InfoBrief – June 20, 2005

InfoBrief is a weekly news summary of events in the U.S. and Colombia produced and distributed by the U.S. Office on Colombia. Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London. Other sources include U.S. and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-profit and grassroots groups. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Office on Colombia. If you would like to receive InfoBrief please contact jess_hunter@usofficeoncolombia.org indicating why you would be interested in this weekly news service. Previous editions of InfoBrief can be found at www.usofficeoncolombia.org

U.S. Current Affairs and Media

• Colombia to Toughen Paramilitary Demobilization Bill Feeling pressure from the U.S. Congress, Colombian officials decided to toughen the proposed paramilitary demobilization bill in an attempt to ensure critics that militants will be fairly punished for their crimes. The original demobilization bill, which offered lenient jail sentences for paramilitary members, was heavily criticized by human rights groups, the United Nations, and U.S. lawmakers who worried that the bill would not adequately punish militants and would not ensure that paramilitary networks are dismantled. Referring to the bill’s critics, Interior Minister Sabas Pretelt said “we want them to be at peace with this. I will go to the United States as soon as possible to explain the whole project.” While Pretelt did not specify the changes, a congressional ally of the Colombian government, who asked to remain anonymous, said that government officials might withhold leniency from demobilized fighters who lie to investigators and extend the time allotted to officials to investigate crimes committed by demobilized fighters from one month to 60 days. Addressing critics and defending the policy, Colombian Congressman Santiago Castro said that “we are not dealing with defeated armies. We are dealing with standing armies. So we are not going to be able to impose every condition that the public, both in Colombia and internationally, wants.” Maria McFarland, a Colombia researcher for Human Rights Watch, emphasized that there needs to be substantive changes in the policy and said that the group “would like to see real changes that would require confession and the turning over of illegally gained assets, with effective penalties for failure to do so.” Colombia’s Congress is expected to approve some form of the bill before the current legislative session ends later this month.

• House Subcommittee Rejects $150 Million Increase in Anti-Drug Aid for Colombia Coming on the heels of recently-released United Nations data indicating that the Andean region experienced a three percent increase in coca production last year, a House Appropriations Subcommittee rejected a $150 million request in military and police aid for Colombia on Thursday. This request, which aimed to establish an additional aerial drug eradication base in Colombia and help the Colombian Navy increase its interdiction efforts, had the backing of four Republican congressmen, including Representatives Henry Hyde and Tom Davis, Chairmen of the House International Relations Committee and the House Government Reform Committee respectively. The Foreign Operations Subcommittee did approve a $463 million request by the Bush administration for Plan Colombia, and the full House is expected to vote on the appropriations bill later this month.

• U.S. Ambassador Says Colombia is “Not Perfect, but Improving” At a breakfast meeting last Tuesday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, William Wood, the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia, discussed the major goals of U.S. policy in Colombia – counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, and assisting Colombia in their “development and stability.” Noting the more than 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year that are directly related to drugs in Colombia, Ambassador Wood said that despite discrepancies between U.S. and U.N. figures, U.S.-sponsored eradication and interdiction efforts have been successful in stemming the flow of drugs into the U.S. The Ambassador also said that since 2002, when the U.S. Congress authorized the use of counter-narcotics funds in the fight against terrorism, significant progress has been made towards the “twin goals” of counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics. Making note of the reduced numbers of homicides, kidnappings, and new internal displacements, the arrests or deaths of 60 high-ranking leaders of rebel factions, and the increased safety in populated areas such as Bogotá, Medellín, and Baranquilla, Ambassador Wood praised President Uribe’s efforts. While acknowledging that the Colombian justice system needs to be strengthened and that civil society - including labor leaders, human rights advocates, and journalists - still face threats, the Ambassador said that the country’s institutions are “not perfect but improving.” Ambassador Wood also responded to criticism regarding peace negotiations with the paramilitaries and the demobilization bill that is currently being debated in the Colombian Congress by acknowledging that paramilitaries are getting more out of the peace process than they deserve, but that civilians are also benefiting which, he said, is the real purpose of the peace process.

• Paramilitary Leaders Dumping Cocaine Before Disarmament In an effort to amass wealth before demobilizing, paramilitary leaders are dumping tons of cocaine on the market by increasing shipments to the United States and elsewhere, suggested a high-ranking Colombian military official. According to Navy chief Admiral Mauricio Soto, “[the paramilitaries] are desperate. They urgently need to sell what they have. They need the money because they are going to demobilize, what interests them is cash.” Soto estimated a full 55 percent of the cocaine was trafficked by the paramilitaries. Although the proposed amnesty bill will call for AUC members to return any profits they made from illegal activities, this is unlikely as many will simply hide or launder their money. Jose Miguel Vivanco, director for Human Rights Watch-Americas, said that it is not surprising that AUC leaders are unloading their cocaine before demobilizing because the amnesty bill does not penalize them if they lie about their past crimes. “These criminals have no incentive to fully disclose this information,” Vivanco said. Soto said the unprecedented number of cocaine shipments have significantly increased the number of seizures with the Colombian Navy seizing a record 63 tons of cocaine so far this year, with 55 percent of it belonging to the AUC.

• Investigators Break Up Large Drug Cartel After a two-year probe dubbed “Operation Mallorca,” U.S. authorities charged 81 individuals with importing more than $50 million worth of narcotics into the U.S. The operation dismantled a drug cartel operating on Colombia’s northern coast, and prevented the flow of millions of dollars of drugs into the U.S. Acting on an informant’s tip, authorities began the probe in 2002. In 2003 and 2004, authorities intercepted large amounts of cocaine, 725 and 20,000 pounds respectively. New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that “the flow of drugs to our friends and children has been impeded and disrupted and our banking system has been purged of millions of dollars stained with blood and poison.”

Upcoming Events and Seminars in the U.S.

If you have news of upcoming events in your area please forward them to jess_hunter@usofficeoncolombia.org

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

Fri 10 – Teachers under threat from paras in Pasto; ELN calls latest demobilisation ‘treachery’.

• The Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Pasto calls for national and international solidarity and accompaniment with teachers affiliated to the Teaching Union of Nariño, "SIMANA". Paramilitaries from the ‘Liberators bloc’ active in this department have urged the teachers to "abstain from participating in protest activities". They released a list of 20 people, most of them teachers, whom they have declared military targets. Meanwhile, the Committee denounces that in Santafe de Ralito, the current spokesperson for the AUC, Vicente Castaño Gil, has shamelessly announced that the franchise of the Liberators Block of the South has been given to Diego Murillo, (Don Berna). The Committee notes: ‘this is to say that the paramilitaries, with permission from the Government, buy and sell mercenary armies so that they can sow terror in the countryside and cities’.
• In a statement on their website, the National Liberation Army (ELN) denies that any ‘voluntary demobilisation’ of ELN fighters took place on 7 June, as reported in the media. The website claims that two commanders decided to demobilise to the authorities last week, and treacherously led their companions into a trap.
• A Colombian drug smuggler wanted by the US bribed his way out of Venezuela's secret police headquarters with help from federal agents, Venezuela's information minister reports. Apparently Jose Maria Corredor escaped from the headquarters in central Caracas, El Universal reports.

Sat 11 – Peasants denounce 500 disappearances in Choco; Congress under scrutiny.

• Army General Mario Alberto Gutierrez, commander of the National Police in the coffee producing area (Eje Cafetero) meets with the internally displaced people from the municipality of San Jose del Palmar (Choco) and agrees to the presence of the Attorney General’s office and a Commission from the UN Human Rights Office to investigate several crimes committed in this municipality and the cases of some 500 people who have been disappeared by the armed groups acting in the area, Colprensa reports.
• During the last year alone, 20% of the total Colombian Congressional representatives have permitted their substitutes access to their seats for certain voting sessions. Despite the fact that there are only 268 Congress representatives, from July 2002 to the present, 424 people have acted as Congress representatives in Colombia. 58 substitutes participated in the vote of key legislation proposals, like the pension’s reform, the electoral guarantees and the presidential re-election in recent weeks, Colprensa reports.

Sun 12 - Solidarity in Medellin with NGO Corpades after attack;50 people arrested in drug ring.

• After seven people were killed in Apartado in a bomb attack against the NGO Corpades (Corporation for peace and development) last week, various social organisations from the network ‘Pueblos hermanos, lazos visibles’ organise an event in support of this organisation. These organisations consider that the attack was intended ‘to silence the voices of those that add analysis to the present situation’, El Colombiano reports.
• Nearly 50 people are arrested after police break up a Colombian drugs ring accused of trafficking more than US$ 50 million of narcotics into the United States, the U.S. Federal authorities reports. A two-year investigation of the ring running through the United States, Canada and Colombia resulted in charges against drug importers, exporters and Colombian money brokers who funnelled drug proceeds through a black market peso exchange, said U.S. Attorney David Kelley, Reuters reports.
• Colombian Army General Reinaldo Castellanos announces a Colombian version of the famous deck of cards created for U.S. soldiers hunting down Iraqi military men. Each Colombian card carries the name, photo and reward amount for a most-wanted insurgent leader on one side and the army's hot line on the reverse. Army officials plan this weekend to distribute 5,000 of the decks to soldiers battling the rebels across the country. Absent from the list are chieftains of the United Self-defence Forces, or AUC, who are currently involved in peace talks with the government and have been given immunity from arrest. Two renegade paramilitary leaders who have shunned negotiations, however, are the 2 and 3 of Hearts, Reuters reports.

Mon 13 –M. Frühling urges changes in ‘Justice and Peace’ bill; death threats against CREDHOS.

• Stressing that there is a need to make some important changes in the Justice and Peace law proposal, director of the UN Human Rights Office for Colombia Michael Frühling presents a report proposing changes in 16 of the 71 articles of the law, adding a direct message to the government of President Uribe Velez that giving political status to the paramilitaries will not strengthen but weaken the Colombian democratic system. He also said that charges for narcotrafficking and crimes against humanity should be processed through the regular justice system and not through the Justice and Peace law, El Nuevo Siglo reports.
• In an urgent action, Amnesty International reports that two members of the NGO CREDHOS (Regional Human Rights Corporation) David Ravelo Crespo and student leader Georgina Morales, have received death threats. In recent months a number of threatening telephone calls have been received by the CREDHOS office in the city of Barrancabermeja, (Santander). In February 2005 an attempt was made on Georgina’s life but the attack failed. Concerns for the safety of CREDHOS members are heightened by the death of Stivenson Torres, aCREDHOS member whowas killed on 24 April 2005, allegedly by paramilitaries, in Barrancabermeja.
• An armed group that entered a farm near Abejorral in Western Antioquia killed agro-technician Orlando Erasmo Roendon, who was promoting organic plantations in the area. In another incident nearby, Alba Nora Vargas, a teacher from this municipality was injured and another two people were killed by the same armed group, El Colombiano reports.

Tues 14 – Government ‘aid guidelines’ cause outrage; Colombian victims claim their rights

• A document sent to embassies present in Colombia, national and international NGOs and international development agencies has caused outrage and confusion. The so-called ‘guidelines’ were reportedly written by Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo, and deepen the division between the government and the international presence in Colombia by trying to control the way that organisations present their proposals and do their work in the field. In the document, the government once more denies the existence of the armed conflict. In a strong editorial, El Tiempo rejects the contents of the document calling upon the Colombian government to change their tactics and avoid isolating Colombia.
• With a photographic exhibition called ‘Don’t forget’, 15 of the most prominent Colombian NGOs working with victims of the Colombian armed conflict launched the National movement of victims of crimes against humanity and violation of human rights. A hundred pictures of people killed and disappeared were exhibited in the Plaza de Bolivar, in the centre of Bogota, where Congress is debating the law proposal that will provide the legal framework for the paramilitary demobilisation, Efe reports.
• South America's cocaine output rose by 2% last year, bucking a five year downward trend as increases in Peru and Bolivia outpaced Colombia's clampdown on coca cultivation, a UN report says. Cocaine production rose 35% in Bolivia and 23% in Peru from 2003 to 2004, while falling 11% in Colombia, according to the annual survey from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Colombia remains the world's major source of cocaine, producing 430 tons last year according to the UN report. However, Peru and Bolivia are catching up with a combined total of 327 tons, UN news reports.
• In a meeting in Washington, US ambassador in Colombia William B. Wood reports on the negotiating process with the paramilitaries, saying that they had political influence through corrupt payments, intimidation, and a reservoir of wrong-headed support, but less than at their high point.  He cited divisions among the paramilitary leadership and the disappearance of AUC commander Carlos Castaño as evidence of a decline in their “malign influence,” Cynthia Arnson from Colombia in Perspective reports.

Weds 15 – HRW: bill leaves paramilitary structures intact; UK MPs ask for protection measures.

• The draft law for the demobilisation of paramilitary groups that the Colombian Congress has begun to debate will leave the underlying structures of those groups intact, Human Rights Watch says. The bill drastically limits time frames for investigation of paramilitary crimes, thus making it nearly impossible to hold paramilitaries accountable for them. Even if convicted, paramilitary commanders could get away with serving as little as two years for all their crimes, without having to confess, fully disclose their knowledge of the criminal networks they run, or even turn over all their massive illegally acquired wealth. “The current bill does little but serve the interests of paramilitary leaders: it doesn’t touch their mafia-like networks or the wealth that fuels their groups’ activities,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for Human Rights Watch.
• In a parliamentary question submitted by British MP John Battle to the government of Tony Blair, the former asks what representations he has made to the Colombian authorities regarding death threats to the Colombian Inter-Ecclesiastical Commission for Justice and Peace. The British government responded that their embassy in Bogota hosted a meeting between Justice and Peace and the diplomatic corps shortly after the threats became public to demonstrate support for Justice and Peace. ‘We regularly urge the Colombian Government to implement the recommendations arising from successive annual reports from the Colombia office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and have offered our assistance to achieve this”, Mr. Douglas Alexander responded.
• Conservative Party Congressman Santiago Castro says it is impossible to please human rights groups while offering enough benefits to keep the paramilitaries negotiating. "We are not dealing with defeated armies. We are dealing with standing armies," Castro said. "So we are not going to be able to impose every condition that the public, both in Colombia and internationally, wants," Colprensa reports.

Thurs 16 – Navy: paramilitaries seek drug profits; ICG report warns Uribe on ‘peace blackmail’.

• Paramilitary leaders are rushing to sell millions of dollars' worth of cocaine before they demobilise in order to be able to retire wealthy from Colombia's protracted war. Colombian Navy chief Adm. Mauricio Soto said in an interview with AP that the paramilitary United Self Defence Forces of Colombia, (AUC), is shipping an unprecedented amount of stored cocaine from the country ahead of their demobilisation, which is under way as part of a peace deal with the government. As a result, cocaine seizures have shot up, as traffickers try to smuggle out more shipments, Soto said: "(The paramilitaries) are desperate. They urgently need to sell what they have…They need the money, because if they are going to demobilise, what interests them is the cash." The Colombian Navy has seized a record 63 tons of the drug this year, 55 percent of it from the AUC, Soto said, Miami Herald reports.
• In its latest report on Colombia, International Crisis Group, (ICG) examines Uribe's attempt to amend the constitution to run for presidency again, and the security implications of the up-coming vote. "Simply continuing the present security policy will lead Colombia into a political dead end", says Markus Schultze-Kraft, Crisis Group's Andes Project Director. "The emphasis thus far has been squarely on military pressure, but little indicates a military victory would be achievable as swiftly as the government has suggested". Among other recommendations, the reports suggests that the Colombian government should announce now that the Constitutional Court's decision on whether a sitting president can stand for re-election will be fully accepted, regardless of its content.

If you would like to be put on the mailing list, please send an email message to Colombia_this_week@hotmail.com, indicating why you would be interested in receiving this summary.

ABColombia Group
(New address from 2005)
Mezzanine 2 nd Floor
1, London Bridge
London SE1 1BG
Tel: +44-(0)20-7 785 6595
www.abcolombia.org.uk