Thinking the violence in Colombia is an internal matter? Here’s an excellent, accurate, quick read article about a hugely significant part of the current political violence in Colombia.
Note how the symbolic “drug war” in which US regularly extradites guys to the US for trial on drug charges works directly against the cry of Colombians to hold these same individuals responsible for the torture, disappearances, assassinations, massacres, rape, and forced displacements from land which paramilitary groups continue to carry out.
A corps of dedicated people in every part of Colombia assiduously and methodically documents human rights violations associated with political violence. I'm writing today while seated next to such a person, a lawyer who oversees documentation efforts in the Atlantic Region.
Every 6 months a record of each documented violation, organized by Province, municipality, by date, type of violation, and armed group responsible, is published. This cumulative data bank is a memorial to victims, and some day will be part of national reconciliation and reparations for victims. The documentation is done within the framework of international law and is financed by the European Union.
The number of documented cases for January through June 2009 total is 917.
