EXTRAJUDICIARY EXECUTIONS IN SOUTHERN BOLIVAR
(Translated by Deryn Collings, a CSN Trnanslator)
Nueva Granada Anti-aircraft Battalion carries out extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances in the Mining Zone in the South of Bolivar, with continuing operations in the Zone (arbitrary detentions, bullying and pilfering)
The Corporación Servicios Profesionales Comunitarios Sembrar ( The Professional Community Seed Service Corporation), a human rights organisation, brings to the attention of national and international communities and the judicial and control organisations the following abuses against the lives and physical integrity of the inhabitants of the South of Bolivar.
Deeds
1 We have been informed that troops of the Nueva Granada Anti-aircraft Battalion, under the command of Captain Blanco, have arbitrarily detained and treated the inhabitants of the high part in the Mining Zone in the south of Bolivia, precisely the Gallo Mine, in the municipality of Morales, in an inhumane, cruel and degrading manner and forced the detainees to sign statements stating they were well treated and then displaced them by force.
2. On Thursday 17th August, 2006, soldiers from the Nueva Granada Battalion, arrived on the path of the Central Mine, in the municipality of Morales, and occupied 6 houses belonging to the villagers, where they forced the woman to cook, whilst insulting the occupants.
3. On Friday 18th August, at approximately 12.oo noon, the same troops, arrived at a house located in the path Bolivador, in the municipality of Arenal, where they found a couple and a three year old girl, who lived in a rented house. According to the community a man whose surname was Cosme Pabón, known as Lulo, offered no resistance and handed over a pistol and a communications radio tot the Army.
4. The house was commandeered for military personnel who took personal property of the couple, such as money, food and the identity documents of Señora Bibiana Marín.
5. Then, the soldiers, detained Señora Bibiana Marín, dragged her across the floor, holding her by her blouse, towards the patio of the house. This occurred in front of her three-year old child, whilst threatening to rape her in front of her husband, and then releasing her. One of the soldiers, who took part in this repugnant criminal action, is identified by his distinctive surname, Bolivar.
6. After this, between 12.05 and 12.15 in the afternoon, Señor Cosme who was dressed in a blue shirt and trousers, was detained, tied up, beaten and taken by the troops to the woods. At approximately 1.00pm a round of shots was heard which lasted some minutes. Local people from the area stated that the shots came from only one direction and were not a gunfight.
7. Then the soldiers took three inhabitants of the zone, two women and a man known as El Pica, a miner. One of the women was dressed in camouflage trousers, which are not used by the Public Forces. They were all individually interrogated about their involvement with insurgent groups and then the women were freed, whilst Señor Picas was detained and taken away by the soldiers.
8. Some hours later, the soldiers appeared with the body of the young Cosme Pabón and asked for help from the miners, to tie the hands and feet and hang the body from a pole it could be transported. The soldiers went around various farms, exhibiting the body, telling the locals that he was a guerrilla, intimating and signalling to the locals that they had connections with the dead man. The community observed that the body had on gunshot wound at the base of the skull.
9. Then the Army took a mule belonging to a community member of the Gallo Mine, upon which they put the body and went down the central road, passing through the communities of Viejito Mine and Central Mine, shouting that the locals should greet their friend Lulo, this being in the presence of numerous children that live there.
10. Whilst doing this, alongside the body the soldiers also took Señor Picas who had been detained earlier and with his hands and neck tied, carrying a large military rucksack. According to the witnesses the soldiers insulted and hit him.
11. The whereabouts of Señor Picas, who was deprived of his liberty by Personnel from the Nueva Granada Anti-aircraft Battalion, is unknown. The whereabouts of the body of Young Cosme Pabón, also known as Lulo, primarily apprehended by personnel from this battalion is also unknown since being shown without life to the community.
12. On Sunday 27th August, 2006, troops from the Nueva Granada Anti-aircraft Battalion, under the command of Captain Blanco and Sergeant Moncada, accompanied by masked troops, arrived at the Esperanza Mine, in the jurisdiction of the Gallo Mine, in the municipality of Morales and detained three people: ANGELINA GOMEZ, and her child, both being farm workers and Señor DONALDO HERRERA, a miner, who were there taken away by army helicopter.
13. The community advised that two days before, Friday 25th August, members for the National Army had gone to the farm of Señora ANGELINA GOMEZ, and from here took two men to the path Honda Alta in the municipality of Morales, where they were executed, being presumed guerrillas. In consequence of these actions a child received an injury to the leg.
14. The troop obliged the workers of the region to bind the two bodies and they were then taken to the path la Esperanza.
15. On Sunday 27th August, member s of the Nueva Granada Battalion, went back to the farm of Señora Angelina Gomez, at la Esperanza, and asked her family for tools and help in constructing a helicopter pad so that a helicopter could take the two bodies away.
16. The community says that the helicopter brought Colonel Romero of the Nueva Granada Anti-aircraft Battalion, and took the two bodies and three locals were detained and were forced to declare before the courts that the assassinated men were from guerrilla groups in the region.
17. To date the whereabouts of the three detainees in unknown.
REQUESTS
In view of the previous allegations we ask the Colombian Authorities that
a) These allegations are fully investigated by the Justice System, which has no connection to the Military Services, as they correspond to violations of human rights and infractions of International Humans Rights.
b) That the miner known as Picas, as well as Señora Angelina Marin, her child and Señor Donaldo Herrera, should be freed immediately. Information about their whereabouts should be made known.
c) The family of Señor Cosme Pabón should be informed of the whereabouts of his body.
Colombia Support Network
P.O. Box 1505
Madison, WI 53701-1505
phone: (608) 257-8753
fax: (608) 255-6621
e-mail: csn@igc.org
http://www.colombiasupport.net