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Judi Lynn

(160,217 posts)
Sat Oct 24, 2015, 12:00 AM Oct 2015

Colombia's Patriotic Union: A Victim of Political Genocide

Last edited Wed Nov 1, 2017, 11:37 PM - Edit history (2)

23 October 2015 - 09:43 PM
Colombia's Patriotic Union: A Victim of Political Genocide



“I believe, and I say it with all sincerity and at times coldly, that I know they are going to assassinate me.”

So said Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, the Patriotic Union’s presidential candidate in the 1990 election. And he was right.

On March 22, 1990, Bernardo Jaramillo was gunned down in cold blood inside the Bogota airport.

The murder of Bernardo Jaramillo is but one episode in the larger tragedy that was the systematic campaign of assassination and terror against supporters of the Patriotic Union party, known as the UP. Jaramillo wasn't even the first UP presidential candidate killed.

Jaramillo took over the leadership of the party from Jaime Pardo Leal, the UP candidate for the 1986 elections, who was murdered in 1987. In total 21 lawmakers, 70 local councilors, 11 mayors and no less than 5,000 supporters were killed in what was deemed a political genocide.

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[font size=1]
An image of the assassinated presidential candidate of the Patriotic Union, Bernardo Jaramillo, sits in Bolivar Square in Bogota, Colombia, Oct. 18, 2012. | Photo: EFE [/center]
More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/Colombias-Patriotic-Union-A-Victim-of-Political-Genocide-20151023-0056.html





Father, with his son, Bernardo Jaramillo Zapata.



Jorge Eliécer Gaitán

1948: The assassination of the left-wing Mayor of Bogota, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, leads to the 'Bogotazo', massive urban riots and, subsequently, to a period of civil strife known as 'La Violencia' that lasts until 1957. An estimated 250,000-300,000 are killed.


Regarding the assassinations, found in a Wikipedia bio. on Carlos Pizarro Leongómez:

~ snip ~
After 19 years in operation the group, commanded by Pizarro, began negotiating with the Colombian government, in April 1989, for demobilization conditional on certain grounds.[4] The primary request of the group was a full pardon for all prior activities as well as the right to form a political party. M-19 in return agreed to turn over all weapons and not to return to violent activities, the demobilization date was set for mid December 1989.[5] The accord was signed in the town of Santo Domingo by Jaime Pardo Rueda, adviser to the president, Raul Orejuela Bueno, Minister of Interior and Pizarro, Commander of M-19.[1][6][7]

Following the signing of the accord, M-19 announced Pizarro would officially run as the groups presidential nomination in the 1990 elections. He would soon after be assassinated in a plane on April 26, 1990 by a young paramilitary thug named Gerardo Gutierrez Uribe aka "Jerry". During the 1990 presidential campaign, three candidates were assassinated: Luis Carlos Galán, the leading Liberal candidate, Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa for the political party Unión Patriótica (UP), and Pizarro.[8][9] Following the assassination, Antonio Navarro Wolff accepted the nomination of AD/M-19.[10] Wolff would later finish third in the race, with 12.7% of vote, losing out to César Gaviria who later appointed him the position of health minister.[11]

Chief Prosecutor Alfonso Gomez would later charge Carlos Castaño, former leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Spanish: Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) (AUC), for the deaths of Jaramillo Ossa and Pizarro on May 24, 1999.[12][13]

~ snip ~

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Pizarro_Leong%C3%B3mez

~ ~ ~

Colombia: Conflict Timeline
1819: Independence forces of Simón Bolívar defeat Spanish army to set up the Republic of Gran Colombia with Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, as well as Colombia.

1948: The assassination of the left-wing Mayor of Bogota, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, leads to the 'Bogotazo', massive urban riots and, subsequently, to a period of civil strife known as 'La Violencia' that lasts until 1957. An estimated 250,000-300,000 are killed.

1958-1978: Top level political agreement to establish a 'National Front', whereby all government offices are shared between Liberals and Conservatives. Other political parties are banned.

1964-1966: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is founded, and goes on to be leading guerrilla threat to the Colombian state.

More:
https://www.peaceinsight.org/conflicts/colombia/conflict-profile/conflict-timeline/

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