FARC Must Stop Use of Gas Cylinder Bombs
CSN-MADISON, MAY 9, 2002
(New York, May 8, 2002) The main rebel group in Colombia must stop attacking
civilians using gas cylinder bombs, Human Rights Watch told the rebel
commander in a
letter released today. Using such weapons, the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) has indiscriminately killed and
injured numerous civilians and destroyed homes, schools, and churches.
The most recent of these attacks occurred on May 2, 2002, in Bojayá,
Chocó. During a reported clash between the FARC-EP and paramilitary
forces, civilians sought refuge in a local church. According to credible
reports received by Human Rights Watch, at least one gas cylinder bomb
fired by the FARC-EP forces struck this church, killing at least 117
civilians, including at least forty-eight children, and injuring at
least 114 other civilians.
"The FARC-EP is responsible for committing systematic atrocities
against civilians," said José Miguel Vivanco, executive
director of the Americas Division of Human Rights
Watch. "The FARC-EP must immediately stop using gas cylinder bombs,
because their use constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian
law." Gas cylinder bombs are indiscriminate weapons impossible
to aim with accuracy, and consequently often strike civilian objects
and cause avoidable civilian casualties. International humanitarian
law prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian objects. The use of
gas cylinder bombs in a civilian area violates the international humanitarian
law prohibition against indiscriminate attacks. Violations involving
direct or indiscriminate attacks on civilians during an internal conflict
are increasingly recognized internationally as war crimes.
In a twelve-page letter to Manuel Marulanda, the FARC-EP's commander-in-chief,
Human Rights Watch documented the FARC-EP's use of gas cylinder bombs
in at least twenty-seven attacks since July 2001, not including the
recent attack in Bojayá, Chocó. At least twelve civilians
were killed and forty-five others injured, including ten children, during
these attacks. Gas cylinder bombs launched by the FARC-EP have caused
severe damage to schools, churches, and civilian homes and places of
work in Colombia. Human Rights Watch reminded Marulanda that to use
indiscriminate weapons violates one of the most basic principles of
the laws of war, which requires that combatants be distinguished from
noncombatants and that military objectives be distinguished from protected
property or places. Formally established in 1964, the FARC-EP is Colombia's
oldest and largest rebel group. Although estimates differ, the FARC-EP
is believed to have over 15,000 members and is active throughout Colombia.
Marulanda was one of its original founders and now presides over the
General Secretariat, the group's governing body. "As the most senior
commander of the FARC-EP, Manuel Marulanda is responsible for the persistent
human rights abuses committed by his forces," said Vivanco. "He
bears
the responsibility for ensuring that FARC-EP forces abide by international
legal norms, and that is why we addressed him directly."
Human Rights Watch previously wrote to Commander Marulanda on July 10,
2001, urging him to stop his forces from committing a wide range of
human rights abuses,
including the use of prohibited weapons. Since then, however, the FARC-EP
has not only continued to use gas cylinder bombs, but has escalated
its use of them in blatant
disregard international humanitarian law.
A copy of the letter sent yesterday to Commander Marulanda can be
found at http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/05/colombia0508.pdf For more
information on the FARC-EP in Colombia, please see:
Colombia: FARC Kidnappings Documented (HRW Press Release, April 15,
2002) at http://hrw.org/press/2002/04/farc0415.htm
Colombia: Terror from All Sides (HRW Testimony, April 24, 2002) at http://hrw.org/backgrounder/americas/colombia-table.pdf
Colombia: FARC Must Release Abducted Presidential Candidate (HRW Press
Release, February 26, 2002) at http://hrw.org/press/2002/02/farc0226.htm
Beyond Negotiation International Humanitarian Law and its Application
to the Conduct of the FARC-EP (HRW Report, August 2001) at
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/farc/
What You Can Do to Stop Abuses by the FARC-EP (HRW Campaign Page) at
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/colombia/action/index.htm
Human Rights Watch <hrw-news@topica.email-publisher.com> wrote: Colombia: FARC Responsible for Atrocities