Colombia fires more soldiers over civilian deaths

[struggle4progress]

Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:46pm EST

By Hugh Bronstein

BOGOTA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Colombia fired 10 army officers and three soldiers on Sunday in a widening scandal over the killing of innocent civilians that threatens to further complicate a U.S. trade deal bogged down over human rights.

The soldiers and officers are accused of shooting seven young men in the northern province of Cordoba and passing the bodies off as leftist guerrillas killed in combat.

"We have taken action. The cases are now in front of the attorney general's office," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said in a public address ...

The widespread and systematic slaying of innocent civilians by Colombian security forces must be investigated by the government or else the international courts could intervene, the United Nations' top rights official said this month ...

http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSN16478137

[Judi Lynn]

1. So what are the chances Uribe's government is going through the motions of removing

some "bad apples," in order to look as if they're really getting things shipshape, in order to get that FTA from our more moral Democratic Congress, a Congress which is blocking it, due to Colombia's grotesque human rights record.

Sorta like the Biblical story of Jonah being thrown overboard by a ship's sailors as an offering to god during a storm at sea, in hope god would be appeased and call off the storm.

From the Reuters (Rotters) article:

~snip~
The cases have stiffened opposition in the U.S. Congress to a proposed trade deal. President-elect Barack Obama, set to take office in January, says he opposes the pact based on Colombia's human rights record.

Obama and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill want Uribe to do more to protect Colombian labor leaders from attacks by far-right paramilitaries before the trade deal is approved.

People outside Colombia have known about their dirty habits regarding killing civilians and pretending they were killing off Colombians they consider enemies. Known about this for YEARS. OUTSIDE COLOMBIA. For them to pretend this is something they are just finding out about these events, is a spectacular charade.

[Bacchus39]

3. People INSIDE Colombia know alot more about what is happening in their country than you

yet another in a long list of condescending comments by you against South Americans.

Colombians certainly know the reality and history of their country. thus, the reason you continue to be perplexed and frustrated by their current president's overhwhelming popularity.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Dutch journalists may testify in Colombia

Dutch journalists may testify in Colombia
Published: Monday 17 November 2008 07:23 UTC
Last updated: Monday 17 November 2008 07:23 UTC

Two Dutch journalists may be called as witnesses in a court case against two Colombian army officers. The officers are accused of the murder of a number of guerrilla fighters who occupied the Hall of Justice in the capital Bogotá in 1985. When the army ended the occupation, many of the rebels were taken away and never seen again.

Shortly after the army action, the Dutch journalists Jan Thielen and Harry van der Art witnessed the disposal of human remains in a mass grave. Mr Van der Art photographed the burial. His photographs were published in a Colombian weekly news magazine on Sunday.

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6054835/Dutch-journalists-may-testify-in-Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

4. See article published in La Semana, posted by struggle4progress,

in LBN. Dutch journalists have revealed their eyewitness account of photographing a mass grave, which was only just published in Colombia's big weekly newsjournal:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3605092#3605131

With any luck at all, they will stay safe from assassins in their own home country, although it's not guaranteed, of course. Paras tracked down a former death squad member who was trying to hide in Canada recently.