Daily Headlines: May 21, 2012

* Cuba: In a possible setback for future oil exploration off the Cuban coast Spanish firm Repsol claimed that the first well they drilled in Cuban waters came up dry.

* Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff will receive compensation for the human rights abuses she suffered during Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, while she formally inaugurated a “truth commission” to investigate violations committed during that era.

* Mexico: Police arrested a suspected member of the Zetas drug gang accused of being behind the recent massacre of forty-one people.

* Peru: Did the military secretly execute over a dozen rebels in 1997 during a raid to rescue hostages in the Japanese ambassador's residence?

Video Source – YouTube via Associated Press (From January 2012 – “An oil rig is ready to begin drilling off Cuba's coast. The area is believed to have billions of barrels of oil under the sea floor, and Cuba is hoping that oil will provide an economic boost.”)

Online Sources- BusinessWeek, GlobalPost, Bloomberg, Huffington Post, Time

Daily Headlines: December 15, 2011

* Chile: Student protest leader Camila Vallejo was named by a nationwide poll as Chile’s Person of the Year.

* Brazil: Federal prosecutors in Brazil are seeking the suspension of operations of Transocean and Chevron as well as $10.6 billion in environmental and social damages.

* Cuba: The National Endowment for Democracy gave their annual humanitarian award to the late Cuban dissident Laura Pollan.

* Colombia: According to the Vatican Radio, Pope Benedict XVI called for the freeing of all the hostages held against their will by Colombian guerillas.

Image Source – Flickr via gpoo

Online Sources – Santiago Times, MSNBC, UPI, Bloomberg

International condemnation against Colombian hostage killings

On Friday four hostages held against their will by Colombia’s FARC rebels for over ten years were gunned down during a failed rescue attempt. Over the past few days, members Colombians blasted the guerillas for their cruel and senseless actions, while families of the victims grieve and lament their loss.

Numerous public figures from around the world also expressed their condemnation of the massacre by the FARC. Pope Benedict XVI said that he was in “pain” over the deaths of the hostages and urged for an end to violence in Colombia. "The Holy Father received this tragic news with sorrow and sends his prayers to the families of the victims and the beloved people of Colombia at this time of suffering," read a letter from the Pontiff.

Organization for American States chief José Miguel Insulza claimed that the deaths were a “crime against humanity” and a serious violation of “international humanitarian rights.” Insulza also called for the immediate release of all prisoners held by the FARC and said that freeing them is a “necessary precondition for peace (talks).”

The United Nations human rights representative in Colombia, Christian Salazar, said that “the
atrocious assassinations reflect a terrible lack of humanity and complete disrespect for life.”

José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, labeled the deaths as a “war crime,” while a statement from the U.S. embassy in Colombia deemed the incident as a “terrorist act.”

Catherine Ashton, the head of the European Union’s diplomatic division, said on Tuesday that the FARC should “lay down their arms” and join the “process of political reform and modernization in Colombia.” That doesn’t seem like it will be the case according to Andrés Mejía Vergnaud in the Americas Quarterly blog:

Peace with a group that commits such acts will be hard to swallow in Colombia and abroad, especially if, as FARC leaders have made it clear, they will not accept convictions or prison terms. Growing international demands for the prosecution of crimes against humanity and war crimes make blanket pardons impossible; something that Colombians would hardly accept, in any case.

A police sergeant held by the FARC for nearly twelve years narrowly escaped being executed by the rebels on Friday. “I felt the impact on my face and neck, the shots were at me, the only thing I could do was run,” said Luis Erazo to the local press over the weekend.

Image Source – Flickr user equinoXio (“Every life is sacred” reads this banner at a 2008 anti-FARC protest in Medellin, Colombia). (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources – AFP, Colombia Reports, Noticias Caracol, Radio Santa Fe, EFE, Human Rights Watch, Voz de America, Reuters, Americas Quarterly blog

Daily Headlines: June 14, 2010

* Cuba: A paraplegic dissident was freed from jail on Saturday and vowed to “press on in the struggle…until we achieve freedom and democracy for the Cuban people."

* Colombia: According to President Alvaro Uribe two hostages held by rebels since 1998 were rescued in a military operation.

* Venezuela: An arrest warrant has been issued against the president of the Globovision TV network who also happens to be a strong critic of President Hugo Chavez.

* Guatemala: The country’s constitutional court removed Conrado Reyes from the attorney general’s post due to accusations of corruption and ties to drug traffickers.

Image – ABC News (“Ariel Sigler, an ailing political prisoner, is helped by paramedics after been released from a hospital where he was being held prisoner in Pedro Betancourt, Cuba, Saturday, June 12, 2010. Roman Catholic leaders announced Friday that Cuban authorities agreed to free Sigler and transfer six others to jails nearer their homes.”)
Online Sources- CNN, UPI, AFP, Reuters

Deadly care bomb strikes Colombian city

At least six people are dead and over thirty are injured after a car bomb exploded in the Colombian port city of Buenaventura.

This morning's blast occurred in the city’s downtown area near the local office of the attorney general. Images from the local press of the aftermath of the explosion (such as the one in this post) show charred taxis and motorcycles along with dozens of shattered storefronts.

According to BBC News Buenaventura has “seen battles between guerrilla groups, drug traffickers and paramilitaries for control of lucrative smuggling routes.”

Authorities have yet to place blame on today’s incident though Colombia’s army chief and Attorney General’s Office have implied that the FARC guerillas could be behind it. If their insinuations are accurate then it could endanger the planned freeing of two kidnap victims:

The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, plans to release two of the 24 police and soldiers it holds to Senator Piedad Cordoba and the Red Cross who will fly into the country's southern jungles in Brazilian helicopters...

Pablo Emilio Moncayo, held for more than 12 years, and Josue Daniel Calvo, were to be freed a year ago, but the handover was delayed as rebels and President Alvaro Uribe's government squabbled over conditions for their release.

Image- El Tiempo
Online Sources- AP, El Espectador, Reuters, BBC News

Daily Headlines: September 28, 2009

* Colombia: The country’s FARC rebels pledged to unilaterally free two hostages, while former captive Ingrid Betancourt called for all the hostages to be released.

* Venezuela: First it was "The Simpsons”, but now it’s “Family Guy” that’s undergone scrutiny from the Venezuelan government.

* Mexico: Cris Arreola fought well but ultimately quit in the tenth round of his bout against heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko.

* Cuba: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates implied that the January 2010 deadline to close the Guantanamo military jail will be tough to reach.

Image- BBC News (“Police and soldiers' relatives have been calling for (the hostages) release”. Note that the banner says “Deal yes! War no!”)
Online Sources- Canada.com, BBC News, Guardian UK, Reuters, CNN

Colombian rebels release more hostage videos

Colombia’s FARC guerillas released videos of ten soldiers and police officers who have been held captive for over a decade.

The arresting footage (which you can view here) showed the hostages looking tired with shackles and chained around their necks. They delivered brief messages pertaining to their health, and called for their prompt liberation. One of the kidnapped policemen gave his thanks to his loved ones, the local media, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for his earlier work in securing hostage releases.

Previous video was publicized via Sen., Piedad Cordoba who has served as the liaison between the guerillas and the government. The latest video, however, was uncovered when an accused FARC courier was nabbed by police over the weekend.

The news was met with relief by families of the kidnapping victims including some who participated in a small march in Bogota calling for a “humanitarian accord” to be reached. Over the weekend, one of the most vocal activists ended his latest personal trek for the hostages’ freedom:

The father of army Cpl. Pablo Emilio Moncayo, who has been held hostage by Colombia’s FARC guerrilla group for almost 12 years, arrived in Bogota after a foot journey of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles), during which he symbolically crucified himself on the cross of bamboo which he carried during his long march…

“Let the kidnapped people regain their freedom, (let) we Colombians be able to live in a different way and let there be no more anxiety of kidnapping,” (Gustavo) Moncayo said.

Image- Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- Reuters, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, LAHT, YouTube, AP

Daily Headlines: August 18, 2009

* Colombia: Proof-of-life videos of two hostages held by the FARC rebels were released yesterday with the possibility of more videos to be given later this week.

* El Salvador: The amount of remittances sent to the Central American country dropped by 11% this year according to central bank figures.

* Cuba: A group of Catholic bishops are visiting Cuba this week with the hope of improving relations between the island and the U.S.

* Latin America: Mexican president Felipe Calderon urged local and Brazilian business interests to back a proposed bilateral free trade pact.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- BusinessWeek, MSNBC, Bloomberg, Reuters

Colombia: Uribe OKs Cordoba as hostage mediator

In what could be a promising sign for dozens of Colombians held captive by rebels, President Alvaro Uribe okayed Sen. Piedad Cordoba to serve as a mediator.

Cordoba- who had previously helped arrange the unilateral liberation of several hostages- had been barred from helping arrange the freeing of Colombian soldier Pablo Moncayo. Uribe's initial move- which had been denounced by Moncayo’s relatives- was reversed at a news conference on Wednesday. Cordoba will thus share her mediating duties with the International Red Cross and the Colombian catholic diocese.

Uribe conceded to the FARC guerillas’ demands that Cordoba serve as a liaison but on the condition that they also free 24 kidnapped policemen and soldiers. In addition, he called on the rebels to hand over the bodies of three hostages who died while in captivity.

Uribe had accused Cordoba of using the hostages for her own political gain though she has not expressed running for a political office higher than senator. The disdain for Cordoba’s role in the previous freeing of hostages even led to an investigation against her for supposed illegal ties with the rebels. She has vehemently denied these charges which she has deemed as a “political farce” against her.

The rift between Uribe and Cordoba symbolizes the dangerously divisive nature of Colombian politics. This has not only caught the attention of casual observers but even officials at the U.N.:

The director of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCR) in Colombia told BBC Mundo that he is "concerned" about increasingly polarized views on human rights and peace in the country.

Christian Salazar, who has just started as director of the UNHCHR in Colombia, said extra judicial execution committed by the army, illegal wire-tappings, forced displacements and paramilitary violence are of primary concern to his office.

He said that Colombia was "divided and polarized" over key issues such as peace and human rights.

Image- El Mundo
Online Sources- LAHT, The Latin Americanist, Colombia Reports, AP

Still seeking freedom one year after “Operation Check”

Yesterday Colombian officials including President Alvaro Uribe and several former hostages commemorated the one-year anniversary of a rescue mission that freed fifteen people. Uribe claimed that “Operation Check” was made possible via the controversial military operation on FARC guerilla commander Raul Reyes’s camp in Ecuador which set off a regional diplomatic crisis. In addition he praised the operation which freed Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. contractors, among others and said “I hope we have an ‘Operation Check’ numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6”.

Prognostications that the FARC would be decimated in part due to the rescue may’ve been premature. "Don't underestimate their military importance," said a study released by independent Colombian think-tank Foundation of Ideas for Peace which added that the guerillas are gaining strength in some regions. “With the exception of the July 2008 hostage rescue and a battlefield victory south of Bogotá in March 2008, the military hasn't dealt any further blows to the guerrillas' leadership” observed noted Colombia analyst Adam Isacson in this insightful Foreign Policy article.

For all the joy surrounding the fifteen people freed 366 days ago, hundreds of other hostages remain captive in the Colombian jungle. “For me it is very painful to think that our liberation may serve as a justification to forget them, or to have nothing happen, to turn the page,” said Betancourt days ago. The hard-line by the Uribe administration and the FARC has made it almost impossible for any hostages to be freed and returned to the open arms of their loved ones. Take the case of Colombian soldier Pablo Moncayo who has been held hostage since in 1997:

(The FARC) announced in mid-April it intended to free Moncayo. On Monday, it said it would release a second soldier with him.

But Uribe refused the FARC's demand that Sen. Piedad Cordoba, a close ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, be present for any hostage handover. She has attended five previous unilateral releases of a total of 12 hostages since early 2008…

Uribe says he will only accept the International Red Cross and the Roman Catholic Church as intermediaries.

"We don't understand why exactly President Uribe doesn't respect the life of Pablo Emilio," 22-year-old Yuri Tatiana Moncayo, one of the captive corporal's four sisters, told The Associated Press…

“The president isn't going to facilitate any unilateral liberation because he thinks that will boost the FARC's political agenda and hurt the government," said political analyst Claudia Lopez. "It's cruel, but that's the way it is."

Thus, hundreds of hostages continue to be deprived of liberty as they continue to be used as pawns in a sick game between intransigent sides.

Image- Cambio (Gustavo Moncayo- the father of hostage Emilio Moncayo has campaigned vigorously for the freeing of Colombian hostages including walking thousand of miles wearing symbolic steel chains).
Online Sources- AP, Foreign Policy, Monsters & Critics, The Latin Americanist, Semana, El Tiempo

Colombia: Soldier kidnapped since ’97 to be freed

Colombia’s FARC guerillas announced that they would free a soldier held captive since December 1997.

The communiqué to the “Colombians for Peace” group said that the rebels would “unilaterally free (Corporal Pablo Emilio Moncayo) and personally turn him over" to his father, Gustavo, and leftist Senator Piedad Cordoba. (Cordoba has brokered several hostage handovers in the past.)

The letter also claimed that the rebels would be willing to have talks with the government though both the FARC and President Alvaro Uribe disagree strongly on the conditions for negotiations.

The elder Moncayo- a schoolteacher- has been nicknamed as the “peace walker” due to his freedom marches throughout Colombia. As to be expected, he was enthused over the news of the planned liberation of his son:

"I give thanks to God for a moment so infinite, so big," Moncayo said. "There came a moment when the emotion is so big that it clouds my mind, it clouds my feelings. I won't be at peace until I hold my son in my arms".

Image- daylife.com (“In this television frame released by Venezuela's Interior Ministry in Caracas, Friday, March 7, 2008 , Colombian soldier Pablo Moncayo, who has been held for a decade as a hostage of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is seen during a proof of life recorded message, that was sent to Venezuela's government.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, Colombia Reports, earthtimes.org, Semana, The Latin Americanist,

Colombia: Accusations launched over hostage rescue

Update (1:00pm): Sen. Piedad Cordoba announced that the rescue of ex-Governor Alan Jara which was originally scheduled for today will be done on Tuesday. (Link via El Tiempo).

Update (12:30pm): Red Cross spokesman Yves Heller said that the planned rescues for today and Wednesday will be delayed indefinitely. (Link via RCN).

Update (10:30am): President Alvaro Uribe reinstated Sen. Piedad Cordoba to continue assisting rescue operations. However, he refused to extend the favor to Colombians for Peace (Link via El Tiempo).

Yesterday should’ve been a joyous day to celebrate the freeing of four Colombian hostages from their rebel captors. Instead, accusations and finger-pointing have come about in the hours after the liberation.

Three police officials and a soldier were handed over in a deal led by the Red Cross and with the use of Brazilian military helicopters. Jorge Enrique Botero- a journalist with rescue group Colombians for Peace- said that military flights took place during the handover and nearly caused the operation to be aborted. That claim was initially denied by a government spokesman though it was later partially acknowledged by President Alvaro Uribe.

At around midnight, Uribe spoke at a press conference with the freed hostages. The former captives spoke of their mistreatment in the jungle including being chained and lassoed to trees, having their radios removed and being forced to follow scripts during taped video messages for their families.

Uribe then spoke and accused the FARC of a bombing last night in Cali that killed three people. As a result of that (and seemingly in reaction to the brouhaha over the military flights during the rescue mission), Uribe removed the peace group from participating in the planned liberation of two more hostages today and Wednesday.

What does this all mean? For starters, the freeing of the two other hostages may be delayed or suspended altogether as it gives the FARC an ideal (albeit unfair and pitiful) alibi for them to halt unilateral liberations. The accusations flying in all directions shows that petty political differences take more precedence than humanitarian efforts. Uribe permitted Brazil and the Red Cross to continue within the planned liberations though his decision to exclude Colombians for Peace may hamper further rescue attempts. (The FARC had previously said that they would only work with the group and its leader- opposition senator Piedad Cordoba). The bickering between numerous actors could further difficult any pacific end to the conflict between guerillas and the government.

Hundreds of Colombians remain held against their will by the guerillas. They deserve to be freed as soon as possible and returned to their loved ones. Sadly, that reality appears to be deferred due to the intransigence of some.

Image- AP ("Former hostage, police officer Alexis Torres, gives a thumb up in Villavicencio, Colombia, after he was released by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009.")
Online Sources- Bloomberg, El Espectador, El Tiempo, Voice of America, Al Jazeera English

Colombia’s Uribe rejects int’l help in rescue

Yesterday we mentioned of alleged plans by Colombia’s FARC guerillas to free six hostages including several politicos and policemen. As part of the exercise to be supposedly done next month, leftist legislator/close Hugo Chavez ally Piedad Cordoba will serve as the liaison.

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe publicly rejected any foreign help (except for the Red Cross) in the possible hostage release. "The government will not permit our foreign relations to be put at risk by involving personalities from the international community," Uribe said in what can be inferred as a veiled threat against his Venezuelan counterpart.

Chavez’ previous gestures helped free several hostages yet relations with Uribe soured months ago over the Raul Reyes diplomatic snafu. Uribe’s comments could also jeopardize gestures made by other world leaders such as French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

The families of the presumably soon-to-be-freed hostages reacted to Uribe’s remarks:

“The president is on call to provide all the guarantees to ensure that there are no errors and our loved ones can safely return home” said Patricia Nieto, wife of hostage Sigifredo Lopez.

“The president has a responsibility to fulfill this humanitarian act and this is what we plead for”…

Image- AFP (“Alan Jara's son Alan Felipe shows to the press letters and pictures of the kidnapped ex-governor.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Tiempo, El Espectador, Reuters, AP

FARC: We’ll release six hostages

Colombia’s FARC guerillas will release six hostages according to a statement emitted on Sunday. Among those who will allegedly be freed are former governor Alan Jara and regional legislator Sigifredo Lopez who were kidnapped in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

As reported by the AP:

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said in a statement that the release would happen soon but did not give a date, the ANNCOL agency said…

"As an irrefutable demonstration of our good will and as a gesture aimed at creating conditions favorable to a humanitarian exchange, we announce the upcoming release of six prisoners, in two stages," read the statement, which was dated Dec. 17 but not released until Sunday.

The statement also mentioned that leftist congresswoman Piedad Cordoba would serve as intermediary for the liberation. Cordoba has assisted in other hostage negotiations at times with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez; thus, her role that has landed her in plenty of controversy.

Image- AFP (“Alan Jara's son Alan Felipe shows to the press letters and pictures of the kidnapped ex-governor.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, CNN, AP, Reuters, CNN

Ex-hostage Betancourt thanks Hugo Chavez

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt met with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as she came to the tail end of her tour of Latin America.

During the meeting on Monday she thanked Chavez for his previous mediation in the conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC guerillas. Despite his removal as liaison last year, Betancourt said that his aid was vital in securing the freedom of several former hostages.

Betancourt had more to say on Chavez during a press conference on Tuesday:

"President Chávez is a leftist, revolutionary president who has conducted a peaceful revolution in Venezuela. Obviously, I do not share some things. For instance, a square in Venezuela was named after (deceased guerilla chief) Manuel Marulanda," said Betancourt, AFP quoted.

"I think that the fact that President Chávez has these feelings of ideological proximity to the FARC is a blessing after all, because somebody is to talk to the FARC," she added.

Betancourt also called for other global leaders to be more active in finding a peaceful solution to Colombia’s armed conflict and demanded that the FARC lay down there weapons.

Betancourt- who was liberated in a rescue mission last July- is heading for France. She will be accompanied by an ex-FARC rebel who fled camp in October along with an elderly politico held hostage.

Image- PRESS TV
Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Universal, BBC News, Voice of America, AP, Xinhua

Ingrid Betancourt meets Madonna in Argentina

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt continued her tour of Latin America with a stop yesterday in Argentina. It was there that she met with Argentine President Cristina Kirchner at the official palace along with an unexpected guest (image):

Madonna met with a president and a former guerrilla-held hostage Tuesday at Argentina's presidential palace, where she filmed "Evita" 12 years ago.

The pop star, in Buenos Aires on the Latin America leg of her "Sticky & Sweet" world tour, showed up early for a visit Argentine President Cristina Fernandez — who was then meeting with one of the world's best-known ex-hostages.

Earlier today, Chilean president Michele Bachelet met with Betancourt in Santiago. “When I come here I feel Chilean since so much pain has passed between us”, said Betancourt who also thanked Bachelet for nominating her for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Betancourt’s anti-kidnapping campaign has so far included stops in her native land and Ecuador where President Rafael Correa vowed to do “everything in our power to ensure these people are freed.”

Betancourt will continue her tour by traveling to Brazil and Venezuela; rumor has it that she will personally meet with Hugo Chavez and discuss a possible humanitarian exchange.

Image- AP
Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, AFP, AP, Al Jazeera English
Sources (Spanish)- La Nacion

Colombians march for freedom

Thousands of Colombians took to the streets today calling for the liberation of their countrymen in the jungle. Though the turnout was far less than in similar marches held earlier this year, protestors still rallied in solidarity with those held against their will by armed illegal groups.

According to one estimate there are roughly 2800 people held hostage in Colombia; a quarter of which were kidnapped by the FARC guerillas.

Numerous former hostages took part in the rallies that were called for in October by ex-detainee Ingrid Betancourt. At a rally in Madrid, Spain she urged the FARC to lay down their arms and peacefully free the hostages:

“Are thoughts are with those hostages who are probably chained to trees and living in humiliation. We carry their cross and the chains that we hope will soon break…”

“Ours is a chain of love to free the hostages” added Betancourt… - [ed. personal translation]

Aside from Madrid, smaller protests took place in other international locales like Caracas and New York.

Image- El Espectador
Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Tiempo, IHT, Colombia Reports, Bloomberg

Spanish "citizens group" blasts Ingrid Betancourt

It has been over three months since Ingrid Betancourt was rescued with twelve others from being held captive for years in the Colombian jungle. She has become the de facto spokeswoman for hundreds of hostages still held by the FARC guerillas and has campaigned vigorously on their behalf.

Yet there are those who have tried to unfairly knock her down as was the case earlier today in Spain:

The Ermua Forum - a Spanish citizens group which has repudiated (Basque separatists faction) ETA- requested Wednesday that Ingrid Betancourt return the Prince of Asturias Award. They claim that her award was “unjustifiable” since she declared in favor of negotiating with terrorists.

In a press release, the Ermua Forum differed “radically” from the opinions of the former candidate... [ed. Personal translation]

So what did Betancourt say that so riled up the Ermua Forum? According to the AP:

Betancourt said there are two schools of thought on terrorism: "One says that you don't talk to terrorists. The other, in which I believe, says that precisely because they are terrorists, we must talk"…

Betancourt said it was important not to let terrorist groups become isolated but to constantly demand that they explain what they do.

"The solution is not to close the door but on the contrary to force it open," Betancourt said.

The notion that diplomacy is always equal to appeasement is short-sighted and counterproductive. While Betancourt backed the concept of negotiating with terrorists she also blasted the FARC for holding nearly 3000 hostages and denounced them for repeated death threats against her. She has consistently criticized them after her liberation which ought to cancel out the laughable claim that she has Stockholm syndrome.

Instead of petty critiques why not follow her example and seek a meaningful solution?

Image- PRESS TV
Sources (English)- AP, Plan Colombia and Beyond
Sources (Spanish)- Semana, El Tiempo, El Espectador, Canal Caracol

Follow-up: Red Cross condemns logo misuse

A brief statement issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) slammed the Colombian government for apparently misusing the logo during a July rescue mission. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe apologized last month to the ICRC over a “nervous soldier” who used the ICRC emblem during the mission. Yet a video leaked this week to the local media on the preparations for the operation revealed that the military purposefully used symbols of entities like the ICRC and Venezuelan-based TV network Telesur.

According to part of the communiqué from the Swiss-based ICRC:

"If authenticated, these images would clearly establish an improper use of the red cross emblem, which we deplore," said the ICRC's deputy director of operations, Dominik Stillhart. The use of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and red crystal emblems is governed by the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. These emblems may not be used by bodies or persons not entitled to do so under international humanitarian law. "We are in contact with the Colombian authorities to ask for further clarifications as to exactly what happened," said Stillhart.

The debate over the ICRC symbol has heightened already tight tensions between the Colombian and Swiss governments; last month, the Uribe administration accused Swiss diplomat Jean-Pierre Gontard, of giving a $500,000 ransom to the FARC guerillas. Swiss officials have flatly denied the charges and have backed Gontard.

Image- AFP (“Colombian TV footage showed a member of the army sporting the Red Cross emblem”)

Sources- AFP, Bloomberg, swissinfo.ch, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, ICRC.org

Video reveals further misuse of Red Cross logo

Last night, Colombian television network RCN revealed a video showing the preparations made for a liberation mission conducted one month ago. The sixty-minute video (including the brief clip shown below) shows the details, planning, and practice missions as a prelude to the operations that led to the rescue of fifteen hostages.

One of the video’s most controversial portions was the purposeful misuse of several international entities including the Telesur network and the International Red Cross (IRC). An earlier video of the mission showed a rescue member wearing a shirt with the IRC symbol was met with regret by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. With the revelations of the new video, Uribe and Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos were forced to backtrack and claimed ignorance:

“We very much regret that this had happened,” said Santos during a press conference…

“That was the truth that we were told when the president and me informed the public of what occurred. The reality was different with yesterday’s video in that the (IRC) logo was used from the beginning.” [Ed. personal translation]

The misuse of the IRC symbols is against international law and may endanger future IRC operations according to officials with the entity.

Uribe and Santos also went on the offensive with Uribe calling the leak “treasonous” and Santos claiming that whoever in the military “clandestinely” leaked the video to RCN would be “severely sanctioned”.

According to political experts, Santos- who was one of the main faces of the government during the operation- has endangered his possible campaign for the presidency with the revelations in the video.

Sources (English)- Prensa Latina, The Latin Americanist, earthtimes.org

Sources (Spanish)- Caracol, RCN, El Tiempo