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REPORTS: COLOMBIA |
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Colombia: Torture on the rise.
New Amnesty International report on
human rights violations.
In a new report on torture in Colombia,
Amnesty International renews its call on
the Colombian government to strengthen
its efforts to combat this horrendous
practice and to end impunity.
The report is being launched when the
United Nations Committee Against Torture
is presenting its concluding
observations regarding the situation of
torture in Colombia.
Amnesty International has documented
information indicating that the
widespread practice of torture carried
out by the Colombian security forces,
their paramilitary allies and the armed
opposition groups is on the rise in the
country.
Recent data relating to torture
indicates that between July 1996 and
June 2001 over 1,200 people were
tortured, of these over 88% were
subsequently killed.
Reports indicate that in around 55% of
the cases, torture is committed by
army-backed paramilitaries, 11% directly
by the security forces and almost 7% by
armed opposition groups. In the
remaining cases responsibility is not
known.
During 2002 more than 4,000 civilians
were killed for political motives, over
1,000 people "disappeared", over 400,000
were displaced and at least 2,700 people
were abducted, some 1,500 of whom were
abducted by armed opposition groups and
paramilitaries.
Amnesty International is concerned that
the government's policies are designed
to strengthen impunity in cases of human
rights violations, including torture, to
cover up human rights violations from
the view of national and international
public opinion and to silence those
sectors which denounce and investigate
human rights violations.
In this context, the government is
creating the conditions under which the
practice of torture may continue
unabated, and could even increase.
Amnesty International's new report
includes numerous examples of cases of
torture, among those:
José Amancio Niasa Arce, a 15-year-old
student , who was forced, from the bus
in which he was travelling by troops
belonging to the Batallón Manosalva
Florez, Manosalva Florez Battalion. His
body, which reportedly bore signs of
torture, was found several days later in
a military-style uniform.
Several members of the Organización
Femenina Popular (OFP), Popular Women's
Organization who denounced cases of
torture and inhuman, degrading and cruel
treatment in Barrancabermeja, Santander
Department, and surrounding communities
by army-backed paramilitary groups
against youths and women during 2002.
Juan Carlos Celis González, a human
rights defender. On 11 December 2002,
members of the police forced their way
into his home, handcuffed him, pushed
him to the ground, pointed a gun at him,
covered his head with a jacket and
forced him to admit that he was "El
Ingeniero", someone supposedly
responsible for planting car bombs in
Bogotá.
Juan Carlos Celis, as well as other
prisoners in Cómbita prison, in the
department of Boyacá, have been left
exposed for long periods of time to the
sun and rain. Together with other
prisoners he has reportedly been given
rotten food or food which appears to
have been contaminated.
General Information
The Unites Nations Committee Against
Torture has once again reiterated its
concerns regarding the widespread use of
torture by security forces and state
officials in Colombia, when presenting
its concluding observations today in
Geneva.
The committee has also highlighted its
concerns regarding new anti-terrorist
legislation that is being approved or is
in the course of being adopted in
Colombia, which would justify the use of
torture.
Measures proposed include giving
judicial powers to the military forces
and suspending penalties for armed
groups that disarm their forces
voluntarily, even if they're accused of
torture crimes and other serious human
rights violations. This will foment
impunity even more.
The committee's report concludes with a
series of recommendations to the
Colombian authorities, including taking
effective measures to end impunity on
torture cases and to have prompt,
impartial and exhaustive investigations
in order to bring to justice those
responsible for torture.
For a full copy of the report, please
see:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr230662003
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