HRW criticizes Uribe on paramilitary investigations
Human Rights Watch released a new 140 page report today on Colombia's investigation into paramilitary networks and the actions taken by the Uribe government. The report can pretty much be summed up by the two sentence quote in the press release:
In the past, Uribe has been harshly critical of human rights reports in general and Vivanco in particular. Considering what happened the last time Vivanco launched a report in Latin America, it'll be interesting to see how Uribe responds to this one.
"Colombia’s justice institutions have made enormous progress in investigating paramilitaries and their powerful friends," said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "But the Uribe administration keeps taking steps that could sabotage these investigations."More specifically:
The report explains that the progress made is the outcome of a fortuitous combination of factors, which include:The report also criticizes Uribe's decision to extradite the AUC commanders earlier this year.But the Uribe administration has repeatedly taken actions that threaten to undermine this progress, including:
- A Constitutional Court ruling that significantly improved Colombia’s Justice and Peace Law, creating incentives for paramilitary commanders to disclose some of the truth about their crimes.
- The independence and courage of a select group of Supreme Court justices and prosecutors, who have pushed forward investigations of paramilitary infiltration in the political system. Members of Colombian civil society and several journalists also helped to uncover information that nourished the investigations.
- International pressure – including the delay of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement – has in some cases prevented the government from trying to let paramilitaries’ accomplices off the hook.
- Repeatedly issuing public personal attacks on the Supreme Court and its members, in some cases making accusations that have turned out to be baseless, in what increasingly looks like a campaign to discredit the court.
- Proposing constitutional amendments that would remove what are known as the "parapolitics" investigations from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
- Opposing and blocking meaningful efforts to reform the Congress to eliminate paramilitary influence.
In the past, Uribe has been harshly critical of human rights reports in general and Vivanco in particular. Considering what happened the last time Vivanco launched a report in Latin America, it'll be interesting to see how Uribe responds to this one.
Update: The government had Vice President Santos respond about an hour after the report was released. Santos called the charges in the report "false," said the government wants to find the truth on all instances of violence, and criticized the report for its bias and personalized hostility against Uribe that Santos claims "weaken the fight for human rights." As far as I can tell, Santos kept his remarks general and didn't address any of the specific criticisms in the report.
Labels: Colombia, democracy, human rights, latinamerica |
11 comments:
The report also says that "International pressure – including the delay of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement – has in some cases prevented the government from trying to let paramilitaries’ accomplices off the hook."
Human Rights Watch concluded that, at this time, more than ever, international pressure on Colombia is crucial to ensure that Colombia’s Supreme Court and other institutions of justice are able to proceed unhampered.
The report also places a burden on the US Justice Department to carry forward the para-politics investigations against those who were irresponsibly extradited. Two have already been prosecuted in the US without any apparent attempt to delve deeper.
I am also heartened that HRW used the correct strong language for Uribe' actions, when they said his Adminstration "keeps taking steps that could sabotage these investigations."
"I am also heartened that HRW used the correct strong language for Uribe' actions, when they said his Adminstration "keeps taking steps that could sabotage these investigations."
As opposed to last week when Leftside was pissing all over HRW's critique of Fatboy Chavez.
As fate would have it, I noticed that at the very top of Boz's reading list happens to be this article by Vivanco (I picked it up off of VNV) recounting the details of his expulsion from Venezuela.
So long as Leftside is doling out kudos for HRW's work, perhaps he can comment on this.
Oops, missed that link Boz already had in his posting.
Oops, missed that link Boz already had in his posting.
I had posted it up on the right earlier this morning, before the Colombia HRW report came out. Once this came out, it seemed relevant to link to it again.
It's one of those times I wish I could see the alternate universe, to know how Colombia would have responded had Venezuela not just kicked out Vivanco and received all that negative attention. I think Uribe may have been a bit harsher than what they came out with today.
So long as Leftside is doling out kudos for HRW's work, perhaps he can comment on this.
Well first off, what the heck is that personal reflection by Vivanco doing in the NY Review of Books??
Second, I am not going to defend the actions of the Venezuelan Government because it was a stupid move - politically. However, no one can argue that they were not within their rights to expel someone in the country on the false pretences of a tourist visa. As the US State Dept says, "Persons traveling for reasons other than tourism, however, should consult the Venezuelan Embassy or nearest Venezuelan consulate regarding possible visa requirements for their specific purpose of travel." I could not find the Venzuelan specific tourist visa eligabiluity requirements, but I am pretty sure they are the standard, like Brazil's, in saying quite explicitly that no work or academic related activities are permitted. Vivanco and Wilkerson clearly did not follow correct protocol - purposely I am sure.
I won't get into HRW's alleged links with groups like the US funded National Endowment for Democracy (HRW had not made a list of its funders known since 1995), which of course, had a rather large hand in supporting those invovled in the 2002 coup and other destabilization campaigns in places like Haiti, Nicaragua, ect. But this article is well worth a read to get a clearer picture of what "human rights" means to groups like HRW and those who fund them.
I already posted what I thought of the Venezuelan report, which could not identify anyone who has actually had their human rights taken away by Chavez, nor anything near the magnitude of what is now well known to have been occuring in Colombia - political murder and political cover up. Even today, Uribe continues to link indigenous protests over 1,000 disappearances since 2002 and the wholesale stealing of land by paramilitaries (who have shown to be working in tandem with Uribe's political mates) with FARC - putting more innocent lives at risk. When someone can tell me the name of just one Venezuelan who has been killed because of the Venezuelan State's record on human rights, we can begin to have a dialogue comparing the two countries.
Westside -
You should have just typed "yes, but..." and left it at that.
Well, it's about time that Boz noted Uribe's sordid human rights record in an actual post. Viewed against the knee-jerk manner that Boz constantly criticizes the Chavez government, the conspicuous absence of any serious criticism of Colombia's far more repressive government had begun to wreak of double standards.
Perhaps there's a wee bit of hope that Boz will try to develop some basic principles.
Oh, pipe down, Justin, or I'll let your dorm RA know about your contraband hot plate.
Unfortunately, there's zero chance that Paul will attempt to develop a basic set of principles.
Post a Comment