(New York, November 3, 1999) Two soldiers whom government investigators say murdered a Colombian senator in 1994 remain on the army payroll, Human Rights Watch said today. Despite overwhelming evidence against them, the government has yet to discharge them.
In a letter to President Andris Pastrana sent today, Human Rights Watch details how the murder of Senator Manuel Cepeda was planned and carried out by Gen. Rodolfo Herrera Luna (since deceased), then commander of the Army's Ninth Brigade. General Herrera ordered two subordinates, officers Hernando Medina Camacho and Justo Gil Zuqiga Labrador, to follow and kill the senator on August 9, 1994, in Santafi de Bogota, the country's capital.
Government investigators at the Procuradurma, the Internal Affairs agency, also found that General Herrera coordinated the murder with paramilitary leaders Fidel and Carlos Castaqo Gil, who are at large and wanted by law enforcement agencies for dozens of serious human rights violations. An appeal by the soldiers was denied, citing the overwhelming evidence against the men. A parallel criminal proceeding before a civilian judge is pending.
"On August 12, President Pastrana publicly vowed to fire any agents of the state who commit human rights violations, a constitutional power he has, and we are holding him to that promise,"said Josi Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch. "How is it possible that these individuals not only remain on active duty, but also continue to work in the military intelligence?"
On August 13, the day after the president's speech, Vivanco noted, Colombia's Defense Minister turned down the Cepeda family's request to have the officers fired. Human Rights Watch also called on President Pastrana to investigate attacks on one of the witnesses who testified against Medina and Zuqiga..
The full text of the letter in Spanish and English can be viewed on the Human Rights Watch website: (http://www.hrw.org)