The families of two Colombian human rights workers are demanding an investigation from the United States into the disappearance of their relatives in 2000.
The Human Rights Unit on Friday sent the U.S. Attorney Office details of the forced disappearance of Jose Angel Quintero and Claudia Patricia Monsalve, linking to Mauricio Santoyo’s confession of relations with Colombian paramilitaries.
Colombian radio station Caracol had previously reported that former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe’s ex-chief of security was accused of ordering the forced disappearance of two human rights workers while working in the city of Medellin.
The retired general this week pleaded guilty to links with paramilitaries which were allegedly involved in illegal wiretapping, intimidation, kidnappings and disappearances.
One of the members of the families wrote in a letter from a country of exile that the U.S. must extradite Santoyo if he is to be brought to justice.
It read, “Only until U.S. requests his extradition will relevance be given to the case and the agencies in charge of administering justice will remember. But how is it possible that a general of the republic can operate with paramilitaries and the state does not realize.”
Santoyo is currently being held in a U.S. jail charged with helping now defunct paramilitary group AUC thwart anti-trafficking efforts by the U.S. and Colombian governments.
