Oil unionists report paramilitary death threats (US ally, Colombia)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Colombia Reports

Oil unionists report paramilitary death threats
Thursday, 01 December 2011 18:11
Toni Peters

Colombian union workers have reported receiving death threats from paramilitaries operating in an oil exploration area.

In an exclusive interview with Colombia Reports, the president of the oil workers union, USO, said workers had received verbal, email and pamphlet threats of death, capture and kidnap.

Rodolfo Vecino said four unidentified persons who said they were from the AUC told leaders of the union in Bogota that he now had a "sentence" and at any moment could be captured or kidnapped.

The union leader said, "They said that this was for our activities in Pacific Rubiales, and that we are an obstacle."



Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/20841-oil-unionists-report-paramilitary-death-threats.html

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Colombia's government is the 3rd largest recipient of annual U.S. foreign aid gifts, paid by the taxpayers.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Ex-DAS director 'covered up' informant pay-offs (Colombia's FBI/CIA)

Ex-DAS director 'covered up' informant pay-offs
Friday, 02 December 2011 14:36
Toni Peters

The former director of now defunct Colombian intelligence agency DAS hid proof of the purchase of human intelligence sources, an ex-agency official told investigators Friday.

The former manager of human intelligence sources, William Romero, told the Inspector General's Office that Maria del Pilar Hurtado meticulously hid any kind of evidence that linked her to paying bodyguards and other sources used by the agency in order to obtain privileged information about magistrates.

The statements, given as part of an investigation by the Inspector General into the payment of $6,200 to informants, was able to determine that the money-trail did not correspond to those who received the payments.

~snip~
Fourteen people are being investigated for their alleged roles in the illegal wiretaps of journalists, judges, opposition politicians and human rights defenders.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/20857-ex-das-director-hid-proof-of-informant-payments.html

[Judi Lynn]

2. Colombia must pay damages for sociologist's murder (DAS assassination)

Colombia must pay damages for sociologist's murder
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 07:14
Toni Peters

http://colombiareports.com.nyud.net:8090/pics/justice/alfredo_correa_andreis.jpg

A court ordered the Colombian state Tuesday to pay damages to the family of a sociologist murdered in an intelligence agency conspiracy.

The Administrative Court of the Atlantico department ordered that DAS, the now defunct intelligence agency, or the entity which replaces it must pay a sum of between $370,000 and $617,000, according to different news sources for the murder of the professor and sociologist Alfredo Correa de Andreis.

The academic was killed with this bodyguard Edward Ochoa Martinez on September 17, 2004 in Barranquilla. The professor and sociologist had been tipped by the DAS to be an ideologue of a guerrilla group -- but it was later demonstrated he was victim of a DAS conspiracy aided by paramilitaries.

The court orded the director of DAS -- or the president of the republic if the agency has been liquidated -- to make a public apology. DAS or its replacement body must also put up plaques in the main offices of Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Bogota commemorating Correa de Andreis.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/20784-colombian-state-must-pay-damages-to-widow-and-daughter-of-murdered-sociologist.html

[Judi Lynn]

3. Colombia asks Panama to extradite ex-spy chief

Colombia asks Panama to extradite ex-spy chief
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 07:26
Miriam Wells

Colombia's foreign ministry has confirmed it has requested the extradition of the former director of the now defunct intelligence agency, DAS, from Panama.

Maria del Pilar Hurtado, who was granted political asylum in Panama last year, is accused of the illegal surveillance of journalists, opposition politicians, NGOs and high court judges.

~snip~
Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe openly acknowledged he had advised Hurtado to move to Panama, and thanked the Panamanian government publicly for taking her in.

Uribe is accused of having ordered the intelligence agency DAS to carry out the illegal spying. He began to dismantle the agency after the scandal broke - then became implicated himself. An investigation into his role began about a year ago.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/21038-colombia-requests-extradition-of-former-das-director.html

[countryjake]

4. kick

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