Home
| Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08BOGOTA3473 | 2008-09-16 22:18:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Bogota |
Cable title:
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP CONCERNED ABOUT ALLEGED MILITARY INTELLIGENCE REPORTS LINKING IT TO THE FARC AND ELN
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1. (C) Human rights group MINGA (Association for Alternative
Social Promotion) voiced concerns about a recent television report alleging MINGA had helped FARC and ELN members obtain refugee status in Canada. MINGA head Gloria Florez also gave us a document purportedly from Colombian military intelligence which claims the FARC political front--the Colombian Clandestine Communist Party--heavily influenced an October 2007 report on extrajudicial killings by a coalition of international human rights groups. Vice Defense Minister Jaramillo told us the document could be from military intelligence, and said he would investigate. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said publicly on September 9 that human rights are the "cornerstone" of the military's mission, challenged the accuracy of the human rights groups' report, and alleged that some groups are involved in a "deliberate policy" to discredit the Colombian military. END SUMMARY. -------------------------- PRESS REPORTS LINK MINGA WITH FARC AND ELN -------------------------- 2. (C) MINGA director Gloria Florez told us on September 10, that she is worried about a recent cable television report alleging that MINGA helped FARC and ELN members obtain refugee status in Canada. The channel attributed its report to military intelligence. MINGA also provided us with a document purportedly from Colombian military intelligence which claims the FARC political front "PC3" (the Colombian Clandestine Communist Party) heavily influenced a July 9 report on extrajudicial killings by international human rights groups. The alleged military intelligence report identifies "la gringa Lisa" as a FARC sympathizer. (Comment: "La gringa Lisa" is likely Lisa Hauggard who helped present the report in Bogota last October.) The human rights groups' accused the military of "ongoing and systematic" use of extrajudicial killings in military operations, and asserted that the number of such killings had risen sharply in the last two years. 3. (C) We raised the alleged military intelligence documents with Vice Minister Sergio Jaramillo and Presidential Human Rights Program director Carlos Franco. Jaramillo said the purported military intelligence document is "somewhat oddly worded," but conceded it could be from military intelligence. He committed to looking into the issue, adding that he would also ask the Colombian National Police to investigate. Franco told us he had already contacted the Inspector General's Office (Procuraduria) to investigate the source of the document. Local UN High Commission on Human Rights (UNHCHR) Representative Javier Hernandez told us the Colombian military have made major progress on human rights, but cautioned that some officers continue to view human rights groups as the "enemy." -------------------------- MOD: HUMAN RIGHTS IS CORNERSTONE -------------------------- 4. (U) Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santo's speech on Colombia's National Human Rights Day (September 9) highlighted the Colombian military's commitment to human rights, calling it the "cornerstone" of its mission. He criticized the October 2007 human rights report for categorizing extrajudicial killings as "systematic", responding that the MOD is addressing the issue and punishing those responsible. He noted that the organizers of the study never sought information from the MOD, and challenged the accuracy of their data. Santos also charged that some human rights groups are involved in a "deliberate policy" to discredit the Colombian military. UNHCHR Hernandez told us Santos offered to meet with human rights groups to discuss extrajudicial killings, but the groups said they were unavailable. The human rights groups have refused to work with the GOC on the National Human Rights Action Plan in solidarity with MINGA. BROWNFIELD |