All parties in Colombian conflict violate human rights, says Amnesty

The human rights organization is worried about the growing amount of displaced, the continuing intimidation and murder of human rights activists and trade unionists, but is positive about the decreasing number of abductions.According to the report, Colombian Armed Forces were responsible for 280 extrajudicial executions and condemns the murder of peasants, later presented by the army as “guerrillas killed in combat”.Amnesty estimates around 3000 paramilitaries are currently active in groups as the Águilas Negras (Black Eagles) or the Nueva Generación (New Generation). They are held responsible for 230 civilian killings in the researched year.The human rights organization is unsatisfied with the confessions made by the demobilized paramilitary leaders during the Justice and Peace process. the report states that most crimes committed by paramilitary forces before their demobilization didn’t come to light because of these confessions, but by confessions of lower ranked paramilitaries or civilians. It also criticizes the amount of land returned to its rightful owners after being stolen from them by the AUC.Guerrilla groups as the FARC and ELN also continued to violate international humanitarian law, killing more than 210 civilians and continuing to hold hundreds of civilians hostage for ransom.Because of the conflict a growing number of people are forced from their lands and homes. According to the report 1340 civilians were murdered. Another 305,000 were forced to leave their home and seek refuge elsewhere.Because the report is about the period June 2006 – June 2007, it does not speak of the recent developments in the parapolitics trial and the extradition of  paramilitary leaders to the USA. There’s also no mention on the murder and intimidation of human rights activists, responsible for the organization of the anti-paramilitary march earlier this year.

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