Peace and Justice for Colombia

Senator Piedad Cordoba is in Spain seeking support for a negotiated end to the armed conflict in her country. Piedad Cordoba has been recently accused of having links to the FARC. The government of Colombia has stated that it has proof linking her to the FARC

President Uribe has a great interest in demonstrating that the work that we are doing does not end with the liberation of the citizens that are still being held by the FARC, not even that we are moved by a humanitarian sentiment. The presidents intention is to show us as terrorists, which is exactly what he does with everyone who wants a negotiated end to the armed conflict that has gone on for more than 50 years. This government is an expert in framing people.

What do you mean?

Apart of the massive espionage apparatus, I have information from people who had been called by the Defence Ministry to testify against me. I have in my hands sworn statements where people declare that they have been offered Money to declare I am a member of the FARC. I believe in the Colombian Supreme Court of Justice and that is why I will confront this slander campaign against me. [Rebel leader] Raul Reyes´ computer has become an instrument to evade all problems related to corruption, paramilitarism, drug-trafficking, that are affecting the current government.

You have recently had interviews with some paramilitary leader that Uribe extradited to the USA. What have they declared to you?

The most prominent paramilitary leaders Salvatore Mancuso, Jorge 40 and HH sent me a letter inviting me to meet them. I must be very careful with the content of those meetings, because the most important thing at the moment is to guarantee the security of their families, who had been threatened if they give testimony of their political connections. I can only say that militaries, business people and even the government are involved.

The extraditions had been a way of silencing them?

I prefer to respond using a phrase from Salvatore Mancuso: “The government extradited the truth”. There is another terrible event  that is relevant. Three of the witnesses of the paramilitaries had been poisoned, the last one on Tuesday.

The UN spokes person for Human Rights wrote a harsh report on the extrajudicial executions, but has not found evidence of the involvement of the government.

His report states that the extrajudicial executions are systematic. It would be important that the spokes person complete his report visiting the prisons and talking to the paramilitary leaders, to hear how they operated. The information he will be disclosed will be very delicate and worrying, because they will involve Uribe´s government.

Do you think a door has been closed to know the truth of what is happening in Colombia?

I think there was an attempt to close the doors to justice, but this is now impossible. If john McCain had won the elections in the USA would have been harder to continue with this process, but the current circumstances are quite different. We started to notice openness on the US authorities for crimes against humanity to be punished.

The government has just stopped the passing of legislation in the Congress called the Law of Victims. Is there any possibility of compensating the victims from all the groups?

There is great frustration. The fact that the government does not want to recognize the existence of victims of state crimes is because this will mean accepting direct responsibility for these horrible crimes.

What opinion do you have of the FARC?

They are the portrait of the misery of Colombian society, of what we have been unable to construct. One of the first things they should do is immediately release all the civilians that are being held and stop kidnapping as a weapon because it is not presentable. But they are an armed political actor. They are there, they are real.

They also plant mines and recruit minors?

Yes, these are acts that are rejected that are not easy to militarily defeat. That is why a political end to the war is so important.

Is Spain’s official policy towards president Uribe contradictory?

The presence of the Prince of Spain in Colombia a few weeks ago was contradictory because it compromises the Spanish government, when they say that they have distanced themselves from Uribe’s human rights violations.

Could this be because Uribe’s economic policy favors Spain’s business interests?

Ok, this is totally true. It is funny to hear a few Spanish businessmen telling the Colombian people that we should reform the constitution to re-elect the Messiah.

Are you demonized in Colombia, are you scared?

I am terrified, but it goes away when someone stops me in the street to hug me.

Gorka Castillo interviews Senator Piedad Córdoba for Aporrea, translated by Peace and Justice for Colombia

written by admin