Alvaro Uribe Hampering Justice : Human Rights Watch

The international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, yesterday said that Colombian president Alvaro Uribe's administration "hampers justice efforts" by obstructing investigations into its alleged links with paramilitaries, and called for world oversight of the probes.

"The government of President Uribe, in our opinion, has become an obstacle for the advancement of justice," HRW's Americas director Jose Miguel Vivanco told reporters on presenting the organization's annual report on Colombia.

Investigations are specifically focused on the United Self-Defense Group of Colombia (AUC). Not surprisingly Uribe says the charges are ridiculous, and he reasserted his commitment against violence in his country.

Sources : France 24

Today’s video: United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia

The recent focus on Colombia has centered on the diplomatic hullabaloo resulting from the death of FARC guerilla commander Raul Reyes. Today, however, thousands of protestors marched in Colombia and around the world in solidarity with victims of Colombia’s civil conflict. Much like protests on February 4^th, today’s marches were to repudiate violence and to promote peace. Yet while last month’s event placed a special emphasis on opposing the FARC, today’s actions paid special notice to those murdered and “disappeared” by paramilitary forces.

One of Colombia’s main paramilitary armies was the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC, in Spanish). The AUC served as an umbrella for other paramilitary groups and its military modus operandi was intimidation and massacres. Despite the group’s demobilization between 2005 and 2006, the AUC has been connected to Colombia’s “para-politics” scandal. Moreover, former AUC members have been key in the formation of new paramilitary factions such as the Black Eagles.

The video below shows testimony of a peasant woman in southern Colombia whose life was turned upside down by paramilitary and guerilla violence.

(Video link):

Sources (English) –Reuters AlertNet, The Latin Americanist, tkb.org, globalsecurity.org, Wikipedia, YouTube

Sources (Spanish) – RCN, El Tiempo