Colombian Senator Armando Benedetti asked the government to open an investigation in response to allegations that Venezuelan security forces tortured Colombians they held in custody, Radio Caracol reported Wednesday.
Four Colombians who were deported from Venezuela said they were tortured after being arrested last month for suspected ties to a guerrilla attack which killed 12 Colombian soldiers near the northern town of Maicao.
According to newspaper El Tiempo, the torture was confirmed by Medicina Legal, the medical unit of Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office
“It is a paradox that we ask the Venezuelan government help to capture FARC guerrillas who killed 12 soldiers in Maicao and things happen as alleged made ??by Colombian citizens. It is urgent that this verification commission clarify the facts,” said Senator Benedetti.
The senator asked Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon to initiate a bilateral investigatory commission in response to these allegations and for each ministry to submit a report of their findings.