WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE ON THE AMERICAS
ISSUE #410, DECEMBER 7, 1997
NICARAGUA SOLIDARITY NETWORK OF GREATER NEW YORK 339 LAFAYETTE
ST., NEW YORK, NY 10012 (212) 674-9499
*1. COLOMBIA: SAMPER'S PRESS SECRETARY KIDNAPPED BY DRUG DEALERS
On Dec. 6, Colombian President Ernesto Samper Pizano confirmed reports
that his press secretary, William Parra, and Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN)
journalist Luis Eduardo Maldonado were kidnapped on Dec. 4 by armed troops.
Maldonado covered the presidential palace for the private radio station;
before becoming press secretary, Parra was a news reporter for RCN and a
television station. Samper called for the immediate release of both
journalists.
In phone calls to press on Dec. 5, a group of drug lords known as "The
Extraditables" took credit for the kidnapping; the group was formed in the
late 1980s to oppose extradition of Colombian nationals to the United
States, which was banned under Colombia's constitution in 1991 [see Update
#73] and recently reinstated by Congress, though not on a retroactive basis.
Although kidnappings are common in Colombia, this is the first time such a
close associate of the president has been seized. According to the phone
calls, "The Extraditables" planned to release the journalists within a few
days. [Clarin 12/7/97; El Diario-La Prensa (NY) 12/6/97 from EFE]
Samper has had an uneasy relationship with drug traffickers since shortly
after his 1994 election, when it was discovered that his campaign had
taken $6 million in contributions from the illegal drug industry. Samper
denies any knowledge of the contributions, and in 1996 was cleared of any
wrongdoing by Congress, many members of which had also benefited from
drug money [see Updates #230, #333].
*2. COLOMBIAN CONGRESS SUPPORTS EARLY RELEASE FOR MOST CRIMINALS
A measure purported to alleviate prison overcrowding in Colombia has come
under fire as too favorable to drug traffickers and corrupt politicians. The
law, which passed the lower house of Congress almost unanimously on Dec.
2, would grant early release to prisoners with good behavior who had served
three-fifths of their sentences, and would also cut convicts' sentences by
60 days for every 100 days spent studying or working. Only violent
criminals such as kidnappers, "terrorists" or murderers would be excluded
from the law. Justice Minister Almabeatriz Rengifo argued for the measure
on the grounds that Colombia currently has 42,000 inmates in prisons only
designed to hold 28,000. The prosecutor's office countered that it would be
preferable to build more prisons.
Many inside and outside Colombia saw the proposal as an appeasement to
drug traffickers and the politicians convicted of taking money from them:
Cali cartel leader Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, captured in 1995 [see Update
#280] would be eligible for early release within two years under the law.
Opposition presidential candidate Noemi Sanin said, "This is another
example of the marriage between politics and drug trafficking." Opposition
congressperson Ingrid Betancourt, one of four who voted against the
measure, said, "The government is looking to ingratiate itself with the
criminals who got President Samper elected. All the lawmakers in prison,
with just one exception, were provincial leaders of Samper's campaign."
Lawmakers who would go free under the legislation include former attorney
general Orlando Vasquez Velasquez, former comptroller Francisco Becerra--
both convicted of illicit enrichment--and ten former congresspeople. But
Senate president Amilkar Acosta told the Associated Press that the lower
chamber "isn't seeking an amnesty for the politicians... or the drug
traffickers. That's an exaggeration...." The Senate has not yet voted on the
measure. [ED-LP from AP 12/4/97; New York Times 12/4/97]
The US State Department called on Colombia's Senate to reject the measure,
saying, "Such an initiative would be a serious step backwards in Colombia's
effort to reform its judicial system and combat impunity. We urge the
Colombian senate to vote down this legislation, and the Colombian
government to bring its influence to bear on the Congress to stop this bill in
its tracks." The US government has sanctioned the Colombian government
for not following US instructions on combating drug trafficking [see Update
#318]. [United Press International 12/4/97]
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