Julián Oviedo, a 19-year-old construction worker in this gritty patchwork of slums, told his mother on March 2 that he was going to talk to a man about a job offer. A day later, Mr. Oviedo was shot dead by army troops some 350 miles to the north. He was classified as a subversive and registered as a combat kill.
Colombia Lists Civilian Killings in Guerrilla Toll (NY Times)
The dismissal of Colombian army members over the killing of innocent civilians then dressed up as guerrillas has received a lot of media attention:
Colombia fires 20 army officers over civilian deaths (LA Times)
Colombia fires 27 army officers in probe of civilian deaths (Miami Herald)
Yes, the precise number of officers fired seems uncertain - or perhaps it's rising, I'm not sure.
Apparently, these deaths are euphemistically known as "false positives". BoRev calls it like it is: state terrorism.
It is a positive that this is coming out into the open though and being acknowledged by President Uribe - somewhat of a blow to impunity. Let's see how the investigation progresses.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment