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Report of Human Rights Watch : Uribe's government hampers the progress of actions against paras

(Bogota, October 16, 2008) – The administration of President Álvaro Uribe is jeopardizing efforts to secure justice for crimes committed by paramilitaries and their accomplices in Colombia, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
The 140-page report, “Breaking the Grip? Obstacles to Justice for Paramilitary Mafias in Colombia,” assesses Colombia’s progress toward investigating and breaking the influence of paramilitaries’ mafia-like networks. It also describes government actions that pose serious obstacles to continued progress. The report is based on interviews with prosecutors and investigators, case files, witness testimony, and other material collected over the course of more than one year of research in Colombia.

“Colombia’s justice institutions have made enormous progress in investigating paramilitaries and their powerful friends,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “But the Uribe administration keeps taking steps that could sabotage these investigations.”

Colombia’s paramilitaries have committed crimes against humanity and other atrocities, including thousands of killings, massacres, threats, enforced disappearances, and forced displacement of civilians. They have amassed enormous wealth and influence, in part through mafia-style alliances with members of the military, politicians, and businesspeople.

In the last two years, Colombia’s Supreme Court has made unprecedented progress in investigating accusations against members of the Colombian Congress of collaborating with the paramilitaries. More than 60 members – nearly all from Uribe’s coalition – have come under investigation. And, in confessions to prosecutors, paramilitary commanders have started to disclose the details of some of their atrocities and to name accomplices in politics and the military.

The report explains that the progress made is the outcome of a fortuitous combination of factors, which include:
• A Constitutional Court ruling that significantly improved Colombia’s Justice and Peace Law, creating incentives for paramilitary commanders to disclose some of the truth about their crimes.
• The independence and courage of a select group of Supreme Court justices and prosecutors, who have pushed forward investigations of paramilitary infiltration in the political system. Members of Colombian civil society and several journalists also helped to uncover information that nourished the investigations.
• International pressure – including the delay of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement – has in some cases prevented the government from trying to let paramilitaries’ accomplices off the hook.

But the Uribe administration has repeatedly taken actions that threaten to undermine this progress, including:
• Repeatedly issuing public personal attacks on the Supreme Court and its members, in some cases making accusations that have turned out to be baseless, in what increasingly looks like a campaign to discredit the court.
• Proposing constitutional amendments that would remove what are known as the “parapolitics” investigations from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
• Opposing and blocking meaningful efforts to reform the Congress to eliminate paramilitary influence.

In addition, the extraditions of several top paramilitary commanders to the United States, at a time when several of them were starting to talk about their human rights crimes and accomplices, have interrupted ongoing investigations in Colombia. The extraditions are positive in that they may have broken the groups’ chains of command and have increased the likelihood that these commanders will serve lengthy prison terms for their drug crimes, but they may prove fatal to obtaining justice for other atrocities.

Human Rights Watch noted that at this time, more than ever, international pressure on Colombia is crucial to ensure that Colombia’s Supreme Court and other institutions of justice are able to proceed unhampered.

“Without significant oversight and pressure from the international community, the enormous efforts made by Colombia’s courts and prosecutors to hold paramilitaries’ accomplices accountable could easily be squandered,” said Vivanco.

Human Rights Watch noted that many paramilitary crimes may fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Paramilitaries’ accomplices could also become subject to investigation if Colombian authorities fail to bring them to justice.

“The burden is now on the Uribe administration and Colombia’s institutions of justice to ensure that paramilitaries, as well as their accomplices, are held accountable for their crimes,” said Vivanco.

The report also recommends that the US Department of Justice use the tools at its disposal to further accountability and the dismantling of paramilitaries’ structures. The Department of Justice has jurisdiction to prosecute some of the paramilitary leaders for acts of torture committed in Colombia. During plea bargaining, it should also create incentives to ensure that they disclose information, not only about their drug crimes, but also their atrocities and network of accomplices.

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/10/16/colomb19988.htm

By pobrecito on Oct 16, 2008, 12:29 in Politics & the war.

pobrecito says on Oct 16, 2008, 12:30:

To download the report in english or spanish:

http://hrw.org/reports/2008/colombia1008/

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

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Mononoke28 says on Oct 16, 2008, 12:57:

Is this the same guy who was thrown out of Venezuela?

Diana

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pobrecito says on Oct 16, 2008, 13:06:

Yes Vivanco was thrown out of Venezuela for this report:

http://hrw.org/reports/2008/venezuela0908/

It is not possible to say that he is a man of Chavez against Uribe.

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

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Mononoke28 says on Oct 16, 2008, 13:16:

I've seen several interviews with him and he sounds very neutral when it comes to these reports, meaning he doesn't take any political sides which is good.

Diana

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Simon says on Oct 16, 2008, 15:35:

Vivanco neutral? Have you noticed how he rarely criticizes the FARC's atrocities? That guy is nothing more than an anti-Colombian piece of shit!!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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corporalgator (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 16, 2008, 15:39:

Does every writer that writes about Colombia need to criticize the terrorists who live here to not be considered a POS? Does not criticizing something mean you are for it or simply that you choose to write about something else? The FARC gets plenty of attention, why does he need to give them more or has he openly supported them?

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PBHjon says on Oct 16, 2008, 15:46:

Personally, I am a liberal. My politics is on towards the left.

But in my experience, when radical leftists don't criticize leftist terrorists its because they are sympathetic to them. When radical leftists criticized the government crackdown on the Sendero Luminoso (the Shining Path) but refused to criticize the Sendero Luminoso itself, it was because they were sendero supporters. When radical leftists go to Palestine and criticize the army occupation there, but refuse to criticize Hamas, Al Qaeda, PFLP, etc it is because they are sympathetic to these terrorist groups.

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romy says on Oct 16, 2008, 16:54:

I wonder what the government has to hide? how bad is it actually?

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manINred says on Oct 16, 2008, 17:01:

"Have you noticed how he rarely criticizes the FARC's atrocities?"

The FARC's atrocities are absolutely ghastly, and they are scum.

But the answer to addressing the paramilitary violence is not to look at the farc. The paramilitaries, particularly AUC up to their demise in 2004/5, were responsible for 80% of Colombia's human rights atrocities from 1990 onwards. This issue MUST be addressed.

The demobilization process was necessary, but one wonders how many paras got let off relatively scot free. I understand that it was a necessary evil for the sake of security in Colombia (demobilization and the terms thereof), but HR issues must be addressed.

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Simon says on Oct 16, 2008, 17:13:

Corporalgator,

It's Vivanco's job to denounce the FARC's actions!!

ByronKostner,

I'm making too much fokin money here and that's why I won't move to Colombia, much more than you, hahah!!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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romy says on Oct 16, 2008, 20:14:

2nd paragraph of the summary

"Paramilitary groups have ravaged much of Colombia for two decades. Purporting to fight the EQUALLY BRUTAL GUERRILLAS OF THE LEFT, they have massacred, tortured, forcibly "disappeared", and sadistically killed countless men, women, and children."
hmmm, who's sympathizing with the guerrillas?

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Dolfi says on Oct 17, 2008, 01:14:

It is absolutely childish to suppose that one supports everything that he doesn´t criticize explicitely. Do I have to criticize any criminal in the wolrd to make sure that I don´t support crime?

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cali373 says on Oct 17, 2008, 08:50:

Dolfi has a point

Smile if you are a thinker!

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Mononoke28 says on Oct 17, 2008, 11:15:

Simon, you just don't get it. Of course he's going to say something about the people who are violating human rights, which the FARC obviously do. But he does not go into a country to say "so and so is a bad president or his philosophies about the economy are not good enough". No, he goes in, he sees what are the conditions of the people living in the country he's writing the report on, studies the reasons for that and reports them.

Geez... you're something else LOL!!!!

Diana

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Simon says on Oct 17, 2008, 21:37:

Diana, where does he mention the FARC in this latest report? We all know Vivanco hates Uribe because thanks to Uribe's cracking down on the FARC and demobilizing the Paras, this slimeball's organization has a lot less work to do in Colombia! The guy is a first-rate POS!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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pobrecito says on Oct 18, 2008, 06:39:

Simon, you must learn reading. See the comment of Romy upper.

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

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Simon says on Oct 18, 2008, 12:15:

Yeah, I read it and noticed that they mention the FARC in passing while focusing mainly on the Paras!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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romy says on Oct 18, 2008, 15:12:

extradited paramilitary leader 'Cuco Vanoy' has declared he will not cooperate with the Paz y Justicia process that has lead to the elucidation of paramilitary links with different sectors of society (government and military in particular).
This was one of the consequences that HRW had warned as a result of extraditions.

see
http://www.semana.com/noticias-justicia/cuco-vanoy-no-colaborara-justi...

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Mononoke28 says on Oct 20, 2008, 11:02:

Simon, you're just bitter because "oh surprise!" they've pointed out that president Uribe is not perfect. Shocking!!! =O

Diana

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Simon says on Oct 20, 2008, 20:45:

Uribe may not be perfect, but he is the closest thing to a perfect President as there is!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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Mononoke28 says on Oct 21, 2008, 11:38:

Ardido.

Diana

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Simon says on Oct 21, 2008, 16:21:

Cansona!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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