaign. His presidency was marked by constitutional reform and his attempts to rein in drug traffickers like the infamous Pablo Escobar.

JAILED ESCOBAR

In 1992, Gaviria jailed Escobar in a specially built prison above Medellín in a deal the two worked out so Escobar would not be extradited to the United States.

Nicknamed ''The Cathedral,'' the jail served as little more than a place where Escobar could hide from his enemies and continue his drug trafficking and lavish lifestyle. When Gaviria attempted to move the drug lord from the jail, Escobar escaped. With the help of U.S. drug agents and right-wing vigilantes, Colombian police caught and shot Escobar in December 1993.

Upon finishing his term, Gaviria became secretary general of the OAS.

He spent much of his last years at the OAS mediating between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and opposition forces in that country.

`SOLE CHIEF'

He left the OAS in 2004 and returned to Colombia, where he was elected ''sole chief'' of the Liberal Party. He has been a strong critic of the Uribe government, especially the president's efforts to forge a peace agreement with right-wing paramilitaries who Gaviria says may get away with committing grave human-rights violations.

Gaviria has also repeatedly called the government's attention to help thwart the violence and intimidation during this dangerous electoral season.

Prior to his sister's death, Gaviria released a statement calling for the government to investigate possible criminal acts against party militants like Jaime Gómez, who perished under mysterious circumstances in Bogotá.

Polls show Uribe, the architect of a national-security plan that cut kidnappings by at least a third since he began his term in 2002, a likely winner in the May 28

elections."

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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platano says on Apr 28, 2006, 15:28:

juance, Voy a respetar tu thread. Tampoco quiero discutir. No más buscaba el motivo por el asesinato de Liliana, dado el contexto político y los reclamos de Carlos Gaviria.

Ya te dejo en paz. E igual deseo para Liliana QEPD.

plátano

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Miguel says on Apr 28, 2006, 16:01:

Last night on Caracol Radio There was a report that she had complained to the police that she was being "persecuted" by an ELN splinter group that took their name from Jorge Eliécer Gaitán.

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vladimiro says on Apr 28, 2006, 21:32:

"He has been a strong critic of the Uribe government, especially the president's efforts to forge a peace agreement with right-wing paramilitaries who Gaviria says may get away with committing grave human-rights violations."

It looks like a warning to those that are demonizing Uribe, and exposing DAS dealings with the paras right before the elections. I would think Uribe's friends would be the prime suspects.

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