This seemed very appropriate, and of acceptable length.
Personally, I think the "drug war" has been a miserable failure and
that its time we gave it up and tried something more practical.
This would have the side benefit of putting allot of these dickheads
out of business, including groups like the Taliban. (not that we
aren't going to put _them_ out of business anyway.)
* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of
Amnesty International *
11 October 2001
AMR 23/110/2001
181/01
The two most recent massacres carried out in the past few days by
paramilitaries in the northern department of Magdalena and
south-western department of Valle del Cauca demonstrate ever more
clearly why it is imperative to stop military aid from reaching
the Colombian army and their paramilitary allies, Amnesty
International said today.
"The only way to stop fueling the human rights crisis in
Colombia is to stop pouring military aid into the country," the
organization added, at a time when the US Senate is about to
debate military aid to Colombia.
"It is inexcusable to continue sending military aid while
the Colombian government has not only failed to fully implement
reiterated UN recommendations to confront the human rights crisis
-- especially in relation to combating and dismantling
paramilitary groups -- but has passed legislation which threatens
to worsen the situation," Amnesty International said.
"Unconditioned military aid, over which there is little
end-use control, sends a clear signal to the Colombian army that
it is free to pursue its counter-insurgency strategy -- of which
paramilitary groups and their "dirty war" tactics are an
integral part -- thus permitting the continuation of the systematic and
widespread violation of human rights," the organization
said. "It also has sent a dangerous message to the Colombian government
that its failure to fully implement UN recommendations to
confront impunity, combat and dismantle paramilitary groups and
guarantee the safety of human rights defenders is not an
impediment to continued aid."
Amnesty International noted that these two massacres
occurred shortly after the Colombian government ratified a
National Defence and Security Law which severely restricts the
capacity of the Office of the Procurator General to initiate
disciplinary investigations and provides the armed forces, in
some circumstances, with judicial police powers, which could
facilitate the cover up of serious human rights violations.
The Law was passed at a time when several high-ranking
officers were implicated in judicial and disciplinary
investigations into cases of serious human rights violations and
massacres committed by paramilitary forces operating in unison
with the security forces.
"It is clear that the flow of US military aid is
encouraging the Colombian government to bolster the mechanisms
of impunity to protect the perpetrators of human rights
violations," Amnesty International said.
Background
On 10 October 2001, the bodies of 10 fishermen who had been shot
dead were found near Santa Marta in the northern Magdalena
Department. They were reportedly in a group of 20 fishermen
attending a party in Ci�naga Grande de Santa Marta who were
abducted by army-backed paramilitaries belonging to the
Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC, United Self-Defence Groups
of Colombia. The whereabouts of the remaining 10 are unknown.
The second massacre took place in the communities of La
Habana and Alaska, in the municipality of Buga, south-western
Valle del Cauca department. It is reported that army-backed AUC
paramilitaries entered the two communities and forced several
families out of their homes. They separated the men from the
women and children, made them lie face-down on the ground and
shot them dead. It is thought that at least 18 people were
killed during the paramilitary incursions.
In the context of Colombia's long-running internal
conflict between the security forces in alliance with
paramilitary forces and armed opposition groups, both sides have
shown flagrant disregard for human rights and international
humanitarian law.
The security forces has pursued a counter-insurgency
strategy characterized by the systematic and widespread
violation of human rights. Civilians in conflict zones accused
of being guerrilla sympathizers or collaborators have
subsequently been the victim of extrajudicial executions,
"disappearance" and other serious human rights violations
at the hands of the security forces and their paramilitary
allies.
Guerrilla forces, of which the Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC, Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, and the Ej�rcito de Liberaci�n Nacional, ELN, National
Liberation Army, are the largest, have also been responsible for
frequent and numerous deliberate or arbitrary killings and
threats against those whom they consider to be collaborating
with their enemies. They are also responsible for around 57% of
the over 3,000 estimated cases of kidnapping and hostage-taking
recorded in the country a year.
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Doug
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.zo.com/~brighto
We reached the tree line and I dropped my pack
Sat down on my haunches and I looked back down
Over the mountain
Helpless and speechless and breathless
GAIA
James Taylor, Gaia
