Latin America
Related: About this forumSparks fly as Colombia Senate prepares for heated debate on alleged Uribe parapolitics, narcotraffic
Sparks fly as Colombia Senate prepares for heated debate on alleged Uribe parapolitics, narcotrafficking
Aug 7, 2014 posted by Steven Cohen
The Colombian Senate is preparing to hold a debate on Senator and former President Alvaro Uribes alleged ties to paramilitarism and narcotrafficking, in what already promises to be a heated clash between two of the most diametrically opposed forces in contemporary national politics.
After an initial version was voted down on the Senate floor by Uribe loyalists and various coalition members, opposition Senator and staunch Uribe critic Ivan Cepeda took his proposal to the Senates Second Committee, where it was approved Tuesday by a vote of 10-3.
The purpose isnt to throw accusations at Uribe, said Cepeda, in an interview with Colombia Reports, but rather, to bring clarity to topics of historical importance and new political relevance.
We dont make accusations, like Senator Uribe has done, said Cepeda, referring to uncorroborated allegations launched by Uribe and his allies implying that Cepeda is a political tool of the FARC rebel group, Colombias largest. What we do is present facts, and in this case, the facts are ample.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/sparks-fly-colombia-senate-prepares-heated-debate-alleged-uribe-parapolitics-narcotrafficking/
Judi Lynn
(160,630 posts)From the same article:
Throughout Uribes United States-funded Democratic Security offensive, the Colombian military worked closely with the right-wing paramilitary death squads terorizing the Colombian countryside. So-called false positives extrajudicial executions of civilians later passed off as rebel combat kills were only the most visible of the many systemic human rights abuses attributed to the military during the hardline Uribe presidency.
Similarly, Uribes time in office marked the height of the parapolitics scandal, in which significant portions of Congress and the public sector were shown to have coordinated directly with paramilitary groups responsible for much of Colombias astronomical rates of political violence during that period. Alvaros brother, Santiago, was just one of the many prominent figures from Uribes inner circle to become implicated in the scandal.
MORE: Colombian paramilitary financier says Uribe extradited him to keep quiet about regimes paramilitary ties
Among other things, Santiago has been accused by a former high-level paramilitary commander of arranging the financial relationship between multinationals in the northern banana-growing region and the AUC paramilitary block, using the CONVIVIR civilian intelligence groups propogated by his brother, then the governor of the state of Antioquia, as fronts to launder money to the paramilitaries.
MORE: Paramilitary victims families disappointed over Chiquita case dismissal, seek reversal
Uribes career in Antioquia politics has also produced numerous alleged ties to the states infamous narco powers, including Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel, for whom Uribe, once the director of civil aviation, allegedly authorized airstrips and permits used to traffic cocaine.
Perhaps the most lasting of Uribes alleged offenses is his handling of the 2006 paramilitary demobilization, which the Human Rights Watch has characterized as a sham. Uribes Justice and Peace process has been cast as a mechanism to grant impunity to the worst human rights offenders in Colombias 50-year armed conflict, some of whom have testified against the former president, and the neo-paramilitary groups that emerged following demobilization have since taken control of the countrys narcotics and illegal mining trades.
Progressive people will hope seriously for the well being of Ivan Cepeda, to keep him safe from the right-hand barbarism which was employed to silence his father.