• Amnesty International Releases Annual Human Rights Report Amnesty International released its annual human rights publication that surveyed 149 countries, including Colombia. In the Amnesty International Report 2005, AI cites concerns regarding the strong links between the security forces and the paramilitaries, the increase in extrajudicial executions carried out by the armed forces, and the trials of alleged human rights abusers taking place in military courts instead of civilian courts, as required by a 1997 Constitutional Court decision. AI also cites concerns regarding the paramilitary demobilization process that led to the disarmament of 2,500 AUC combatants in 2004. The human rights group specifically called attention to “the issue of impunity, violations of the AUC ceasefire and continuing serious and widespread human rights violations.” The report also blames guerrillas, namely the ELN and the FARC, for widespread breaches of international humanitarian law, including hostage takings and the murders of civilians. Although fewer trade unionists were murdered in 2004, AI claims that threats continued unabated, while women and girls continued to be the victims of rape, disappearances, and mutilation, and civilians in general continued to be targeted from all sides - the guerrillas, paramilitaries, and government forces. The human rights group praised women’s rights activists, acknowledging “their work for thousands of innocent victims of the conflict and for the meaningful involvement of women in peace negotiations.” AI expressed concern over the continuing gross human rights abuses, including the kidnappings of 1,250 people and the forced displacement of 287,000 in 2004. The State Department claims that Colombia has made “progress on specific human rights practices such as investigations and prosecutions of alleged human rights violations by security forces.” The Annual Report surveys countries from all over the world and highlights the failure of national governments and international organizations to deal with human rights violations, and calls for greater international accountability. Read the Colombia section of the human rights report: http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/col-summary-eng

• U.S. Breaks Up Colombian Drug Money-Laundering Operation After a four year investigation, U.S. authorities claim to have broken up an international drug money-laundering operation which spanned the United States, Central America, South America, and Europe. According to U.S. officials, “Operation Wave Runner” stopped the illicit flow of billions of dollars to and from Colombia, and also resulted in the arrests of eight individuals allegedly responsible for laundering money through the black market peso exchange. The peso exchange is a decades old process, which aims to circumvent Colombian currency around the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, and is commonly used by Colombian drug cartels to launder their illicit money. According to the Treasury Department, the peso exchange is the “single most efficient and extensive money-laundering system in the Western Hemisphere.” The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency charged the eight individuals with participating in several Puerto-Rican based money-laundering and drug-trafficking organizations, and according to Leo Morales, acting ICE special agent-in-charge for Puerto Rico, “those who seek to use Puerto Rico as an operating ground for their illicit activity need to think twice. We are committed to identifying these money launderers and to ensuring that they are brought to justice.”

• U.S. Senator Questions Demobilization Process in Colombia, Paramilitary Leader Arrested Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, outlined his concerns about the paramilitary demobilization process in Colombia in a letter addressed to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Saying that the current version of the demobilization legislation “would leave intact the complex mafia-like structures and wealth of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), such as the AUC paramilitary group,” Congressman Lugar urged President Uribe “to ensure that the demobilization of these narco-terrorists is conducted pursuant to an effective, legal framework that will bring about the complete dismantlement of the underlying structure, outlaw illegal sources of financing, and degrade the economic power of these FTOs.” Critics have decried the proposed demobilization bill, which grants paramilitary members lenient jail sentences while not requiring that they fully disclose their illegal activities or disarm their troops. In related news, paramilitaries in Colombia have vowed to continue participating in peace talks with the government, despite the arrest of Diego Murillo, a top member and peace negotiator in the AUC. Murillo turned himself into authorities after government forces launched a wide-scale mission to arrest Murillo when he allegedly broke a cease-fire by ordering the assassination of Orlando Benitez, a provincial lawmaker. Although the original arrest warrant was immediately deemed invalid because of rules that protect AUC negotiators, President Uribe said that he would not tolerate cease-fire violations and ordered that Murillo be detained. Ivan Roberto Duque, political head of the AUC, said that the AUC is “examining every possible way to save the talks.” Read the full letter from Senator Lugar: http://ciponline.org/colombia/050523luga.pdf.
  
  
• Colombian Drug Kingpin Receives 40-year Jail Term U.S. federal court in Manhattan sentenced Alberto Orlandez Gamboa, a former Colombian drug kingpin, to 40 years in prison for heading a Barranquilla-based cartel that smuggled large amounts of cocaine to the U.S., Europe, and Central America. Authorities said that Gamboa’s organization regularly shipped cocaine in crates of mustard or cough medicine, and even shipped some cocaine in engine parts, cement, and inside ceramic tiles. Gamboa, extradited to the U.S. in 2000, was among the first Colombian nationals to be extradited after the Colombian government lifted the ban on extradition in 1997. Gamboa has been in trouble with the law before, pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy, drug smuggling, and money

Upcoming Events and Seminars in the U.S.

A delegation of African-Americans that will visit Afro-Colombian communities from July 12 to July 24 still has several openings for interested African-Americans. This delegation aims to bridge the gap between these two communities and allow African-Americans to see the reality of Afro-Colombians caught in the middle of the internal conflict in Colombia. Participants will take part in meetings with Afro-Colombians from national and regional organizations, and will visit Bogota, Choco, and Cartagena. For more information, please contact Gail Phares at citca@bellsouth.net or Ajamu Dillahunt at ardillahunt@igc.org.

Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London

Fri 20 – Seven Nukak Maku indigenous injured in minefield; more death threats against journalist.

• Seven indigenous from the Nukak Maku community are injured after entering a minefield used by the Colombian army as a training camp. Military authorities report the incident happened in the Barrracon military base in San Jose del Guaviare. The Nukak Maku is the only Colombian indigenous nomad group and according to experts they are at serious risk of extinction because of the Colombian armed conflict, Efe reports.
• Colombian radio- journalist from Ibague (Tolima), Gilberto Martinez Prado reports he has been declared a military target by the Tolima bloc of the Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC). In a letter signed by the paramilitary commander Daniel Roa from the Tolima bloc of the AUC, this armed group accuses him of being ‘ a traitor’ while reporting on the Colmundo radio station on the corruption cases affecting the politics of this department, El Pais reports.
• A report written by journalist Diana Barahona from the Washington-based NGO Council on Hemispheric Affairs reports that the international journalists' organisation Reporters without Borders (RSF) is receiving money from the US state department and Cuban exile groups . The report accuses RSF of pursuing a political agenda by highlighting problems in Cuba rather than countries that are more dangerous for journalists, such as Colombia.

Sat 21 – Uribe insists on military rescues for kidnapped; Ombudsman calls for guarantees

• During a community council in the city of Cali, President Uribe reports he has ordered the Colombian troops to carry out military rescues of the policemen, army officers and politicians kidnapped by the FARC. He was replying to the relatives of the kidnapped politicians who have been campaigning across the country, calling for a humanitarian agreement with this armed group. Twelve Councillors from the city of Cali have been kidnapped for more than three years, El Espectador reports.
• Colombian Ombudsman Volmar Perez announces that his office will defend those members of the Nasa indigenous communities from the Cauca region accused by the Attorney General’s Office of collaborating with the FARC group. He also raised concerns about the number of capture orders announced by the authorities regarding these communities that are still in resistance after weeks of combats between the FARC group and the Colombian army, Colprensa reports.

Sun 22 – More displaced communities in Choco; international cooperation doubled.

• Some 1,100 Colombians flee their homes along the Buey River in the north-west of Colombia, citing fears of heightened clashes in the area, UNHCR reports. The internally displaced people (IDPs), mostly Afro-Colombians, say they fled because they were afraid of fighting between the Colombian army and various armed groups operating around the Buey River, a tributary of the Atrato River. Some say they left after they saw a helicopter overhead and were afraid they would be shot at if mistaken for rebels. Others complain of having nothing to eat back home, having run out of supplies due to the unrest.
• The Colombian presidential Councillor for Social Action, Luis Alfonso Hoyos reports that the money received by the Colombian government in international cooperation has doubled in the last three years, increasing from US $ 150m to US $ 300m annually, El Espectador reports.
• Colombian military authorities report that combats during the weekend have resulted in 27 members of the ELN and FARC groups and four soldiers from the Colombian army being killed. Combats in Ituango (Antioquia) left 18 people dead, and further combats took place in Tame (Arauca), Lejanias and Mesetas (Meta) and the departments of Caqueta and Nariño, Colprensa reports.
• Carlos Ayala, a Spanish official with the European Commission who was kidnapped more than a month ago in Colombia, has been found safe in Venezuela after escaping from his captors, Colombian authorities report. Carlos Ayala, 59, was kidnapped April 15 by an unknown armed group; authorities blame the FARC group for being behind the kidnap, Associated Press reports.

Mon 23 – Prosecutor questions two Army Generals for failure to protect San Jose de Apartado.

• The Colombian Inspector General’s office (Procuraduria) has charged four high ranking officials from the army with omission, after failing to protect the inhabitants of the peace community of San Jose de Apartado. According to reports, Gen. Carlos Enrique Vargas and Gen. Pablo Alberto Laverde, both former commanders of the XVII brigade based in Carepa (Antioquia) failed to protect the villagers between the year 2000 and the year 2002, during which time paramilitaries from the Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) committed several incursions into the community, killing civilians in roadblocks, stealing money from the community, burning houses, forcibly displacing families and making death threats, El Colombiano reports.
• The Attorney General’s office in Medellin detains and charges 15 students, accusing them of ‘rebellion, terrorism and robbery’. Last February, two students in the University of Antioquia (Medellin) were killed and 14 more injured as a result of an explosion while the students were publicly protesting against the Free Trade Agreement within the grounds of the University. The explosion took place during clashes with the police, El Mundo reports.
• An article in El Espectador claims that among those negotiating with the Colombian government in Santa Fe de Ralito are some drug-traffickers whose names are not jet known to the Colombian authorities. The article also says that, despite being a commander of paramilitary groups for the last 16 years and being requested for investigation by the German authorities for drug trafficking back in 1989, there are no legal charges against Vicente Castaño, brother of Carlos and Fidel Castaño and reportedly the highest ranking amongst those commanders negotiating in the Ralito haven.

Tues 24 – Colombia to buy arms from China; Attorney General orders capture of “Don Berna”.

• President Uribe reports his government is planning to purchase weapons from China for the fight against rebels and drug traffickers. Uribe did not specify how many or what type of weapons Colombia will buy from China, El Pais newspaper reports. Colombia already gets more than $3 billion in military aid and training from the United States.
• On the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the concentration zone located in Ralito (Cordoba), the Attorney General’s office orders the capture of drug dealer and paramilitary commander Diego Murillo (alias Don Berna) in the haven of Ralito. He is accused of ordering the killing of Colombian Congressman Orlando Benitez Valencia near the municipality of Valencia last month, an allegation he denies. The order comes hours after the authorities detained 10 members of the paramilitary group commanded by Diego Murillo, El Espectador reports.
• Colombian Bishop from the Diocese of Barrancabermeja and spokesperson for the National Commission for Reconciliation, Monseñor Jaime Prieto urges the Colombian government to include all the armed groups in the conflict (FARC, ELN and AUC) in the legislation that provides political status for the armed groups. The government insists that the formation of self-defence groups must be classified as sedition. Such a proposal would give the demobilised paramilitary groups the opportunity to participate in politics and would open the door for them to be granted pardons. It would also bar the option for extradition, Reuters reports.

Weds 25 – FARC kill 6 councillors in Caqueta; further arrests after US drug trafficking scandal.

• The FARC launches a bloody attack on local officials in Caqueta, killing 11 people. They swept into the town hall of Puerto Rico, fighting off police and spraying a local government meeting with gunfire. The victims included at least six town councillors and four police officers. The FARC have already killed two of Puerto Rico's previous mayors and narrowly missed a third when their assassination attempt failed. Witnesses said the rebels arrived in Puerto Rico on trucks before launching their attacks with grenades and assault rifles, BBC reports.
• Authorities arrest three Colombians for allegedly helping American soldiers smuggle cocaine to the United States aboard a U.S. military aircraft. Five U.S. military personnel were previously arrested in the case, which sparked widespread anger in Colombia. The detained Colombians are a retired air force officer and two civilians, the Colombian Air Force said. It provided no details on their alleged role in the drug trafficking plot, Miami Herald reports.
• A new Latin American television station promoted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez makes its first broadcast, promising to counter what its State creators call ‘biased media coverage’ by European and U.S.-run channels like CNN. Telesur (TeleSouth), a Spanish-language station formed by the governments of Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay with cooperation from Brazil, sent its first test signal from Caracas via satellite, Reuters reports.

Thurs 26 - Capture order for Don Berna brings Medellin to standstill; DAS boss killed in Cucuta.

• Hours after the Attorney General’s office ordered the detention of paramilitary commander Diego Murillo in Santa Fe de Ralito, the authorities in Medellin report that paramilitaries under his command have forced all the public transport drivers to stop working, leaving the city of two million people at a standstill. An editorial in El Colombiano urges the government to act promptly as paramilitaries from the Cacique Nutibara Bloc were supposedly ‘demobilised’ two years ago.
• Lawyer and former director of DAS (Colombian secret police) in Cucuta (Norte de Santander), Vitelmo Galvis is killed by an unknown gunman. This is the second DAS Director killed in the city recently: a month earlier, an armed group killed regional Director Jorge Enrique Sanchez. The regional INPEC (Penitentiary institution in Colombia) also reports that seven guards received death threats and two have already been killed this year, El Tiempo reports.
• A paramilitary squad kills peasant leader Jose Maria Maldonado in the settlement of Loma Arena, Pondera, (Atlantico). According to witnesses, two men on a motorbike approached Mr Maldonado and shot him dead. Local people from Pondera say that the paramilitary unit acts under the orders of local landowners and that they use terror to force people from their land, allowing the landowners to take over their property. Recently the legal officer of the agricultural workers union, Seferino Padilla, was forced to flee his land and the region after an armed group said they would kill him, UK-based Justice for Colombia reports.
• Two policemen are killed and 4 civilians injured in an attack by the FARC group in the municipality of Samaniego (Nariño). According to the police, the alleged FARC members opened fire on the patrol and civilians indiscriminately during an incursion into a village, Caracol reports.
• Colombian lawmakers vacate Congress during a heated debate regarding Defence Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe, forcing the suspension of the session. The Defence Minister has been criticised by the different political groups for not responding to the calls from Congress to explain certain decisions made in the last few weeks. He has also been criticised for attending the session accompanied by some high ranking military generals; according to Colombian law, military-appointed authorities cannot participate in politics, El Tiempo reports.

Colombia This Week is a news summary produced and distributed by ABColombia Group. Sources include daily Colombian, US, European and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-governmental organisations and the UN System. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the ABColombia Group.