COLOMBIA MOVES TO EXPEDITE IDENTIFICATION OF

UNCLAS BOGOTA 002526 SENSITIVE, SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PTER KJUS PREL CO SUBJECT: COLOMBIA MOVES TO EXPEDITE IDENTIFICATION OF VICTIMS OF DISAPPEARANCES SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Summary. The GOC presented on August 5 a new state policy aimed at improving efforts to identify the remains of victims of forced disappearances. The policy will dedicate $48.3 million in investment and operations over five years, which is projected to increase the GOC's capacity for genetic identification by 253 percent. GOC officials hope this new push at inter-agency cooperation will resolve more than 24,000 cases by 2014. Officials admitted difficulty in assessing the scope of the problem, noting that half of the cadavers identified are of persons not previously reported missing. Queried by the diplomatic corps about Colombia's adhesion to the UN Convention on Forced Disappearances, the GOC stated its intention to seek congressional ratification next year. End summary. A NEW STATE POLICY ON DISAPPEARANCES -------------- ¶2. (U) On August 6, Vice Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs Adriana Mejia and Presidential Human Rights Program Director Carlos Franco unveiled a new document issued by the National Council for Economic and Social Policy (CONPES),the Executive's highest body for issuing formal economic and social policy. Franco called forced disappearances "the most barbaric human rights abuse" that in Colombia has many causes: paramilitary violence, competition among drug traffickers, political intrigue, silencing of witnesses, property disputes, and actions by state security forces. Franco lauded a sound legal and institutional foundation for Colombia's efforts to identify victims, but admitted that poor coordination among agencies has resulted in sluggish results--for example, just 2,400 identifications despite more 24,000 reports of missing persons. Franco also noted the difficulty in estimating the total number of victims, as half of those identified did not appear in the National Registry of Disappeared Persons. ¶3. (U) Known as CONPES No. 3590, the policy seeks to strengthen and consolidate existing databases and mechanisms across seven government entities with operational responsibilities for preventing forced disappearances and identifying the remains of victims. The policy's objective is to reduce the processing time of cases and increase the number of cases in which the facts of the murder and possible suspects are established. The plan calls for an immediate increase in funding for operations ($2 million) and investment in infrastructure ($3.7 million) in 2009. ¶4. (SBU) Privately, GOC officials told us that, despite the commitment to fund the effort, there remained a substantial need for international funding. One official lamented cuts by some donors to these programs in recent years. (Note: The Department of Justice technical assistance programs to the Prosecutor General's Office include assistance in the areas of forced disappearance investigations, exhumation, and identification of victims remains.) EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS (EJEs) -------------- ¶5. (U) In response to the presentation, a European ambassador queried about the tendency of murders at the hands of state security forces, citing NGO reports of increased disappearances and EJEs. Franco said the available credible data suggested that such cases were going down and that NGO reports to the contrary failed to supply convincing evidence. UN CONVENTION ON MISSING PERSONS -------------- ¶6. (U) Queried by the GOC's willingness to ratify the UN's International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (signed by Colombia in September 2007),Franco said the Executive planned to submit the necessary legislation for ratification to the Colombian Congress in 2010. He added, however, that Colombia was already in full compliance with the treaty. Brownfield