Relatives of 'false positive' victims campaign in Europe

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Colombia Reports

Relatives of 'false positive' victims campaign in Europe
Tuesday, 02 November 2010 09:46 Linda Azodi

The "Mothers of Soacha," a group representing relatives of Colombian civilians killed by the army, on Tuesday began a tour of Europe to gather support for their demand for justice, reports Finanzas.

Soacha is a region close to Bogota, where a number of young men were taken and murdered by the army in the most high-profile case of "false positives" killings. The term refers to the extrajudicial killing of civilians by members of the army, who then report the dead as criminals killed in combat in order to boost kill counts.

Luz Marina Bernal is a representative of the "Mothers of Soacha," whose 26-year-old son, Fair Leonardo Porras, who had a mental disability, was killed by the army in January 2008. He was later accused of being a narco-terrorist and belonging to a criminal group. "He didn't know how to read nor to write, and neither could he identify the value of money," said Bernal, who explains that it is her duty as mother to find the truth about what happened to her son. Bernal demands that the 27 military personnel who are allegedly responsible for the killings in Soacha are found guilty.

According to Amnesty International, the mothers have been threatened in order to silence their campaign for justice. Other relatives of the false positives in Soacha have been intimidated and have received threats.

Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12689-relatives-of-false-positive-victims-campaign-in-europe.html

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[dipsydoodle]

2. K & R

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[JackRiddler]

3. K&R

[Judi Lynn]

4. US students take complaints about Uribe to the Department of Justice

US students take complaints about Uribe to the Department of Justice
Monday, 01 November 2010 15:13 Manuela Kuehr

A group of students at Washington D.C.'s Georgetown University "alerted" the United States Department of Justice about former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's violations of human rights, Caraco Radio reports.

Under the name of "Coalition Adios Uribe," protesters criticized Uribe's human rights records during his eight years as president. The students decided to present their complaints in front of the U.S. Department of Justice, which is seeking information on human rights abusers who have entered the United States.

"Uribe has to be brought to justice .... rather than be given a platform to promote a distorted version of his presidency," Charity Ryerson, a law student said. "The victims deserve better policies."

The group highlighted the number of rights violations that occurred during Uribe's presidency at the Department of Justice, including the "Operation Genesis" and the displacement of thousands of Colombians.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12676-us-students-complaints-uribe-department-justice.html

[Judi Lynn]

5. Ex-Supreme Court judge sues state over wiretaps

Ex-Supreme Court judge sues state over wiretaps
Tuesday, 02 November 2010 07:21 Adriaan Alsema

A former magistrate on Colombia's Supreme Court is seeking damages from the state for illegal wiretapping carried out against him by intelligence agency DAS.

Former magistrate Yesid Ramirez filed a complaint before the Inspector General's Office against the DAS, the President's Office (which is directly responsible for the intelligence agency) and the country's financial watchdog, for alleged complicity in the illegal activities of the DAS.

The claim follows testimony by several former DAS officials who admitted having illegally spied on Ramirez when he was a member of the Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court.

Ramirez clashed frequently with former President Alvaro Uribe, especially after the judge ordered Uribe's son Tomas to be investigated for his alleged role in the bribing of congressmen.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12684-former-supreme-court-judge-sues-state-over-wiretaps.html

[EFerrari]

6. K&R

[ck4829]

7. These aren't "killings", these are cold-blooded murders. K&R.