United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions,
Philip Alston, announced on the first day of his investigation of
extrajudicial executions committed by Colombia’s security forces that
he will focus on executions committed in impunity.
“I am an independent expert”, said Alston after his arrival in Bogota.
“I will take care of all executions committed by the police, the armed forces and other groups in Colombian society that are still unpunished”, the UN rapporteur said.
Alston added that Colombia has suffered a number of problems in recent years and that it is clear that the Government has begun to remedy the situation. “My role is to find additional measures which could be taken to further improve the situation.”
The UN rapporteur will travel to Medellin and Bucaramanga where he will meet local authorities, social organizations and NGOs.
According
to Ivan Cepeda, chairman of the foundation defending the rights of
victims of State violence, some 1,400 Colombians were murdered by
members of the security forces to be reported as guerrillas killed in
combat. The Prosecutor General’s Office said to be investigating more
than a thousand members of the security forces for these alleged ‘false
positives’.