( Translated by Susan Tritten, a CSN Volunteer Translator)
Source : MOVICE Movimiento Nacional de Victimas de Crimenes de Estado www.movimientodevictimas.org
The Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas de Crímenes del Estado (MOVICE) (National Movement for Victims of Crimes of the State) condemns the torture, and degrading cruel, and inhuman treatment by those who victimized Oscar Javier Bustos, caretaker at the Colombian Communist Party headquarters in Bogotá.
Report of Events
• On January. 20, 2014, at approximately 1:09 A.M., agents from Police Station 13, located in Teusaquillo entered the national headquarters of the Colombian Communist Party. As they entered and illegally searched the building, they detained Mr. Bustos, falsely alleging he was illegally carrying a weapon.
• At about 1:40 P.M., they took Omar Javier Bustos to the Teusaquillo police station where several uniformed policemen verbally assaulted him. They indicated that they did so because he was the Communist Party headquarters caretaker.
• At about 3:30 A.M., Mr. Bustos was moved to the Unión de Reacción Immediata (URI) (Emergency Response Unit) of the Fiscalía (district attorney’s office) in Puente Aranda, where, in a cell, members of the national police repeatedly beat him. This was stated in a report by Medicina Legal (Office of Legal Medicine). At this time, the victim was able to identify Patrolman Cèsar Acosta as one of the attackers who beat him “for being part of that Communist Party.”
• In the afternoon of that same day, Mr. Bustos was taken to appear before Judge 38 of the municipal criminal court, responsible for supervising the legality of the proceedings, who, petitioned by the defense and the Fiscalía, decided not to issue a detention order against Mr. Bustos. To close the hearing, the judge ordered Patrolman Andrés Hernández, badge number 25854, to accompany Mr. Bustos in order to process his release.
• Patrolman Hernández indicated to Mr. Bustos to continue to the second floor. There Patrolman David Monsalve, badge number 057883, escorted Mr. Bustos and closed him in a Unidad Permanente de Justicia (Permanent Unit of Justice) cell and, with other patrolmen, proceeded again to beat Mr. Bustos and even attempted to destroy his release permit.
Context
This event is only one example of the constant persecution of the democratic opposition in Colombia that is manifested in detentions based on kangaroo court proceedings, baseless accusations against high government officials, and assassinations. The political-social movement Marcha Patriótica, in which the Communist Party participates, has recorded 29 assassinations of its members in less than 2 years.
Our Demands
— National government and state authorities must provide the guaranties necessary to exercise political opposition.
— The appropriate authorities must carry out a disciplinary investigation of the police responsible for these actions.
–The Fiscalía General de la Nación (the Attorney General’s office) must open an investigation against those responsible for torture.
–The national and international communities must declare their support for and closely monitor the right of free exercise of political opposition in this country