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25-Feb-2005

Colombian Army murders members of peace community

by: Comunidad de la Paz de San Jose de Apartado

Colombia: On 20 February 2005, seven members of the Comunidad de Paz de San Jose de Apartado (San Jose de Apartado Peace Community) were murdered by the Colombian National Army. One of those murdered, Luis Eduardo Guerra was a leader in the Peace Community, which was founded in March 1997 by civilians displaced by the conflicts between the FARC and the National Army. The Community, consisting of many small villages, is committed to the renunication of violence and injustice,and emphasises non-involvement in the surrounding conflicts.

Here, the most recent statement from the community regarding the deaths:

Today, on 25 February, approximately 200 of our companions are beginning the sad journey from San José to the communities of Mulatos and Resbalosa in search of the bodies of our friends. It will be nine hours on a difficult path, and our sadness will be like an extra burden. Surrounding San Jose we have seen a strong military presence of the Brigade XVII (a branch of the Colombian National Army), and neighbours have informed us that there are militants along the path from Buenos Aires to Mulatos, the same path that we have to take. We will be accompanied by international organisations such as Peace Brigades International and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. While this journey seems absurd, due to the warnings and military threat, we are carrying with us some hope. Seeing the cruelty that they have inflicted on us with our own eyes, it is difficult to accept that the other can be human, like any one of us, with the capacity to to murder whole families in cold blood, dismember their bodies, and throw them into roadside ditches. And to do so calmly. Of course, we know that their entire strategy of crime and impunity is well-planned, and that they can commit these atrocities without punishment. This is what controls our country. We can only ask for justice although we know as well as the murderers: there is no justice. Not in this massacre, not in the hundreds of other crimes we have suffered, not in the thousands of crimes suffered by other communities. It doesn't matter how much proof is collected, nor how many photos are taken, in the end there will be no clear way in which to accuse the responsible and take them to jail.

The one thing we know is that we will not forget. All of the murdered live on in us. Our companions and leaders died for a worthy cause: to dream of another life, one where we can live together without terror, for ourselves and our children.

The group returns tomorrow. We hope that the militrary does not detain them, with respect to their lives and their mourning.

Here, the first story from 23 February

Indiscriminate bombardment and new acts of aggression

In the past few weeks, the Community has been faced with increasingly violent confrontations with both local authorities and state security forces. Here, their recent statements as sent to Peace News:

The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó again wants to present evidence of new facts and urgently calls for national and international solidarity. On 22 February from 1pm to 2pm, army helicopters bombarded the zones of Bellavista, Alto Bonito and Buenos Aires, where more than 200 peasants live. This could produce a new displacement and therefore we are concerned for the lives of the family as we were in December 2004 and January 2005 when the military detained, tortured and wounded peasants in these zones. On 21 February, Alirio Cartagena, a member of our Community, and Dumar Areiza went to the mayor's office in Apartadó to pay the money owned for building work in the school of San José. On leaving the mayor's office, in the park La Martina, they were intercepted by two men in civilian clothes who accused them of being guerrillas. Nevertheless, they were allowed to continue, but on arriving at the transport terminal of Apartadó at 11am they were detained by the local police. They were taken to the police station and there were asked for the names of the leaders of the community, where they lived, and who arrived at and left the community. After several hours of repeated interrogation, they were released around 6pm, being told that the investigation would continue. On 20 February at around 6am, the army arrived at Las Nieves (about four hours from San José) and entered shooting into the house of Gladys Guzmán Palacios who they found with her four-year-old daughter Diana Marcela. In the house they found the girl's father, who was visiting her and who was a member of FARC. He died from gunshot wounds and the little girl was wounded and is now in hospital in Apartadó. On 19 February, at 10am, Apartadó police detained Norbey Sepulveda, who had gone there from our community to buy a drug for his partner who is about to give birth. Norbey was taken to the police station where he was insulted for living in La Union and being of our community. In the station, he met Wilmar Durango, armed and in police uniform. This Durango has taken part in terror actions against the Community; later he was seen with the army; and now he is with the police. Norbey was released and warned not to return to Apartadó. All these facts again demonstrate the terror actions on the part of the forces of state security against our community and the infractions by the guerrilla of International Humanitarian Law by placing themselves in houses of the civil population. We fear for the lives of the members of our Community and our leaders, who are detained and threatened, and also for the lives of hundreds of people subjected to this type of bombardment. Let history judge the brazen nerve of the paramilitaries and the state security forces that is evident in the case of Wilmar Durango. We reiterate our thanks to national and international solidarity and again show our commitment to maintain our principles of truth, solidarity, and justice, against impunity and non-aligned with the armed actors.

Below, a statement from the community regarding the deaths:

We can say nothing more: the pain is so deep we can only cry. The Colombian state, as a demonstration of its incredible illegitimacy, has carried out another massacre that soaks our lands in blood. The state has killed Luis Eduardo Guerra, 35 years old, one of the Community's leaders and a member of the Internal Council from the beginning, as wells as his companion Bellanira Areiza Guzman (17 years old) just a few days after their union; his son Deiner Andres Guerra (11 years), Alfonso Bolivar Tuberquia Graciano (30), one of the leaders and members of the Peace Committee of the neighbouring village Mulatos which has recently declared itself a zone of peace; Alfonso Tuberquia's partner Sandra Milena Muñoz Pozo (24) and their children Santiago (2) and Natalia Andrea (6). Luis Eduardo Guerra had left his home in San José on Saturday, 19 February, heading for his plot in the zone of Mulatos (seven hours away) planning to collect cocoa.Around 11am on Monday they were detained on the river Mulatos by members of the XI Brigade of the army. Luis Eduardo had set out for San José with his companion Bellanir, his son Deiner, and another youth, his half-brother. The army threatened them and told them that they were going to take them away to kill them. On hearing this, Luis Eduardo's half-brother succeeded in running away. But Luis Eduardo, Bellanira and Deiner were taken from Mulatos to La Resbalosa. There they were taken to the house of Alfonso Bolivar. On Tuesday, 22, the half brother who had escaped the army, went looking for them and in the house of Alfonso Bolivar he found blood. Nearby he found a ditch with the corpses cut to pieces. The young man made this terrible discovery along with other people from Mulatos who were looking for the disappeared.

Therefore, on Friday morning, a commission with 300 people will leave for La Resbalosa, nine hours from San José. Our sense of humanity requires us to do this. We cannot our companions be abandoned because of the neglect and cruelty of the State. Therefore, we set down this evidence and call for national and international solidarity in denouncing this foul deed that affects all humanity and demanding that the State of Colombia respect this commission of people going to recover the cadavers that this massacre has left. We believe that terror speaks for itself. Luis Eduardo, your memory, your commitment and clarity, your friendship, give us strength in the midst of pain. As always, we reflect, we won't go back on our principles although the State, with its paramilitaries, eliminates us all.

For more information email cdpsanjose@hotmail.com