Colombia’s conservative opposition urges immediate detention of FARC fighters

Members of rebel group FARC, currently negotiating peace with Colombia’s government, should be detained for the duration of peace talks to prevent the guerrillas from carrying out violent or criminal activity, the party of former President Alvaro Uribe said on Monday.

The hard-line Democratic Center (CD) party, founded in 2013 to oppose the centrist government of sitting President Juan Manuel Santos, has refused to take part in a recently composed commission that advises the head of state in the “final phase” of the negotiations that have been taking place in Havana, Cuba since November 2012.

Instead, the party created its own commission, which presented its findings on Monday at a press conference.

According to the CD commission, the FARC have consistently broken promises to cease fire unilaterally, have continued to carry out criminal activity and have even used the peace talks to increase control over drug trafficking activities throughout the country.

The CD’s claim that the FARC has broken its own ceasefire has been contradicted by the military and independent observers. However, the FARC’s alleged continued involvement in drug trafficking and extortion schemes has not been disputed

To end the rebels’ involvement in crime, the party said the government should obligate the guerrillas to unite all their forces in one area, allowing international organizations like the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the Red Cross to monitor’s the FARC’s inactivity for the duration of the talks.

The time that guerrillas and guerrilla commanders spend in this confined space could later be deducted from reduced prison sentences handed down as part of a transitional justice system to be put in place in the event of peace.

The CD has long rejected “impunity” for FARC rebels accused of war crimes or crimes against humanity. The conservative party said to favor amnesty arrangements for rebel fighters, but insisted that FARC commanders charged with or convicted for war crimes must go to jail as dictated by international humanitarian law with which Colombia is bound to comply.

When it comes to crimes committed by the military, the party demanded a separate tribunal.

The Colombian military is investigated for the extrajudicial execution of some 4,000 civilians mainly in the years party leader Uribe was president of Colombia and ultimately responsible for the mass killings.

The CD urged to strip FARC members of money made with criminal activity and to use these funds for victim reparation. The party failed to recognize the existence of victims of state violence.

Local media have deemed the proposals as hardly viable as they would require a renegotiation of the conditions of the talks that have been ongoing for two and a half years and have already.

Sources

PROPUESTA DIÁLOGOS DE PAZ SIN AFECTAR LA INSTITUCIONALIDAD DEMOCRÁTICA (Democratic Center)