Stand by Colombia's Victims of Violence

To: Foreign Policy Aides                            
From: Jennifer Trowbridge

As the paramilitary demobilization process in Colombia unfolds, there has been a surge in the unearthing of mass graves.  Paramilitary leaders have not, to date, fulfilled their obligation under the demobilization law (Law 975, or the Law of Justice and Peace) to disclose all information they have on abuses – including the exact locations of mass graves.  However,  some lower-level demobilized combatants have come forward with information on clandestine grave sites that contain the remains of people murdered or “disappeared” by paramilitary groups, attempting to obtain procedural benefits in the demobilization process. Other grave sites are being revealed by survivors of violence. While the revelation of grave sites is positive, little progress has been made in investigating and prosecuting even the most severe human rights violations.  Moreover, multiple problems exist within the forensic investigation process which limit the ability of Colombian officials to identify victims and implement justice.

The United States, as a major donor to Colombian judicial institutions and to the paramilitary demobilization process itself, should take steps to ensure that exhumations of mass graves follow proper investigative procedure with the ultimate purpose of positively identifying victims. (See page 3 for detailed recommendations for U.S. policy).

The Unit of Justice and Peace under the Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía) was created through Law 975, and is in charge of exhuming mass grave sites that are revealed by demobilizing combatants. It works in conjunction with the Human Rights Unit of the Fiscalía, which handles the investigations of forensic cases revealed by anyone other than a demobilizing combatant. To date, the Unit of Justice and Peace has received information about the location of 3,710 grave sites.  Forensic investigations of mass graves in Colombia have been plagued with the following problems:

• Despite the exhumations of 553 bodies by the Unit of Justice and Peace, only 13 have been positively identified. Although nearly 200 of the bodies found were reported to have been preliminarily identified by family or community members, only 13 have been identified with 100 percent scientific certainty. Bodies that are not positively identified cannot be returned to the family members of the victims, nor can the forensic findings be used as evidence in judicial proceedings. Unidentified bodies are re-buried in cemeteries as “No Name,” resulting in a “double disappearance”  of missing victims. Failure to identify bodies defeats the purpose of forensic investigation, and exhumations that do not lead to identification of bodies should not be viewed as successful.
• It is unclear whether or not the exhumations carried out under the Fiscalía consistently follow proper scientific procedure. If improperly exhumed, damage to forensic evidence is often irreversible. This could account for the high number of exhumed bodies that have been left unidentified.
• To date there is no functioning registry of disappeared persons,  which severely limits the ability of Colombian forensic teams to identify remains. While the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences is currently in charge of a registry, it is incomplete and not accessible to the public. Without a list of who is missing, it is extremely difficult to identify who has been found. The existence and consistent use of a database of disappeared persons by investigative bodies would reduce the task of identification to matching missing persons to found bodies, likely resulting in an increase of positive identifications.
• The Colombian intelligence agency, the Administrative Security Department (DAS), regularly conducts forensic exhumations. The DAS is Colombia’s intelligence agency, and is involved in counter-insurgency efforts. Neither the Colombian military nor the DAS, as participants in the country’s armed conflict, should participate in the forensic recovery of victims’ bodies. Any group that could be implicated in cases of violence cannot be trusted to collect impartial scientific evidence, nor to turn evidence over to prosecuting authorities.
• Regional offices of the Unit of Justice and Peace have run out of safe storage space for all of the exhumed remains. Many remains are placed in inadequate or insecure storage areas, leaving this forensic evidence susceptible to damage, or robbery. A functioning registry of disappeared persons would greatly reduce the surplus of bodies, since it would increase the speed of identification of remains and reduce the processing time of each case.
• At some sites, particularly in the northeast region of Colombia, perpetrators are digging up and re-burying human remains in anticipation of forensic investigations. The Fiscalía and other forensic authorities should prioritize cases in which this problem is anticipated. In cases where it is discovered that remains have been removed, a thorough investigation of the burial site should be conducted anyway. It is often possible to find traces of human remains left behind unknowingly by perpetrators that could help to identify the victims and/or prosecute the case.
• There is not always adequate protection for forensic workers and others involved in the exhumation process. In addition to the security threat that this poses directly to forensic investigators, inadequate protection often causes forensic teams to speed up their work. This may cause them to leave behind remains, and could contribute to the lack of identification of bodies.
• Families are not allowed to be present for exhumations carried out by the Unit of Justice and Peace. Families, who frequently request the exhumations to try to find the remains of their loved ones, should have the right to participate at each stage of the forensic investigation. They should be kept informed of the findings in a timely and accurate manner.

Recommendations for U.S. Policy

The United States should take steps to ensure that mass graves in Colombia are properly exhumed, bodies are positively identified and forensic evidence is available for the prosecution of criminals.

1. Congress should:
   
   —Fund, through the Colombian government agency the Defensoría, the newly formed National Search Plan (Plan Nacional de Búsqueda), and insist that exhumations adhere to the procedures laid out in the plan. The Search Commission for the Disappeared – composed of Colombian governmental and non-governmental institutions – authored the National Search Plan in September 2006. The plan states that all forensic investigations should follow, in order, these procedures: a) Document missing persons; b) Search for missing persons or bodies; c) Recover human remains through exhumation; and d) Analyze and identify remains.
   
   —Fund the establishment of an independent forensic lab at the University of the Andes in Bogotá.
   
   

   —Support the creation and active use of a registry of missing and “disappeared” persons. If used by all Colombian agencies conducting exhumations, the registry would help to reduce the number of unidentified bodies found in mass graves and resolve storage problems.

2. The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Colombia should:
   
   —Insist that neither the DAS nor any branch of Colombia’s military conduct forensic investigations of mass graves.
   
   —Urge the Colombian government to provide adequate security for forensic investigation teams. The government should also provide increased protection for witnesses who testify in judicial proceedings for demobilizing combatants.
   
   —Encourage the Unit of Justice and Peace to allow participation by family members of victims at every stage of the investigative process. 

---

Sources:

1. “Colombia busca a 10.000 muertos,” El Tiempo, April 24, 2007.
2. “Colombia busca a 10.000 muertos,” El Tiempo, April 24, 2007;  “Este año se han exhumado 95 cadáveres de fosas comunes de victimas de paramilitares,” El Tiempo, July 27, 2006, and; “Cada cuatro días desentierran una fosa de paramilitares,” El Tiempo, November 20, 2006.
3. “Apreciaciones a las exhumaciones e investigaciones forenses realizadas por la Unidad Nacional de Justicia y Paz de la Fiscalía General de la Nación,” Equipo Colombiano Interdisciplinario de Trabajo Forense y Asistencia Psicosocial (EQUITAS), August 2006.
4. “Apreciaciones a las exhumaciones e investigaciones forenses realizadas por la Unidad Nacional de Justicia y Paz de la Fiscalia General de la Nación,” Equipo Colombiano Interdisciplinario de Trabajo Forense y Asistencia Psicosocial (EQUITAS), August 2006.
5. “Colombia busca a 10.000 muertos,” El Tiempo, April 24, 2007.
6. “Fosas comunes: secretos dolorosos,” Diario El Pais, January 7, 2007, and; “Descubren fosas comunes en antigua zona de ubicación de las Auc,” El Tiempo, March 17, 2007.  “Los rostros de las fosas comunes,” La Semana, June 15, 2006.
7. “Trasteo de cadáveres” El Tiempo, July 17, 2006,  and; “Mass graves unearthed in Colombia” BBC News, February 15, 2006.
8. “Plan Nacional de Búsqueda,” Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda de Personas Desaparecidas, September 2006. 

Click here to read the memo.

The US Office on Colombia (USOC) and the LAWG Education Fund (LAWGEF) brought a delegation of women to Washington in December 2006 from the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres, a coalition of women working for peace in Colombia. The women of "la Ruta" declare themselves "pacifist, feminist, and anti-militaristic." They routinely organize protests and large demonstrations in Colombia against the war and gender-based violence.

"As you are well aware, strengthening human rights, democracy, and the rule of law are principle bipartisan goals of U.S. foreign policy towards Colombia. We are therefore greatly concerned about increased threats and continued attacks against Colombian human rights defenders and other leaders of civil society." Read the full letter (PDF).

"We write to urge you to express your strong support for the United Nations High Comissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Office in Colombia and the full renewal of its existing mandate. We believe the UNHCHR Office in Bogotá, Colombia plays a highly credible and invaluable role in the promotion of human rights in the country." Read the full letter (PDF).

Nosotros apoyamos a las víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos en Colombia por el valiente trabajo que realizan en búsqueda de la verdad, la justicia y las reparaciones integrales. Damos la bienvenida a la Tercera Asamblea del Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado y sus valiosos esfuerzos por contribuir a la construcción de una sociedad más justa. La verdad y la justicia no son obstáculos para el camino de la paz. Más bien, son la base fundamental para una paz duradera en Colombia. Estamos juntos a las víctimas de la violencia en su reclamo por descubrir la verdad, consolidar el Estado de Derecho y decir, “Nunca mas”.

Heather Hanson
Executive Director
U.S. Office on Colombia

Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli
Senior Associate for Colombia and Haiti
Washington Office on Latin America

Rev. James R. Stormes, SJ
Secretary for Social and International Ministries
Jesuit Conference

Lisa Haugaard
Executive Director
Latin America Working Group

Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy

Rev. T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men

Susana Pimiento-Chamorro
Colombia Program Coordinator
Fellowship of Reconciliation, Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean

Stephen Coats
Executive Director
U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project

Barbara Gerlach
Colombia Liaison
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service

John I. Laun
President
Colombia Support Network

Kristele Younes
Advocate
Refugees International

Erik Cooke
Program Associate
Witness for Peace

Anne Barstow
Coordinator of Colombia Programs
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Last week, Reps. Sam Farr and Jim McGovern circulated a letter to Colombia’s President Uribe on drug crop fumigations. In a recent, post-reelection visit to Washington D.C., President Uribe asked the U.S. government to provide additional helicopters and spray planes to Colombia, in order to intensify the aerial fumigation program. Recent State Department figures, however, make clear that aerial fumigation has failed to reduce coca cultivation. In fact, the amount of coca produced in 2005 was greater than the amount of coca produced in 2000, the year Plan Colombia was initiated.

The letter urged President Uribe to support proven alternative development programs, in order to provide Colombians the means to stop growing illicit crops. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has reported that when eradication efforts are combined with assistance for farmers to plant licit—and economically viable—crops, coca production decreases. 35 members of Congress signed on to the letter, sending a strong message to Colombia’s President Uribe. If your representative signed this letter, make sure to call him/her and express your appreciation.

Here's a list of co-signers:

Rep. R. Andrews
Rep. Baldwin
Rep. Clay
Rep. Sherrod Brown
Rep. Fattah
Rep. Frank
Rep. Charles Gonzalez
Rep. Grijalva
Rep. Gutierrez
Rep. Honda
Rep. EB Johnson
Rep. Kilpatrick
Rep. Kind
Rep. Kucinich
Rep. Langevin
Rep. Rick Larsen
Rep. McCollum
Rep. McDermott
Rep. Brad Miller
Rep. Gwen Moore
Rep. Oberstar
Rep. Payne
Rep. Bobby Rush
Rep. Tierny
Rep. Linda Sanchez
Rep. Schakowsky
Rep. Serrano
Rep. Stark
Rep. Waters
Rep. Watson
Rep. Waxman
Rep. Wexler
Rep. Woolsey

Declaración de apoyo a los Defensores de Derechos Humanos de Colombia

En los últimos meses, se ha registrado un alarmante incremento en los ataques y amenazas en contra de los defensores de derechos humanos y líderes de la sociedad civil colombiana. Las organizaciones de derechos humanos, asociaciones de víctimas, grupos indígenas, defensores de los derechos laborales y periodistas y medios independientes, todos ellos de prestigio internacional, han sido víctimas de asesinato y de amenazas de muerte a través de correo electrónico y de robos tanto en sus oficinas como en sus hogares aparentemente para encontrar información. Estamos sumamente preocupados por la seguridad de todos aquellos que están siendo acosados y amenazados. También nos preocupa la posibilidad de que esta ola de ataques contra la libertad de expresión coarte la capacidad de la sociedad civil colombiana de trabajar por la paz y lograr un mayor respeto por los derechos humanos. Instamos al gobierno colombiano y a nuestro propio gobierno en sus niveles más altos a unirse a nuestra preocupación por tales amenazas y a reconocer el trabajo que emprenden esos líderes civiles y sus organizaciones hacia la construcción y protección de una sociedad democrática.

Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy

Viviana Krsticevic
Executive Director
Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL)

Heather Hanson
Executive Director
U.S. Office on Colombia

T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men

James R. Stormes SJ
Secretary for Social and International Ministries
Jesuit Conference

Mark L. Schneider
Sr. Vice President
International Crisis Group

Neil Hicks
Director of International Programs
Human Rights Defenders Program

Kristele Younes
Advocate
Refugees International

Lisa Haugaard
Executive Director
Latin America Working Group

Stephen Coats
Executive Director
U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project

Barbara Gerlach
Colombia Liaison
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli
Senior Associate for Colombia and Haiti
Washington Office on Latin America

Susana Pimiento-Chamorro
Colombia Program Coordinator
Fellowship of Reconciliation, Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean

Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service

John I. Laun
President
Colombia Support Network

Erik Cooke
Program Associate
Witness for Peace

Anne Barstow
Coordinator of Colombia Programs
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Palabras del Latin America Working Group en la apertura de la Tercera Asamblea del Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado

Gracias por esta invitación, es un gran honor estar aquí con Uds. en esta importante evento. Me gustaría leer una breve declaración de organizaciones de derechos humanos, iglesias, agencias humanitarias y organizaciones no-gubernamentales de los Estados Unidos:

Nosotros apoyamos a las víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos en Colombia por el valiente trabajo que realizan en búsqueda de la verdad, la justicia y las reparaciones integrales. Damos la bienvenida a la Tercera Asamblea del Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado y sus valiosos esfuerzos por contribuir a la construcción de una sociedad más justa. La verdad y la justicia no son obstáculos para el camino de la paz. Más bien, son la base fundamental para una paz duradera en Colombia. Estamos juntos a las víctimas de la violencia en su reclamo por descubrir la verdad, consolidar el Estado de Derecho y decir, “Nunca mas”.

Quería añadir que para nosotros, organizaciones de la sociedad civil estadounidense, es particularmente importante ofrecer nuestra solidaridad porque nuestro gobierno con demasiado frecuencia piensa que el camino a la paz está através de la guerra y que el camino a la verdad está a través de la historia oficial.

Pero no voy a decir mas, porque estoy aquí para escuchar a Uds., y si me atrevo a comentarlo, este bello pais de Colombia no necesita tanto más palabras. Necesita urgentemente gente escuchando – escuchando al dolor de las víctimas, escuchando a sus familias, escuchando a sus propuestas para descubrir la verdad – por que sólo escuchando así se puede escuchar el sonido callado del nacimiento de una sociedad más sana, más tolerante, menos violento y más justa.

Comments by Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group Education Fund

Many thanks to Bob Perillo for his excellent report on an issue that has received far less than the attention it is due.

No group in Colombia has been more specifically singled out for threats and assassination than organized labor, and no group has shown a more daring tenacity in continuing to operate under threat. Here today we are not only condemning these attacks but celebrating the Colombian union movement’s bravery and persistence.