6/30/2009 : FARC relax their position on release of hostages

FARC have relaxed their position about freeing a soldier held for 11 years according to a letter released, yesterday (Monday) and sent to the father of another soldier, also held prisoner, whom they wish to free as well.

6/29/2009 : Authorities in Colombia prepare to commemorate the first anniversary of ‘Operation Jaque’

Authorities prepare to commemorate the first anniversary of ‘Operation Jaque’ which led to the rescue of 15 FARC hostages among them former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

6/28/2009 : Mixed signals among the coca bushes

An apparent fall in cocaine production conceals the remarkable resilience of an illegal industry

6/26/2009 : Colombia- Jesuit priest threatened with death.

Father Javier Giralso is a Jesuit priest of small stature but with steadfast convictions. He has been denouncing the abuses of power committed by the Colombian state for the past thirty years, but has felt like a lone voice in the desert. ‘It is disturbing that our tragedy is universally ignored’, he laments.

6/26/2009 : Piedad Cordoba: “I contacted FARC only when Uribe authorised it.”

Piedad Cordoba arrived in Spain where she will meet members of Parliament, political parties, members of Governments and of Independent Parliaments.

6/25/2009 : The post-Uribe period?

Sergio Fajardo, 53, mathematician and journalist was Mayor of Medellin, Colombia’s second city, from 2003-2007. Very popular as his term ended, he decided in 2008 to embark on a national career. If President Uribe does not get the Constitution changed so he can run a third time, he could be the next president.

6/24/2009 : Amnesty International : New law strengthens impunity for human rights abusers

The right to truth, justice and reparation for countless victims of human rights violations committed during Colombia's long-running armed conflict has again been gravely undermined following Congressional approval of a law which will grant de factoamnesties to 19,000 supposedly demobilized rank-and-file paramilitaries, many of whom are responsible for serious human rights violations, including killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

6/23/2009 : Francisco Galán: ‘The guerrillas have been discredited in Colombia. I disown them!’

Commandant Francisco Galán has been the spokesperson for the rebel group ELN for a long period of time. During a discreet visit to Geneva, he shared a disenchanted picture of the status of armed groups with La Tribune de Genève.

6/22/2009 : 3 million displaced in Colombia: UNHCR

With three million people displaced throughout the nation, Colombia continues to have one the largest displaced populations in the world, according to an annual report released by the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

6/21/2009 : Former FARC hostages appeal to Betancourt

Ingrid Betancourt’s former fellow hostages, freed with her during a military operation last July in Colombia asked her yesterday (Saturday) to use her“ influence” to obtain the release of hostages still held by FARC.

6/20/2009 : The only survivor of FARC massacre states that peace is nearer than ever

Sigifredo Lopez, the only survivor of the massacre of the eleven deputies killed by FARC two years ago, stated today that peace was “nearer than ever” in Colombia because the guerrilla needed “ a dignified exit” after 45 years of armed combat.

6/19/2009 : U.N. probe: Army killed many innocents

The executions of innocent civilians reported by the Colombian Army as ''guerrillas killed in combat'' are not the responsibility of a few ''rotten apples'' in the armed forces -- as the Colombian government says -- but a widespread systematic practice, a U.N. investigator said.

6/18/2009 : Still no advance on the liberation of hostages announced by FARC two months ago.

The liberation of corporal Pablo Emilio Moncayo, one of a pair of FARC’s longest held hostages, which was announced two months ago today, is still completely stalled as a result of conditions imposed by both the guerrillas and the Colombian government.

6/17/2009 : In Colombia the policy of rewards in the fight against rebels has led to the murder of civilians

Colombian soldiers murdered civilians. Then they dressed them as rebels to exaggerate statistics in the war against terrorism, got promotion and received the promised rewards. How many crimes were committed in this way? So far the justice department has opened more than 1,200 investigations.

6/15/2009 : A father’s journey

Since the day of his son’s capture, Moncayo, a teacher, has campaigned for his release. Nearly 12 years later, the Peace walker keeps on campaigning with his daughter who has become his right hand.

6/13/2009 : Colombian president clashes with NDP, Bloc MPs

The president of Colombia clashed with NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs, who questioned the South American country's human-rights record.
Alvaro Uribe lived up to his reputation for passionate outbursts, occasionally raising his voice and waving an arm when responding to tough questions Thursday at the House of Commons trade committee.

6/10/2009 : 76 Trade Unionists assassinated worldwide in 2008, 15 less than in 2007

76 trade unionists have been assassinated for trying to defend workers rights in 2008, and “thousands have been dismissed or arrested” according to the annual report of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)released on Wednesday.

6/8/2009 : A soldier believed to have been a hostage of FARC found at home.

As reported by local media on Friday, a soldier, believed to have been a hostage of FARC since 2005, was located at his home in Bogota having been reported for assaulting a minor

6/6/2009 : The father of Sergeant César Augusto Lasso Monsalve who was kidnapped 11 years ago by FARC, died this Monday

Daniel Lasso, father of sergeant César Augusto Lasso Monsalve died as a result of a heart attack, similar to that which he had upon hearing the news of his son’s kidnapping by FARC on November 1st 1998 in Mitú (Vaupès)

6/4/2009 : More than 2000 bodies found in mass graves

The remains of 2,164 victims of either extreme left- wing rebels or extreme right-wing paramilitaries have been found in mass graves in Colombia since September 2005.
The bodies were found in 1760 burial sites.

6/3/2009 : Colombian conflict needs political solution: OAS

Colombia's 45-year old conflict between the State and left-wing guerrillas can only be solved through negotiations, Secretary General of the Organization American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza said Sunday.

6/2/2009 : Colombian Politicians Threaten to Resign after Rebel Attack

The town councilors of the southwestern Colombian municipality of Garzon threatened Saturday to resign after an attack in which leftist guerrillas kidnapped one of their colleagues and killed a soldier, a police officer and two security guards.

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