The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) will study a complaint filed by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe against Venezuela over the alleged presence of Colombian FARC and ELN guerrillas on Venezuelan soil.
An IACHR spokesperson could not confirm that the court had received the petition that Uribe submitted last Friday, due to confidentially issues, but said that “all petitions that we receive are subject to a preliminary study, in which the document is studied to ascertain if it meets the minimum requirements to proceed.”
Uribe’s lawyer Jaime Granados announced Friday that reports had been filed against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez before the International Criminal Court, and against the Venezuelan state before the IACHR, over alleged human rights violations. Granados confirmed that the human rights violations were connected to claims Colombia made before the Organization of American States in late July of the presence of FARC and ELN guerrillas in Venezuela.
Both filed reports allege that the guerrillas prepared for terrorist attacks against Colombia while in Venezuela.
Caracol Radio acquired the document submitted by Uribe to the IACHR, which the broadcaster says contain 60 allegations of crimes against humanity committed at the Colombia-Venezuela border, principally in the departments of Arauca and La Guajira.
According to Caracol Radio, the document also includes 18 pieces of evidence of communications between guerrilla leaders since 2001, and 22 alleged proofs of collaboration between Colombian guerrillas and Venezuelan authorities.
The document also mentions seven FARC camps that demobilized guerrilla alias “Ruben” alleges are located on Venezuelan territory.
Among the allegations is a file allegedly sent from the FARC’s “foreign minister,” alias “Rodrigo Granda,” to [now deceased] FARC leader alias “Raul Reyes” on August 31, 2004, in which former Venezuelan Ambassador to Bolivia Julio Montes informs Granda that Chavez “still has not named someone to be in charge of relations with the FARC.”
Another communication, dated March 20, 2006, allegedly informs Reyes that Chavez has named Julio Chirinos, Venezuela’s current ambassador to Uruguay, as the representative for relations with the FARC.
The report also details another communication between Granda and Reyes, which allegedly details a potential meeting with former Venezuelan Minister for the Interior Ramon Rodriguez Chacin on January 9, 2002, to discuss issues related to a dialogue between the FARC and “some sectors of Venezuela,” as well as money loaning, the residence of FARC members in Venezuela, guarantees for guerrillas and the coordination of a meeting between Rodriguez and FARC leader alias “Ivan Marquez.”
Another alleged communication between alias “Ricardo” and Reyes dated April 19, 2003, reportedly establishes the existence of a FARC front operating in Venezuelan territory.
The report concludes that Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice is completely under Chavez’s influence, meaning that there is no judicial independence in Venezuela.
Uribe filed the petitions against Venezuela during his last day in office on August 6. The following day he handed over the Colombian leadership to Juan Manuel Santos, after eight years as Colombian president.
