Impunity Watch: South America

Ex-Boss from AUC Shot Dead; Argentinean Ex-military Official Escapes Detention; Witness Protection Program to Shield Accusers of Fascists

By Oscar J Barbosa
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MEDELLIN, Colombia – Antonio Lopez, AKA “Job”, was killed by a motorized hitman while he was having lunch in the capital of Antioquia Region. Lopez had left the AUC and had become an active member of an NGO that works towards amnesty and protection for the demobilized members of the paramilitary group.

This assassination among others of demobilized paramilitaries brings to light a war in Medellin among mafias and paramilitary groups. It is unknown who has killed the ex-paramilitary, but the events raise the question as to whether new paramilitary forces are emerging conflicting against the groups that have left the weapons behind.

For more information, please see:

Semana - Asesinado jefe desmovilizado de las AUC – 28 July 2008

LA FM - Asesinado ex comandante político de las Autodefensas – 29 July 2008

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Lt. Col. Julian Corres escaped from detention in a jail in Bahia Blanca. He has been detained in connection to Human Rights violations committed during Argentina’s Dictatorship 1976-1983. Corres, 56, had run a secret detention facility in Bahia Blanca were dissidents might have been taken to, then tortured or disappeared.

Corres case was presided over by Judge Alcindo Alvarez. Alvarez had been accused by NGOs and leftist group of being too light with Dictatorship crimes. Other judges have been labeled to be from the times of the dictatorship still remain in the benches.

For more information, please see:

PR Inside - Federal police detained in Argentina after suspect in dirty war crimes escapes – 28 July 2008

PTS - La ciudad de la impunidad – 29 July 2008-07-29

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Julio Lopez disappeared in September 17 2006, after being a witness in trial of Former Buenos Aires Police Commissioner Miguel Etchecolatz. Etchecolatz was the first criminal judged after the amnesty laws to dictatorship criminals were passed. He received a life sentence.

Luciano Benjamin Menendez, Ex-Commander of the Third Army of Corps also received a life sentence recently, accused of kidnapping and murder of four dissidents. Menendez the commander of the third army corps which had jurisdiction over northern Argentina, including over the Perla concentration camp from which 17 of 2300 prisoners survived.

After Lopez disappearance in 2006, the Argentinean Government began a program to protect the witnesses in Human Rights cases. More than 200 individuals have been witnesses so far in July and the government has taken some initiative to protect them.

For more information, please see:

IPS - RIGHTS-ARGENTINA: No House Arrest for Elderly Former General – 29 July 2008

El Patagonico - PROGRAMA ASISTE MAS 200 TESTIGOS EN JUICIOS LESA HUMANIDAD – 29 July 2008

The War in Colombia Continues; Warlords Plead Guilty to Drug Charges in Miami; American Lawyers Defend Colombian Victims

By Jessalyn Mastrianni
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

PASTO, Colombia – Regardless of the recent success of the Colombian government against the Marxist groups that have been violently rebelling for forty years, the rural areas of the country continue to struggle against drugs and murder.  What’s worse is that the emphasis has diminished since the hostage rescue last month and deaths of some rebel leaders earlier this year.

Marxist rebels, including Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), tax coca farmers to coordinate smuggling networks.  Colombia produces ninety percent of the cocaine used in the United States.

In late June, four teachers were killed in the province of Nariño.  The violent actions of Marxist groups are reported weekly in these regions.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – Despite Rebel Losses, Cocaine Sustains War in Rural Colombia – 26 July 2008
International Herald Tribune – No end in sight for Colombia fighting – 27 July 2008
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MIAMI, United States – Ramiro Vanoy Murillo and Francisco Javier Zuluaga Londo along with twelve other Colombian paramilitary members were extradited in May to the United States for their roles in cocaine smuggling.  Murillo and Londo are accused of conspiring to smuggle thousands of kilos into the United States via Mexico.

These two warlords entered guilty pleas and face 17-19 years in prison.  Each warlord may face up to $4 million in fines.

For more information, please see:

AP- Colombian warlords plead guilty to drug charges – 29 July 2008
NBC – Colombian Warlord Appear in Miami Court – 29 July 2008
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BOGOTA, Colombia – Roxanna Altholz and Almudena Bernabeu are human rights lawyers from the United States.  They have announced that they intend to represent the victims of seven of the fourteen paramilitary leaders that were extradited to Florida in May.

The paramilitary leaders will be tried for drug-trafficking rather than the extreme crimes against humanity that they are allegedly directing.  Since seventy percent of the violent crimes in Colombia are carried out with drug-trafficking money, the human rights attorneys believe the victims have rights to complete their search for justice.  They will allow victims to testify and remain informed.  Although results may not be immediate, Altholz and Bernabeu are dedicated to the cause and will continue to meet with human rights groups, and representatives of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s Office.

For more information, please see:

IPS – US Lawyers to Defend Victims of Paramilitaries – 26 July 2008
FBI Press Release – Fourteen Members of Colombian Paramilitary Group Extradited to the United States to Face U.S. Drug Charges – 13 May 2008

Colombian Government Party Leader Arrested for Ties to Rebels; FARC Operative Arrested in Spain; Ecuadorean Government Seizes TV Stations

By Christopher Gehrke
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – Senator Carlos Garcia, the head of one of Colombia’s main governing parties, was arrested Friday for alleged ties to rebel paramilitary groups.

The senator’s National Unity Party holds the most seats in Colombia’s senate.  Garcia is an ally of President Alvaro Uribe, and his party was promoting efforts to hold a referendum that would let Uribe run for a third consecutive term.

Ten percent of Colombia’s Congress has been imprisoned since last year on charges of benefitting from death squads that killed thousands and stole land from thousands more, reports CNN.com.

Garcia denies any ties with paramilitary groups.

For more information, please see:

CNN (AP) – Colombian party chief accused of paramilitary ties – 25 July 2008

Xinhua – Leader of Colombia’s major party arrested for alleged paramilitary ties – 26 July 2008

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MADRID, Spain – Spanish police have taken a woman into custody that they believe belongs to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and its members based in Europe.

According to authorities, Maria Remedios Garcia Albert used an NGO to funnel money and provide support to European FARC members in Switzerland and Sweden.

She was arrested Saturday in a town approximately 35 miles northwest of Madrid.  The arrest was based on information found in laptops seized by Colombian police, who have been working with Spanish authorities.

It is believed that Garcia Albert used her job in OSPAAAL, an NGO registered in Spain to provide funds and social help to underdeveloped areas, as cover for supporting FARC financially.  It is believed that she liaised directly with now-deceased FARC commander Raul Reyes, reported AP.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune (AP) – Spanish police arrest woman on suspicion of belonging to Colombian FARC rebels – 27 July 2008

Xinhua – Spanish police arrest FARC representative in Spain – 27 July 2008

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QUITO, Ecuador – Ecuador’s government seized television stations and nearly 200 other businesses for debts stemming from bank failures in the 1990s, AP reports.  The economy minister resigned just hours after the takeover.

In addition to police raids taking over the offices of TC Television Gamavision, police also took over dozens of other properties linked to bankers who fled to the U.S. because of embezzlement charges that resulted in estimated losses of $661 million for Filanbanco alone.

Station representatives called the government’s action an attack on the freedom of press.  State television president Enrique Arosemena, who was placed in charge of the seized stations, said they “are going to have a new editorial line, like all channels have, depending on their administrators.”

Gamavision president Alvaro Dassum (cousin of the fugitive bankers) issued a statement Tuesday that Gamavision “has nothing to do with Filibanco.”

“I protest and reject this arbitrary seizure,” he said, labeling it “a crude attack against freedom of expression and free enterprise.”

TC Television’s director general, Jorge Kronfle, issued a weekend statement in response to rumors of the takeover, warning Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa that a seizure “would not only attack freedom of the press in Ecuador but would also gravely affect the image of his government on the international level.”  He continued to say tha the TV stations’ business has nothing to do with the fugitive bankers.

Correa’s allies are currently proposing a new constitution that would boost his power and keep him in office until 2017.

For more information, please see:

AP – Ecuador seizes TV stations; economy minister quits – 25 July 2008

Reuters – Ecuador’s president’s allies propose new constitution – 25 July 2008

Multinational Companies Guilty of Human Rights Violations; Congresswoman Had Clear Links with AUC; Prisoner Presumably Killed by Police While in Custody

By Oscar J Barbosa
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia - The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), found 43 multinationals guilty of human rights violations in Colombia. The PPT is a prestigious international Human Rights Group headed by Nobel peace prize winner, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and is fueled by 130 experts in international human rights. Its findings are not binding but the rulings act as legal advice and watchdog on many issues worldwide.

Among the companies accused of human rights violations are Coca Cola, Nestlé, British Petroleum and Telefonica. Chiquita Brands, Drummond & Monsanto; AngloGold Ashanti; Repsol YPF, Unión Fenosa, Endesa, Canal de Isabel II, and Aguas de Barcelona.

The tribunal had evaluated the evidence and the case for three years before its finding. One of the cases involved the killings of 17 labor leaders by Nestle and Coca Cola, as well as the selling of 3.000 AK-47s to paramilitary groups by the Chiquita Brands.

Grave consequences involved forced displacements of communities, assassinations of trade unionists, unfair labor practices and enrichment for exploitation of the workers. The PPT says the Colombian Government is equally responsible for “favoring capital over people’s lives”.

“Many businesses operate with the consent of the Government and act with total and absolute impunity,” Chairman Pérez Esquivel announced.

For more information, please see:

El Universal - Tribunal Permanente de los Pueblos condena al Gobierno colombiano por genocidio – 24 July 2008

Colombia Reports - 43 multinationals violated human rights – 23 July 2008

Huston Chronicle - Piden que Occidental aclare presunto papel en masacre colombiana – 22 July 2008

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MEDELLIN, Colombia - A detained paramilitary leader testified that former congresswoman Yidis Medina had multiple contacts and contracts with the right wing paramilitary organization AUC. Medina has been convicted for bribery and she remains under investigation for ties with the leftist ELN-guerrillas.

According to AKA ‘Bolman’ Sepúlveda, a member of the AUC’s Central Bolivar Bloc, Medina was in touch with his paramilitary group on a number of occasions. Bolmar was told by Medina to open a 40 million pesos (US$21,000) bank account, where Medina would later deposit a billion pesos (US$534,000) from the Plan Colombia.

Medina had also contacted the illegal group to threaten people how demanded money she owed them. The former congresswoman allegedly also offered jobs to several members of the AUC under an organization she directed.

Medina has been jailed, sentenced to 3-5 year house arrest after having confessed she accepted bribes by members of Uribe’s government and also under charges of extortion.

For more information, please see:

El Colombiano - Revelan supuestos nexos de Yidis con Auc – 24 July 2008

Colombia Reports - Demobilized says Medina had ties with AUC – 23 July 2008

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana – It is unknown what exactly happened to Edwin Niles after he was found to posses few rounds of ammunition. During an initial interrogation, Niles was beaten and then transferred to Brickdam Police Station. After Brickdam, he was taken to a hospital with burns on half of his face and neck, a broken arm and obviously brutalized. The Police in Guyana did not disclose what exactly happened. Niles was 36 years old, and he was convicted to three years for cannabis possession. He would have released this September.

For more information, please see:

StabroekNews - Burnt and beaten prisoner laid to rest – 23 July 2008

StabroekNews - Corbin writes to Greene on prisoner’s death - 18 July 2008

 

UPDATE: Tax Proposal Cancelled, Farmers Rejoice; Demonstrations Worldwide for Hostages; President of Colombia Scraps Revote

By Jessalyn Mastrianni

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – According to BBC, “Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has cancelled controversial tax increases on agricultural exports, which sparked months of protests.” The Argentine Senate narrowly rejected the proposals that were intended to fund infrastructure within the nation. The president was then forced to back down.

The law would have raised taxes on soya exports by ten percent as well as other exports. The government, led by President Fernandez de Kirchner, said farmers had been benefiting from high export prices and could afford to pay more. However, farmers said profits should be placed back into the economy. Authorities then accused farmers of being undemocratic by opposing the elected government’s proposals.

Farmers, through protests and strikes, caused a political crises and food shortages. Farmers are thrilled that the president has cancelled the tax proposals.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Argentina drops disputed farm tax – 22 July 2008

Americas Weekly Update – Argentine Senate Kills Export Tax – 21 July 2008

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BOGOTA, Colombia – Millions of people around the world, from Colombia to Paris, demonstrated on Sunday for the release of the remaining hostages being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The demonstrations were held on the day observed in Colombia commemorating its independence from Spain. 

Although about 700 people are in the custody of FARC, more than 2800 total hostages have been kidnapped by leftwing groups or criminal games. 

The demonstration in Paris was led by former presidential candidate and hostage Ingrid Betancourt. Her chant was “Never again hostages.” Performers helped with the demonstrations to raise awareness, and more than one thousand cities and towns participated.

For more information, please see:

America News – Millions demonstrate worldwide for Colombia hostages – 21 July 2008

Diario Las Américas – Worldwide Reaction in Favor of the Colombian Hostages – 21 July 2008

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BOGOTA, Colombia – President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe has called off his proposal to have the population revote for the election from 2006. In 2006 he won re-election, but since there have been corruption crises surrounding his presidency and Congress, he had proposed a revote last month. The revote would have allowed him to seek a longer term than allowed.

Some still predict that he will try to seek another term because his approval rating is incomparably high. 

 

For more information, please see:

Wordpress – Uribe Calls off Call for Revote – 19 July 2008

Buenos Aires Herald – Uribe drops reelection referendum – 22 July 2008

 

Demonstrations in Chile Speak out Against New Law; 5 Killed in Bogota; Colombia to Conduct Dialogue with FARC

By Jessalyn Mastrianni
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – Four professors and two policemen were injured and 150 people were arrested after a riot in Chile broke out in protest of an education bill that has been proposed to Congress.  Tear gas, water cannons, and stones were used on both sides of the demonstration.

The law in question would allow an education superintendent to regulate government funds for public schools.  Protesters say that this bill does not consider that poorer students at ill-funded state schools will suffer if this bill is passed by the Senate.  They call for the president, whose approval rating is falling quickly, to withdraw the proposed law.

For more information, please see:
Reuters - Chile police clash with students, 150 arrested – 9 July 2008
Reuters – ANALYSIS – Chile’s government batter by protests, polls – 14 July 2008

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BOGOTA, Colombia – Mayor of the capital city has announced that the police will investigate 5 deaths of indigent people that were shot and found Saturday.  The victims were drug users who recycled cans as their income.  Mayor Samuel Moreno is concerned that the massacre in the Ciudad Bolivar slum of Bogota was an unsettling case of social cleansing.

Police are offering monetary rewards for information relating to the deaths of the four men and one women, all of whom were under age 25.

For more information, please see:
AP – Colombia investigates killing of 5 indigent residents of Bogota – 12 July 2008
Prensa Latina – Investigación homicidio múltiple en Bogotá – 23 July 2008

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BOGOTA, Colombia – The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), has taken one hit after another this year including leaders’ deaths and a hostage rescue.  At this point, popular President Alvaro Uribe has publically stated his goal to destroy the group that has been opposing the Colombian government for four decades.

According to Colombia’s High Commissioner for Peace, Luis Carlos Restrepo, the government has made the first move toward opening a direct dialogue's with the Marxist group and has set a schedule for the dialogue to take place.

For more information, please see:
Inside Costa Rica – Colombia Peace Process Uncertain – 10 July 2008

Inside Costa Rica – Colombia Moves Forward to Conduct Dialogue with FARC – 14 July 2008

Paramilitaries and the Historical Massacre of Political Opposition in Colombia; Strikes in Peru Question Government’s Stability and Responses; Indigenous lives at Stake

By Oscar J Barbosa
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – Alonso de Jesús Baquero A.K.A ‘Negro Vladimir’, was arrested in Cali for the murder of Hermelinda Castro. Baquero had been known as a fearful paramilitary hitman, and was hired to kill Castro, one of the Patriotic Union Political Party Leaders.

The Patriotic Union was an attempt of the opposition in Colombia to be represented in the political arena. That attempt was brutally stopped by paramilitaries and others. Official estimates say that between 2,000 and 5,000 followers of the political party were murdered from the 1980’s until today. 

De Jesús Baquero was linked to Castro’s murder after the confessions made by demobilized paramilitaries. It has been said that the orders came from AUC paramilitary heads Fidel and Carlos Castaño. The involvement of military personnel has not been ruled out of the equation.

Other confessions described the year 2000 massacre in El Salado, Bolivar. There, over 100 people died by the hands of 300 paramilitaries. Paramilitary accounts said that women had been raped; men tortured and many others beheaded, then the criminals play football with the heads. The paramilitary chief AKA “Jorge 40” admitted to the massacre, and added it was ordered by Castaño and the paramilitary leader Salvatory Mancuso as well as officers of Colombian Military were present at the scene. The two-three days slaughter could be the worst episode of rampant violence conducted by the AUC.

AKA “HH”, another paramilitary detained has given to the authorities a USB drive owned by Carlos Castaño, where the leader kept email communications, security codes and also instructions from the police to infiltrate paramilitary throughout the country.

 For more information, please see:

Caracol Radio - "HH" afirmó que Carlos Castaño mandó asesinar a Jaime Garzón por orden de militares – 09 July 2008

Colombia Reports - ‘Negro Vladimir’ arrested for murder of UP leader- 04 July 2008

Colombia Reports - Paras admit butchering more than a 100 in El Salado massacre – 23 June 2008-----------------------------

LIMA, Peru – As a response to the lack of investment of the Government into the people, thousands of workers across the country have protested demanding access to health, education and higher wages. The country stopped completely during the 9^th of July.  

Peru has experienced a growing economy with the raising prices of metals and the high demand in India and China. If the government does not promote social policies the strikes will likely continue.

The protests were mainly peaceful, with few crashed with the police and about 200 arrested contry-wide.

For more information, please see:

BBC - Anti-government protests hit Peru – 10 July 2008

Inquirer - 200 detained in Peru strike, regional office set ablaze – 10 July 2008

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LIMA, Peru –  Isolated indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon are being killed, and displaced from their lands by both illegal loggers and government contractors.

The International Indigenous Committee for the Protection of Peoples in Voluntary Isolation (CIPIACI), described the situation to be inhumane and in need of urgent attention. The loggers built an illegal network of roads in a reservation from which they attack the tribes and remove the wood. The government is accused of ignoring the facts.

The government has also made repeated contracts with international enterprises to explore and exploit the oil resources in the Amazons. The tribes ask the government to stop invading their land, considering that every time the contractors extract the resources the tribes suffer from displacements and the capital obtained is never redistributed or invested back into the communities.

 
For more information, please see:

Survival - Uncontacted Indians ‘killed’ by loggers – 08 July 2008

Survival - Matsés Indians say no to oil exploration – 09 July 2008

UPDATE: Correa Pardons Drug Couriers; FARC’s Power Diminished after Rescue; Suriname Former Dictator on Trial

By Jessalyn Mastrianni
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

QUITO, Ecuador- President Rafael Correa has followed through on his promise from last year to pardon low-level drug couriers in an attempt to rework drug-sentencing laws. 

The couriers affects by this mass pardon are low-level “mules” that often swallow or carry drugs across the border for money.  Although Ecuador produces very little coca, it is a popular route for drug-traffickers from Colombia and Peru.

Parliament has been ordered to pardon about 2,000 of these couriers who are now serving disproportionate sentences (such as 10 years for 100 grams of cocaine).  The pardoned prisoners are the ones who were first-time offenders carrying less than 2 kilos of drugs and have already served at least 10% of the sentences.

President Correa, showing his leftist ways, has shown a personal sympathy toward the couriers because his own father was jailed for three years before he died for a similar crime.  Correa has expressed that these people are not criminals, “[t]hey are single mothers or unemployed people who are desperate to feed their families."

The mass pardon will allow these prisoners to walk free later this year.

For more information, please see:

AP – Ecuador pardons small-time drug couriers – 7 July 2008
Reuters – In Latin America, some leaders reject U.S. drug war – 23 June 2008

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BOGOTA, Colombia – After the heroic rescue of 15 high-profile hostages from the Colombian jungle, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia seems to have lost its leverage against the government.

Last week, Colombian agents posed as members of the rebel organization and freed hostages from within.  These cracks in the movement, in addition to losing the “trophy hostages” that seemed to carry more weight with the government, have been a disaster for FARC.

With reports showing the horrible conditions under which these hostages lived, in addition to the label “terrorist” that has been used to describe the group by governments as well as former hostages, FARC seems to have no positive publics relations.

FARC still holds 700 hostages.  However, it seems that with the recent deaths of its leaders and decreases in militants and supporters the Colombian government, led by its popular president, is close to winning the 44-year-old struggle against the Marxist rebels within its country.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times – FARC power, status in downward spiral – 6 July 2008
PBS Newshour – U.S. Hostages Speak Out After Captivity in Colombia – 7 July 2008

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PARAMARIBO, Suriname – Ex-dictator Desi Bouterse’s trial began on Friday.  He is charged in connection with the “December Murders” in 1982 when fifteen political opponents were tortured and then killed by firing squad.

The victims were lawyers, journalists, professors, military officers and businessmen.  Since they were accused of plotting against the government, the firing squad was given strict orders to fire at them under the threat of their own deaths. 

The first witnesses in the trial, including one former bodyguard, have testified that Bouterse was present at the massacre contrary to his fierce denials.  Bouterse has only accepted political responsibility for the deaths.

The former dictator was convicted abroad for cocaine smuggling but benefited from Suriname’s laws against extradition.  He now leads an opposition party that has been petitioning for amnesty for suspects in the killings of the 1980s.

Bouterse faces up to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the 1982 deaths.

For more information, please see:

Jurist – Suriname ex-military dictator goes on trial for 1982 killings – 5 July 2008
Pan-African News -Former Suriname Leader was Present for 1982 Political Killings, Says Witnesses – 5 July 2008

Castro Calls on FARC to Release Hostages; Americans Rescued from FARC Recovering in San Antonio; FARC Hostages were Chained by the Neck

By Christopher Gehrke
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, South America

HAVANA, Cuba – Fidel Castro has called on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to release all of its remaining hostages.  The former leader made these comments after the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and others earlier this week.

Castro, in an internet message, said that he had energetically criticized the “cruel methods of kidnapping and holding prisoners in the jungle.”  He added, however, that the rebels should not lay down its weapons, noting that rebel groups who did yield “did not survive to see the peace.”

Castro’s Cuban revolution was an inspiration to FARC when it formed in the 1960’s.

For more information, please see:
BBC News – Fidel Castro in Farc hostage plea – 6 July 2008

Malaysia Sun – Fidel Castro sends message to Betancourt kidnappers – 6 July 2008

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Three Americans rescued from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are well today.

“Words alone can never possibly express the thrill and excitement we feel to be back home in the United States of America with our families at our side,” a Friday statement said.

Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves, and Thomas Howes are being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.  They had been held hostage by FARC for over 5 years after their plane crashed in Colombia.  FARC members killed another contractor, Tom Janis, shortly after the crash.

The Americans were rescued along with more than 10 other hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt.

For more information, please see:
CNN – Freed American hostages ‘overwhelmed with emotion’ – 6 July 2008

UPI – 3 U.S. hostages thank Colombian government – 5 July 2008

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PARIS, France – Hostages recently rescued from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) told stories of their treatment this week.

CNN reports that they were chained by their necks to trees or to each other as punishment.  CNN also reported that there was little food and poor conditions in the jungles of Colombia.

“I reached a moment where I understood that death was a possibility,” newly freed hostage Ingrid Betancourt said in a recent interview.  “I had seen my companions die.  I knew that death arrives very, very quickly in the jungle.”

Betancourt was chained to the neck after an escape attempt.  “When you have a chain around your neck, you have to keep your head down and try to accept your fate without succumbing entirely to the humiliation, without forgetting who you are,” Betancourt said.

For more information, please see:
CNN – Hostages chained by the neck, slept in mud – 4 July 2008

The Scotsman – ‘Mission impossible’ in the jungle – 6 July 2008

BREAKING NEWS - Betancourt, American Contractors, and other FARC Hostages Rescued

By Christopher Gehrke
Impunity Watch, Senior Desk Officer, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – Colombian operatives disguised as rebels rescued fifteen high-profile hostages today.  The liberated captives include Ingrid Betancourt, a French-Colombian politician and former presidential candidate who had been held for 6 six years, and three American military contractors – Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes -  who had been held for 5 years.  The other hostages were freed soldiers and police officers.

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said intelligence agents had infiltrated the guerilla ranks and led the commander in charge of the hostages to think they were going to take them to Alfonso Cano, the guerrillas’ leader.

According to the New York Times, Ms. Betancourt described the operation as “perfect.” (See Betancourt’s reaction in her press conference on CNN.)  What appeared to be rebel helicopters landed around dawn in the jungle where the hostages were held.  The captives were led to believe that it simply a change of location, and Betancourt said she was handcuffed and “humiliated” before going on board the helicopter.  After takeoff, the crew told their passengers they were free.

“The helicopter almost fell because we were so excited.  We screamed, we cried, we hugged,” said Betancourt.  “We couldn’t believe it.”

The three Americans were taken captive in 2003 after their plane went down on a mission for the U.S. Defense Department.  As of this evening, they were en route back home to the U.S., reported the New York Times.

Ms. Betancourt was captured while campaigning for president in 2002.  Her plight had attracted attention worldwide, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy made several attempts to have her freed since he entered into office.  She was reunited with her family today.

This figures to be another major blow against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), whose key leaders have been both killed and apprehended in recent months.

Santos indicated that Colombia had infiltrated the rebels’ ruling secretariat, but would not elaborate, reports AP.

“The government reiterates to them that if they want to enter into serious negotiations in good faith, we are offering a dignified peace,” he said.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – 15 Hostages Held by Colombian Rebels Are Rescued – 2 July 2008

CNN – Betancourt, U.S. contractors rescued from FARC – 2 July 2008

LA Times – Colombia’s Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans among hostages rescued by soldiers – 2 June 2008

AP - Betancourt: Rescue in Colombia was 'impeccable' - 2 July 2008

The Independent – Hostage free after six-year jungle ordeal – 2 July 2008