Colombia tries first general over mass civilian executions

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia tries first general over mass civilian executions
by Frank Cardona July 10, 2018



For the first time ever, an army general has apologized to victims for his alleged role in the mass execution of civilians that escalated under former President Alvaro Uribe.

General Henry Torres appeared Tuesday before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a war crimes tribunal created as part of a peace process that seeks to end decades of armed conflict and provide justice to millions of victims.

According to the prosecution, Torres was one of the military commanders who took part in the killing of at least 4,500 civilians during the two administrations of Uribe, who has rejected the transitional justice system.

The homicides were presented on record and in national media as combat kills and used to give people the false sense that Uribe’s so-called “Democratic Security” policy was a success.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombia-tries-first-general-over-mass-civilian-executions/

LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142105892

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

15 Years and $10 Billion Later, U.S. Efforts to Curb Colombia’s Cocaine Trade Have Failed
A policy focused on eradication and policing has not worked.

BY MEGAN ALPERT | FEBRUARY 8, 2016, 1:26 PM

https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/08/15-years-and-10-billion-later-u-s-efforts-to-curb-colombias-cocaine-trade-have-failed/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombia's 'silent complicity' in mass killings of social leaders

Colombia’s ‘silent complicity’ in mass killings of social leaders
by Adriaan Alsema July 10, 2018

Amnesty International (AI) bashed Colombia’s authorities on Monday over their “silent complicity” in the increased violence against social leaders and human rights defenders.

The international human rights group is the latest international body that expresses its concern over the wholesale killing of local leaders that has spiked during a peace process with demobilized FARC rebels.

“Colombia faces a grave human rights crisis as a result of repeated targeted killings of human rights defenders, while the authorities look on unperturbed,” AI said on its website.

The main force behind the murders is a collection of paramilitary groups that have violently regained prominence after the demobilization of paramilitary umbrella organization AUC between 2003 and 2006.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-complicit-silence-over-mass-killings-of-social-leaders/

[Judi Lynn]

2. How Colombia does nothing while its social leaders are being exterminated

How Colombia does nothing while its social leaders are being exterminated
by Adriaan Alsema July 4, 2018

Colombia’s authorities seem unable or hardly interested to curb the wholesale slaughter of the country’s social leaders that has skyrocketed since a peace process came into force.

. . .

Neighborhood representatives, community leaders and human rights defenders are terrorized; nobody seems to care they are being assassinated on a scale unseen in Latin America in decades.

. . .

In the last week of June alone, nine social leaders and human rights defenders were assassinated, according to crime analysis website Analisis Urbano.

. . .

Human rights defenders were always the target of far-right death squads defending the interests of land and business owners, and drug traffickers.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/how-colombia-does-nothing-while-its-social-leaders-are-exterminated/