Colombia: Ex-intel superior accused in Garzon murder

Imagine what would happen if Jon Stewart were to be shot and killed by armed gunmen. Such was the fate of Colombian comedian and political satirist Jaime Garzon who was assonated nearly eleven years ago. Since then, the murder remains unsolved though it has been alleged that the late right-wing paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño ordered his death.

Earlier this week a breakthrough in Garzon’s case emerged when the Attorney General’s office accused a former senior intelligence official with masterminding the killing. An indictment against ex- deputy director of the DAS Jose Miguel Narvaez was handed down late last year, though that information wasn’t publicly revealed until last Tuesday. According to officials, a former paramilitary member testified that Narvaez “instigated” Castaño to kill Garzon.

Colombia’s DAS intelligence agency has come under fire for illegally wiretapping opposition figures, journalists and judges. Narvaez himself has been imprisoned since August 2009 for his supposed role in the chuzadas scandal.

Speaking of the Colombian paramilitaries, one of their leaders was sued in a U.S. federal court by families of two of his victims:

The lawsuit against Carlos Mario Jimenez was filed in federal court June 14 and publicized by the plaintiffs' attorneys Thursday.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages from Jimenez's assets that were seized in 2008. Their attorney acknowledges the funds may be tough to secure, but that they simply want to describe what they've been through and confront the man they consider responsible.

Image- EPA
Online Sources- Plan Colombia and Beyond, LAHT, ABC.es, Miami Herald, Colombia Reports