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Archive
9/30/2004 : Reporters Without Borders Worried About Threats
The organization Reporters Without Borders recently declared that they are “worried” about threats that Colombian journalists have received. Of specific concern are those threatening Luis Alberto Castaño, the Press Secretary of “Café 93.5” (which broadcasts from the department of Tolima), coming from paramilitary groups. Last year, five journalists were killed while twenty threatened journalists went into exile. Colombia is generally considered to be the most dangerous country in the continent for journalists.
9/28/2004 : A Pre-planned Death
Alfredo Correa de Andreis was assassinated September 17, 2004 in the fourth largest city in Colombia – Barranquilla. What ultimately cost him his life was his decision to passionately and freely practice his profession – he was a teacher. By carrying out investigations about how the current violence has displaced many Colombians, he caught the attention of those who he was studying.
Some believe that his death was an act committed by the government; a crime that one cannot protest. Speech is very risky business in Colombia, especially because many people freely take law and order into their own hands.
9/27/2004 : Hunger, a Weapon of Mass Destruction
“Action against hunger and poverty” is again making its presence known in the international political arena. Colombia is unfortunately home to alarmingly high rates of malnutrition, as evidenced by average height and weight indexes. In the year 2000, fourteen percent of children younger than 5 have faced growth and development problems.
9/24/2004 : Ingrid Betancourt nominated for the Sajarov Prize
Ingrid Betancourt has been nominated for the Sajarov Prize which is awarded to outstanding individuals who believe in the freedom of thought. The European Parliament recently nominated the Colombian ex-presidential candidate, who was kidnapped and is currently in custody of the FARC. The nomination of Betancourt, captured February 23, 2002 by the insurgent group, was proposed by the Socialist bloc of the European Parliament. She will compete against ten other individuals for the honor, that will be given out on December 14th.
9/16/2004 : Colombia relying on drug criminals to oust leftist rebels
Indicted on charges of shipping tons of cocaine into the United States, right-wing militia leader Salvatore Mancuso insists he and his followers are Colombia's only hope. Disbanding his militia, he told Colombian lawmakers recently, would be "a disaster," leading to economic collapse and bloodshed of nightmarish proportions.
Such is Colombia these days, where some say the government is forced to depend on accused traffickers, criminals and "psychopaths," as one U.S. official called them, to keep leftist insurgents at bay.
9/12/2004 : Colombia's 3 Million Refugees, Hidden in Plain Sight
La Isla, or "The Island,'' is a kind of halfway house between urban slum and refugee camp. The inhabitants live as "internally displaced persons," a term the world's bureaucrats use to describe refugees who stay in their own country, victims of war who were abruptly uprooted from homes elsewhere in Colombia, either by Marxist guerrillas or right-wing paramilitaries. The U.N. says that nearly 3 million Colombians, in a country of 42 million, have been displaced, double the number reported by the government in Bogotá.
It doesn't help, humanitarian groups say, that Colombia's president, Álvaro Uribe, has claimed that there is no war in Colombia, just terrorist acts. "We just don't see them as victims of war," said Harvey Suárez of Codhes, a humanitarian group, of the displaced population.
9/10/2004 : Colombia acknowledges the assassination of three labour leaders
The attorney general's office ordered the arrest of a military officer and two soldiers in connection with the killing of three union officials last month. The men were killed by army troops who claim the they were also leftist rebels. The army says the men were shot during a firefight - but union leaders in Colombia say the men were simply union officials with no links to the ELN.
9/8/2004 : 130.400 Colombians victims of forced displacement during the 1st half of 2004
130.400 Colombians were victims of forced displacement during the 1st half of 2004, a 9% increase compared to the same period in 2003. Since 1985 the phenomenon has affected more than 3 million people.(automatic computer translation)
8/31/2004 : Positive answer by the government
The government said Monday it would consider a demand from Colombia's main rebel group to hold face-to-face talks over swapping jailed insurgents for dozens of hostages, including three U.S. military contractors.
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