Image taken from: Radio Nacional de Colombia
Request for URGENT ACTION within each of its functions to the following entities:
– To the National Army to immediately cease the homicide of the civilian population of the municipality of Leguízamo in Putumayo, and especially against the indigenous population and its authorities, by means of FALSE POSITIVES.
– To the Ministry of Defense to retract its statements and clarify that the people killed by the National Army were not guerrillas but civilians.
– To the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the real conditions under which the massacre perpetrated by the National Army occurred.
– To the Technical Investigation Unit (Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación) so that in its role as Judicial Police it guarantees an objective investigation that guarantees the law. That the chain of custody is protected and that the alteration of the scene by the Public Forces is not allowed.
– To the Public Prosecutor’s Office to immediately go to the scene of the crime and ensure its protection.
– To the Attorney General’s Office so that, within the framework of its legal functions, it makes use of its preferential power and investigates disciplinarily all the officials who participated in this FALSE POSITIVE, including the Minister of Defense DIEGO MOLANO.
– International Agencies and human rights organizations to include the facts related in this URGENT ACTION in the reports on the situation of human rights and IHL in Colombia, as well as to issue requests to State institutions to investigate the facts that will be narrated below, finding those responsible.
FACTS:
- On Monday March 28, 2022, at 4:35 pm, the Minister of Defense Diego Molano, through his Twitter account reported that the Public Force had “neutralized” (killed) 9 people and captured (illegally detained) 4 more in Puerto Leguízamo – Putumayo.
- According to the information provided by the official, there were clashes between State forces and presumably FARC dissidents.
- However, the information provided by the official does not match reality and contradicts information that has now begun to emerge both from survivors’ and family members’ testimonies, as well as from alternative media.
- The media outlet “Andres Prensa”, last night conducted a Facebook Live. In this space he interviewed a brother and an uncle of one of the victims of the State.
Link of the interview (Spanish).
- The Army opened fire on the attendees of the communal activity, killing nine people.
- Among the deceased were the aforementioned men who left the two minors orphaned. They also had a sum of approximately 11 million pesos as a result of the collection of funds from the communal bazaar.
- Among those killed by the National Army was the indigenous authority and Governor of the Kitcwhwa people, PABLO PANDURO COQUINCHE identified with c.c.97.448.098.
- Attached to this document is possession act no. 033 of 2022 by which the Kicwa Indigenous Council of the Bajo Remanso Resguardo of the Municipality of Leguízamo – Putumayo presented to the Mayor the authorities chosen on January 15 of this year to exercise the positions of their people. The name of PABLO PANDURO COQUINCHE identified with the C.C. 97.448.098 as Governor is observed.
- As can be seen, among the victims of the unlawful actions of the security forces, in addition to the parents, there is also a sitting indigenous governor.
BACKGROUND:
In Colombia, the armed conflict has left millions of victims, with Indigenous Peoples being one of the most affected groups: homicides, displacement, rapes, disappearances, among others, represent the effect of violence in our territories.
Illegal armed groups, settlers, “cattle ranchers” and “businessmen” have been part of the perpetrators who today have our territories under siege. However, and with great concern, we see how the State, through the Public Forces, has committed thousands of crimes against us. Some of these actions have been described as FALSE POSITIVES: Homicides of civilians presented as guerrillas in order to offer results to public opinion.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace, counts more than 6402 cases of false positives during the conflict and up to 2016. Unfortunately, this reprehensible practice, especially by the Army, has not ceased and today, we can see how it continues to be used as a strategy of war and politics. Selling fear and “results” to remain in power.
This case, which today shocks us, is undoubtedly a nefarious case of FALSE POSITIVE in which the National Army massacred nine people and has illegally retained another 4.But in addition to the massacre and the kidnapping of civilians, we note the seriousness of the fact that one of the victims of the State is a Governor of an Indigenous People. This constitutes not only a harm to his person and his family, but also a collective harm, because when an attack is made against an authority, the whole community is affected, the social fabric is broken, social structures are weakened, the autonomy of the community is undermined.
Request
From the Human Rights Coordination of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC) we request for all of the above we request:
1- To the National Army to immediately cease the homicide of the civilian population of the municipality of Leguízamo in Putumayo, and especially against the indigenous population and its authorities, by means of FALSE POSITIVES.
2- To the Ministry of Defense to retract its statements and clarify that the people killed by the National Army were not guerrillas but civilians.
3- To the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the real conditions under which the massacre perpetrated by the National Army occurred.
4- To the Technical Investigation Unit so that in its function as Judicial Police it guarantees an objective investigation and guarantees the right. That the chain of custody is protected and that the alteration of the scene by the Public Forces is not allowed.
5- To the Public Prosecutor’s Office to immediately go to the scene of the crime and ensure the protection of the scene of the crime.
6- To the Attorney General’s Office so that, within the framework of its legal functions, it makes use of its preferential power and investigates disciplinarily all the officials who participated in this FALSE POSITIVE, including the Minister of Defense DIEGO MOLANO.
7- International Agencies and human rights organizations to include the facts related in this URGENT ACTION in the reports on the situation of human rights and IHL in Colombia, as well as to issue requests to State institutions to investigate the facts that will be narrated below, finding those responsible.
Contact Information
– Human Rights Coordination of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC) carrera 16 A no. 30 -78 of the city of Bogota, telephone: 285986363. 30 -78 of the city of Bogota, telephone: 2859863
