Human Rights Watch Debunks Columbian Demobilization

113 page report:  New militias attack rights activists, unionists and community leaders in Columbia

Children forced into paramilitary

Sean Sailor

February 4, 2010

According to the government of Columbia more than 31,000 fighters have been demobilized from the paramilitary coalition known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia or AUC.

However, a report released February 3rd by New York based Human Rights Watch alleges newly emerged successor groups have engaged in activities ranging from mass murder to extortion, in effect replacing the AUC in everything but name.

The importance of the story lays in the broad outlines the following facts:

The Colombian government agreed to demobilize the AUC in the wake of the 2006 Colombian Congressional Parapolitics scandal, “Paragate”, when 3 Congressmen were arrested and 63 others came under investigation for supporting the AUC- a known terrorist organization linked to thousands of atrocities. They group has also been accused of many black military operations in Venezuela, resulting in the detentions of operatives there.

The investigation later broadened and several of the Congressmen have been convicted since that time, receiving long prison sentences. In other words, Columbia is a terrorist state that receives $billions in U.S. aid, particularly military hardware.

The ties between paramilitary forces in Columbia are not limited to the U.S. government though.

Corporations also have close relationships with these groups and give financial support to both left and right-wing paramilitaries; though aware the groups are committing acts of murder and extortion. Just one example of this is  charges filed by the Department of Justice against Chiquita Brands International.

Cincinnati based Chiquita, with $4.5 billion in annual revenue, agreed under its guilty plea in 2007 to pay a $25 million fine.

Chiquita admitted that it had paid the AUC paramilitary network for what it called “protection” for its employees.

The witnesses and documentation made clear that:

“In order to force workers to quit a union or their job, to stop pressing legitimate grievances, or to accept poor working conditions, the corporation routinely turned to the paramilitaries who acted by means of intimidation, threats, abductions, torture and murder for protection.”

As to the Human Rights Watch report released this week, Jose Miguel Vivanco, America’s Director for Human Rights Watch had this to say:

“According to the government, the (demobilization) process was successful. However, shortly after the demobilization process, new successor groups emerged in the entire country that continued the criminal activities,”

The importance of this lies in the fact that AUC was (is) much more than just a gang of drug runners, but in fact state sponsored terrorists.

The United States has trade talks scheduled for later this year and is eager to keep the issue of human rights quiet until after a deal has been agreed upon.

U.S. spending in Columbia exceeds $3 billion a year and is expected to grow.

Sean Sailor February, 2010

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