PC 6 and 7 PDF

JUSTAPAZ AND THE PEACE COMMISSION OF THE EVANGELICAL COUNCIL OF COLOMBIA, CEDECOL
RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM
A PROPHETIC CALL - EDITION 6/7

COLOMBIAN PROTESTANT CHURCHES DOCUMENT
THEIR SUFFERING AND THEIR HOPE
Bogotá, November 10, 2012

Case registry: January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011
Peace Commission
Caribbean Coast Region • Western Region • Antioquia-Chocó Region
Tolima-Huila-Caquetá Region • Central Region
A PROPHETIC CALL - EDITION 6/7
COLOMBIAN PROTESTANT CHURCHES DOCUMENT THEIR SUFFERING AND THEIR HOPE
A publication of
THE Christian center for justice, peace and noNviolent action – justapaz
AND THE PEACE COMMISSION OF THE EVANGELICAL COUNCIL OF COLOMBIA, CEDECOL
With the support of:

Mennonite Central Committee • Project Counseling Services – PCS • Diakonia Sweden
• Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
• Christian Solidarity Worldwide
NATIONAL RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY TEAM:
PEDRO ACOSTA, JENNIFER CHAPPELL-DECKERT, JOHN GIRALDO LIZCANO, MICHAEL JOSEPH, PABLO MORENO PALACIOS, JENNY NEME NEIVA,
ANDRES PACHECO, ANGÉLICA RINCÓN ALONSO, JAIRO SUÁREZ, VLADIMIR TAMARA AND FABIÁN WILCHES
Research and analysis
JOHN GIRALDO LIZCANO, MICHAEL JOSEPH, JENNY NEME NEIVA, ARTURO ORREGO ECHEVERRIA, ANDRÉS PACHECO,
ANGELICA RINCÓN ALONSO AND JAIRO SUÁREZ.
Writing and Production
ROCÍO PAOLA NEME NEIVA

Graphic Design
Christian center for justice, peace and noNviolent action – justapaz

Av. Calle 32 No. 14-32, Bogotá, Colombia
www.justapaz.org • [email protected]
Index
Acknowledgement...............................................................................7 Chapter 2
Political Violence
Introduction..........................................................................................9
2010 CASES
A. Homicide..............................................................................33
Executive Summary..........................................................................11 B. Disappearance......................................................................43
C. Injury....................................................................................44
D. Attempted Murder................................................................46
E. Hostage Taking, Kidnapping.................................................48
F. Arbitrary Detention................................................................48
G. Displacement.......................................................................49
H. Collective Displacement.......................................................56
I. Human Shield......................................................................56
J. Religious Intolerance............................................................56
K. Threats..................................................................................57
L. Collective Threats.................................................................60
Chapter 1
Reading the Signs of the Times 2011 CASES
Colombian Context, Between Uribe and Santos A. Homicide..............................................................................60

B. Injury....................................................................................66
A. Keys for an Analysis of the Colombian Context.....................17 C. Torture..................................................................................67
B. 2010-2011: Human Rights..................................................19 D. Forced Recruitment..............................................................68
C. Armed Conflict? ...................................................................22 E. Forced Displacement...........................................................68
D. Victims and Land..................................................................24 F. Religious Intolerance............................................................72
G. Threats..................................................................................72
International Context and International Policy Towards H. Collective Threats.................................................................74
Colombia I. Illegal Means and Methods of Warfare..................................75
A. United States........................................................................25 CASES PRIOR TO 2010

B. Canada.................................................................................26 A. Homicide..............................................................................75
C. European Union....................................................................26 B. Injury....................................................................................81
C. Attempted Murder................................................................81
Religious Liberty in Colombia 1991-2011 D. Forced Recruitment..............................................................82
E. Arbitrary Detention................................................................83
A. Background on the Religious Liberty Law.............................27 F. Forced Displacement...........................................................84
B. The Religious Liberty Law and its Implementation................28 G. Collective Displacement.......................................................88
C. Problems in Exercising Religious Liberty..............................29 H. Threats..................................................................................88
Chapter 3 C. Women’s Ecumenical Peacebuilding Group.......................104
Statistical Analysis D. Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)....................................105
E. Peacebuilding through Music and Art at the Christ
2010 the Center Church ..............................................................107
F. The El Garzal Verification Commission, ....................................
Victim Demographics................................................................91 December 2011.................................................................108
Violations by Province................................................................93 G. Mampuján Marches for Life and Justice.............................110
Alleged Perpetrators and Types of Violations..............................93 H. Bread and Peace Campaign ..............................................111
Collective Victims......................................................................94
2011 Chapter 5
Recommendations
Victim Demographics................................................................95
Violations by Province................................................................97 A. Cease-fire and Negotiations Between Warring Factions .....115
Alleged Perpetrators and Types of Violations..............................97 B. Churches in Peacebuilding ................................................115
Collective Victims......................................................................98 C. Policies for Peace ..............................................................116
D. Respect for the Civilian Population in Conflict Zones .........116
E. Truth, Justice and Reparations for Victims .........................117
Chapter 4 F. Dismantle Paramilitary Groups...........................................117
Seeds of Hope G. Institutional Strengthening of the Colombian
Peacebuilding Proposals from Protestant and Government............................................................. 118
Evangelical churches H. Military and Anti-Narcotics Policies....................................118
A. Presbyterian Accompaniment Program..............................101

B. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia’s
Report to the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (CDESC)..............................................102 GLOSSARY OF TERMS....................................................................121
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank John Giraldo for his commitment, consistency and
work over the course of several years with the Research and Advocacy Pro-
gram of the Christian Center for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action –
JUSTAPAZ. His peacebuilding and human rights work is a testament of
hope and inspiration in the search for a more just, equal and united society.
INTRODUCTION
T his is the sixth and seventh annual report from the A Prophetic Call series, produced by the Research and Advocacy
Program of the Christian Center for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action – JUSTAPAZ and the Advocacy Program of the
Peace Commission of the Evangelical Council of Colombia – CEDECOL.
Report Methodology
Since 2004, thanks to the fieldwork of a team of highly qualified individuals, we have documented hundreds of cases of
human rights and International Humanitarian Law violations affecting individuals, families and communities of Protestant
and evangelical churches.
These regional teams, limited by human and financial resources, interview victims and their families, pastors and church
leaders as primary information sources. The results of this regional documentation are reported to the National Research and
Advocacy Team where the information is verified and, when possible, verified by secondary sources.
Cases are then entered into the SIVEL database (Online Political Violence Information System), and categorized according
to the type of violation and then published in annual reports. The categorization for human rights and IHL violations for A
Prophetic Call is based primarily on the CINEP (the Center for Research and Popular Education) framework that adopts
international categories for human rights and IHL violations.
The Research and Advocacy Program has complemented its documentation work by focusing on strengthening local
churches’ peacebuilding capacities, providing spiritual accompaniment and legal aid to victims and political advocacy.
All of the cases published in this edition of A Prophetic Call have received the consent of the victims and/or their family
members. To protect the identities of some victims, names have been changed and appear with an asterisk (*). All names
have been changed for minors.
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STRUCTURE
This report of A Prophetic Call consists of five chapters. Chapter One provides a contextual analysis of national and interna-
tional issues as well as an essay on the developments in religious liberty in Colombia since the 1991 Constitution.
Chapter Two reports the cases of human rights and IHL violations committed against Protestant and evangelical churches
throughout 2011, 2010 and those cases that occurred prior to 2010 and were not published in previous editions.
Chapter Three provides statistics for the cases occurring in 2010 and 2011, establishing the demographics of victims, their
geographic locations, identities of alleged perpetrators and the types of violations.
Chapter Four describes activities carried out by Protestant and evangelical churches that show the hard work and participa-
tion of churches in peacebuilding and seeking justice.
Chapter Five outlines the program’s recommendations for governments and armed groups.
We hope that this report of A Prophetic Call allows the voices of the victims of violence in Colombia to be heard.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
T he sixth and seventh report from the A Prophetic Call series is the result of a joint effort between the Research and Advo-
cacy Program of the Christian Center for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action – JUSTAPAZ and the Advocacy Program
of the Peace Commission of the Evangelical Council of Colombia – CEDECOL. This report contains a compilation of cases
of human rights and IHL violations occurring during 2010 and 2011.
In addition to the Justapaz and the CEDECOL Peace Commission team, we have invited several academic, religious and civil
society experts to contribute essays to this report adding to the analysis and understanding of Colombia.
International and Domestic Context Analysis1
A Prophetic Call 6/7 reports on, compiles and documents cases from regions where it maintains a presence. As such, it is
important to provide an analysis of the national and international contexts for the report as well as an essay on the develop-
ment of religious liberty in Colombia.
The Colombian national context in the transition from President Álvaro Uribe Vélez to President Juan Manuel Santos has
shown certain continuities, although Santos has made notable efforts to distance himself from his predecessor, particularly
in terms of relations with neighboring countries and human rights. President Santos has promoted a national platform of
Democratic Modernity, which focuses primarily on developing agricultural and mining industries. While this may indeed
reduce some of the incentives that drive illicit crop production, drug trafficking and kidnapping, it also causes internal
displacement.
1 This summary of the context analysis is taken from texts provided by Diego Pérez G., Rebecca Bartel and Pablo Moreno.
11
In social policies, the Santos administration has made several improvements, particularly in contrast with the “Democratic
Security” policies implemented by his predecessor. The Victims’ Law, the First Employment Law and the Fiscal Sustainabil-
ity Law, among others, make up part of a group of reforms that have undoubtedly helped Colombia improve its image. None-
theless, Colombia’s apparent prosperity is supported by the liberal economic model of protecting capital, controlling labor
and heavily favoring foreign investment. This economic model will not solve Colombia’s problem of high unemployment.
With regards to the international context, relations with the United States show tension in areas such as: the reduction in
military aid for Plan Colombia by 3%, the continuation of the eradication and fumigation program for illegal crops despite
evidence of its negative health effects on the civilian population, and the stagnation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA),
among others. Relations with Canada have also undergone changes. Most worthy of attention is the Canadian government’s
shift of focus from human rights to commercial pursuits and direct foreign investment in Colombia. Also questionable is
the imbalance in Canada’s investment in human rights, union rights and humanitarian aid that is low when compared to its
investments in mining and oil production.
Since 2007 the European Union has worked with Colombia on a strategic plan for peacebuilding. Because of this, aid
provided to Colombia centers primarily on peace, development, competitiveness and commerce. Nevertheless, Christian
Solidarity Worldwide has called upon the European Union (EU) to pressure the Colombian government on human rights
issues and urged the EU to not allow human rights to be eclipsed by economic interests.
As to the development of religious liberty in Colombia, the Political Constitution of 1991, resulting from the National Consti-
tutional Assembly, paved the way for the participation of Protestant and evangelical churches in the nation’s diverse politi-
cal landscape. Later, Law 133 of 1994 and Decree 782 of 1995 further defined the legal implications of the constitution,
grouping religious liberty and human rights together. The current legal framework shows that, in the 20 years following the
1991 Constitution, the problem has not been an absence of laws, but rather a lack of political will to effectively implement
those laws.
Religious liberty in Colombia is connected to the five-decade-old armed conflict, which has led to the victimization of
Protestant and evangelical churches through systematic violations of their rights to religious liberty and freedom of mobility,
among others. It is precisely in this context that the Research and Advocacy Program of JUSTAPAZ and the CEDECOL Peace
Commission have documented human rights and IHL violations committed against members of Protestant and evangelical
churches as a result of the internal armed conflict since 2005.
Quantitative Analysis
Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, we documented 68 cases of human rights and IHL violations committed
against pastors, church leaders and members of Protestant and evangelical churches in Colombia. 61 cases produced
224 human rights and IHL violations against individual and seven cases of collective violations affected approximately 581
12
people. Neo-paramilitary groups were allegedly responsible in 150 of the individual violations – 61% of the total violations
registered – followed by guerrilla groups with 35 violations, combatants with 18 violations and State armed forces with two
violations.
Seeds of Hope
The A Prophetic Call series of reports, while attempting to illustrate the human rights and IHL violations suffered by Prot-
estant and evangelical churches, also hopes to highlight the creative and nonviolent actions being taken by churches for
justice and peacebuilding. This prophetic work of Protestant and evangelical churches represents seeds of peace in the
midst of the Colombian conflict. Many projects are undertaken with scarce economic resources, but always with the desire
to serve the people and communities most excluded from society exemplifying the message of the kingdom of God and the
discipleship of Jesus.
Recommendations
In light of the human rights and IHL violations against Protestant and evangelical churches, the Research and Advocacy
Program makes a series of recommendations to the Colombian government, international governments and armed groups.
This report is a call to a ceasefire, to negotiations between the parties involved in the conflict, to the respect of the civilian
population caught in the midst of war and especially to the respect for religious liberty as well as the integration of Protestant
and evangelical churches in the political and social processes critical for building peace and justice.
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Photo by Anna Lee Stangl
C h a p t e r 1
Chapter 1
Reading the Signs of the Times
Colombian Context, Between Uribe and Santos1
A. Keys for an Analysis of the Colombian Context
A sensation and an imagination exist, widely shared in Colombian society, that the government of president Juan Manuel
Santos represents a substantial change in the direction of Colombia. The following are keys or ideas that help to better
understand this dynamic.
1. Beyond forms and styles of leadership of Uribe and Santos, there remains at the base of this new political context a
historic and persistent dispute between two models of society and the State. These models are amalgams of traits
of pre and post-modern societies and are argued for and against by the Colombian establishment - the political
elites. In no way does this struggle to implement one model or another mean that the rights of the vast majority,
the victims and the general population, will be better served, nor does it provide the structural transformation that
Colombia needs in order to move towards a real democracy and a peaceful society with social justice.
2. The Uribe government advocated reconfiguring, positioning and consolidating a neoliberal economic model fa-
voring the landowning class. This economic model led to a series of abuses that nonetheless enjoyed a level of
“political legitimacy” through the coexistence of traditional clientelist practices and modernized liberal economic
practices seen as mutually beneficial by both sides.
3. The current administration of President Juan Manual Santos advocates a project deemed “Democratic Modernity”
with an economic model focused on “High Competitiveness” centered on agro-industrial and mining development.
1 Article provided by Diego Pérez G., Social Thought and Action – PAS.
17
First, refreshing the political environment is urgently needed to allow the state institutions to recover and to reverse
the perverse dynamics generated by the Uribe administration such as the failed demobilization of the paramilitar-
ies, high levels of corruption, the de-institutionalization created by fights with the High Courts, the “para-politics,”
scandal, the DAS2 wiretaps, the Agro Ingreso Seguro scandal and “false positives,” among others.
4. The eight years of Uribe’s administration were spent in a conflict denied by his extreme ideological stubbornness; he
refused to acknowledge the existence of the conflict while making democratic security his political-ideological project.
Santos, from his inaugural speech to the present, has reiterated the possibility of political negotiations to end the armed
conflict with the insurgency, while formally recognizing the existence of the conflict and referring to peace.
Similarly, the FARC-EP and ELN guerrilla groups have made various public statements reiterating their openness to
dialogue and a negotiated end to the armed conflict.
Important civil society sectors working for peace have also offered proposals for a preliminary humanitarian agenda
that respects the rights of the civilian population and pushes a social agenda supportive of the structural transfor-
mations needed in Colombia. Through these efforts, peacebuilding social organizations, including churches, assert
and reclaim autonomy and their role as political subjects necessary to negotiate an end to the armed conflict and
build peace.
Important social movements such as the Congreso de los Pueblos, Marcha Patriótica, Minga Social y Comunitaria,
the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE), regional and national platforms of peacebuilders, hu-
man rights advocates, and women’s organizations, etc. have created spaces for debate, ideological exchange and
have come to agreements rejecting war and militarization, demanding humanitarian dialogues, calling on the gov-
ernment and the insurgency to make good on their words and begin negotiations, and pushed for building a social
agenda centered on political discussion, necessary changes and structures conducive to peace and social justice.3
Despite all of this, a serious concern remains. The administration’s mining policies in their current form could
reduce some of the support for armed conflict such as illicit crops, extortion and kidnapping, but could also create
new causes of forced displacement and a renewed desire for social and territorial control by illegal armed groups.
This focus on developing the mining industry is thus a contradiction of president Juan Manuel Santos’ stated goal
of achieving peace.
2 The now defunct Administrative Security Department, which reported directly to the executive branch.
3 Other examples also include the meeting of rural, Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities for land and peace (La Ruta es la Paz), held in Bar-
rancabermeja; the Congreso Extraordinario of the CRIC (Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca) in Toribío and its declaration to “end the war, defend
autonomy, reconstruct civilian goods and build peace” and the Congreso de los Pueblos: Land, Territory and Sovereignty conference held in early
October of 2011 in Cali.
18
5. Prosperity for all: the legislative agenda of reforms and the National Development Plan proposed by Santos in-
dicates that the President understands that maintaining his predecessor’s policy of democratic security requires
reforms to rebuild institutions and reestablish the rule of law.
Colombian congress discussed 326 legislative initiatives of diverse origin (governmental, parliamentary, popular
etc.) and issued 47 new laws.4 Several of the first laws to be approved, many of which were government initiatives,
share a common trait: they are structural reforms relating to longstanding debts owed by the congress to the nation.
In terms of economics, the Law of Fiscal Sustainability was approved,5 as well as the Law of First Employment 6
and a restructuring of the system of royalties and spending earmarks. These laws were designed to strengthen the
fiscal and economic capacity of the State to respond to social and political challenges faced by the government
on the one hand and to leverage equitable development throughout the nation on the other. As to social issues, the
Victims Law stands out as an attempt to offer material and symbolic reparations to the almost four million victims
created by the conflict since 1985.
In the area of politics, an anti-corruption statute was approved as an effort to increase punishment and reduce
incentives for corruption while also controlling the so-called “rotating door” between the public and private sector
and placing restrictions on financing political campaigns. Similarly, congress gave president Juan Manuel Santos
extraordinary authority to restructure government agencies by decree including splitting up various ministries and
liquidating inefficient agencies such as the National Institute of Transportation Concessions (INCO), the National
Narcotics Department (DNE) and the Administrative Security Department (DAS). This left the Ministry of Justice
with sole responsibility for State intelligence.
B. 2010-2011: Human Rights
1. The Colombian office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern in its 2010 report 7 over:
…the continuation of homicides, threats, attacks, information theft and intimidation against indi-
vidual and organized human rights defenders in different regions of Colombia. Among the victims
are leaders, community defenders, members of Community Action Groups8, Afro-Colombian and
4 See: http://www.congresovisible.org/proyectos-de-ley/#q=iniciativa--legislativa.
5 “Aprueban proyecto de sostenibilidad fiscal” (Fiscal sustainability project approved) El Espectador. See: http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/
politica/articulo-265393-advierte-proyecto-de-sostenibilidad-fiscal-entierra-constitucion. Accessed: September 2011.
6 “Ley de primer empleo fue aprobada en segundo debate”. (Law of First Employment approved in second debate) El Espectador. See: http://www.
elespectador.com/articulo-240445-ley-de-primer-empleo-fue-aprobada-segundo-debate. Accessed: September 2011.
7 Report of the UN High Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Colombia 2010. February 3, 2011. Numbers 7, 10, 11, 12
and 17.
8 Juntas de Acción Comunal
19
indigenous people, municipal employees, union members, personnel of the Human Rights Om-
budsman’s Early Warning System (SAT) and journalists. Responsibility for these acts has been
attributed to the State, members of demobilized groups and members of the FARC-EP and the
National Liberation Army (ELN).9
The situation was reiterated in the 2011 report10 and contrasts with the commitment to human rights assumed by
president Santos and recognized by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
President Santos expressed his commitment to human rights, emphasized the importance of so-
cial and economic rights and announced an ambitious land restitution policy, agreeing to maintain
social dialogue and the search for political consensus as the foundation of future actions.11
2. Violations against human rights defenders increased dramatically between January and June of 2011. One
hundred and forty-five of those cases involved attacks, threats, injury, arbitrary detention, forced disappearance and
the inappropriate use of the penal system. Twenty-nine human rights defenders were killed. Additionally, 65 social
organizations working with human rights were victims of some form of violation that complicated defending human
rights in addition to risking the lives and safety of their members.12
It is important to note a major paradox here. A constant characteristic of the Uribe government, reports of persistent
threats against non-governmental organizations by illegal armed groups and the selective assassination of impor-
tant human rights activists in different regions of the country were consistently stigmatized by various members of
the executive branch and, in many cases, by the president himself. The Santos government, on the contrary, has
shown itself to be open to dialogue and respectful of the role of human rights defenders. Nonetheless, his govern-
ment has been unable to stop violations, which have in fact increased during his first year in office,13 nor has his
administration implemented effective strategies to prevent and protect the work of human rights defenders.
3. “False Positives”: Twelve cases of “false positive” extrajudicial executions involving 23 victims were registered in
2010, bringing the cumulative total between 2001 and 2010 to 562 cases and 1,119 victims. The types of viola-
tions can be broken down into: 887 extrajudicial executions, 87 cases of torture (see case 144, 2005), 36 injured
9 Ibid.
10 Report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Colombia 2010. January 31, 2012. Numbers 14-22.
11 Ibid.
12 See: “+ Allá de las Cifras” (“Beyond the Numbers”), Report January-June of 2011, System of information on violations against human rights defend-
ers in Colombia. We Are Defenders Program.
13 According to a report by the We Are Defenders Program, individual violations against human rights defenders increased 126% from 2010 and 2011.
Between January and June of 2010, the System of Information reported 64 cases of attacks against defenders, while 145 cases were reported during
the same period in 2011. The report also identified 29 defenders and social leaders killed in 2011.
20
and 41 individual threats (see case 136, 2009). The years in which the most cases occurred were 2006, 2007 and
2008.14 Since the beginning of the Research and Advocacy Program we have documented cases of “false positives”
involving members of Protestant and evangelical churches every year.15
It’s worth mentioning that the alleged perpetrators for these acts are sometimes considered common criminals. On
other occasions, the acts resulted from operational errors by public forces. Moving jurisdiction for these crimes
from the military justice system to civilian courts would be a substantial improvement in stopping the practice, as
the Integrated Military Defense (DEMIL) represents an obstacle to effective investigations by pitting the combined
defense of the armed forces against individuals bringing cases against the military.
4. Violence against women continues to be a secondary subject in political policies in a nation with unacceptable lev-
els of impunity.16 Between 2001 and 2009, a total of 489,687 women were direct victims of sexual violence according
to the first survey on the prevalence of sexual violence in the armed conflict in Colombia17 (see case 79, 2011).
14 See: Special Report, “False Positives” 2010: Clamor for truth and justice,” Human rights and political violence database of the CINEP/PPP. Bogotá,
May 2011.
15 See: Case 5, 2010, Cases 99, 79 Edition 5; Case 11, Edition 4; Cases 14, 20, Edition 3; Case 9, Edition 2; Case 23, Edition 1.
16 The Justapaz database reports 111 violations against Christian women between 2010 and 2011 including (9) homicides, (2) tortures, (4) injured, (1)
sexual violence, (1) forced disappearance, (31) threats, (56) displacements, (1) forced recruitment of a minor (1) kidnapping (4) human shield and
(1) religious intolerance.
17 Rape and other violence campaign: “Keep my body out of the war.” OXFAM International.
21
5. Forced Displacement: the annual report of the Consultancy on Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES) states
that a total of 280,041 people were forcibly displaced in 201018 and in 2011 the total was 259,146.19 Some 32.7%
of this population (91,499 people) comes from areas in which the National Consolidation Plan is in effect.20 136
cases of displacement were recorded by the Justapaz and CEDECOL Peace Commission Research and Advocacy
Program between 2010 and 2011 (see cases 38 to 56 of 2010 and 91 to 100 of 2011).
It should be remembered that the National Consolidation Plan is part of the “Strategic Leap” designed by Presi-
dent Santos during his time as Minister of Defense with the goal of strengthening Centers for the Coordination of
Integrated Action (CCAI) in so-called consolidation zones. The plan targets 14 zones in seven regions totalling 86
municipalities in 17 provinces.
C. Armed Conflict?
1. Between 2002 and 2010, Colombia experienced the largest security effort in its history. The Democratic Security
policy spearheaded by President Álvaro Uribe sought to militarily defeat the guerrillas, thereby dramtically increas-
ing military spending and the size of the armed forces. Additionally, civilians were drawn into the conflict through
the creation of informant networks and the criminalization of sectors of civilian society, harassing and accusing
critics of these policies of being guerrilla sympathizers.
The Democratic Security policy made recovering territorial control and combatting the guerrilla primary objectives,
even as the President sought to negotiate with paramilitaries. The significant increase of manpower in the military is
evidence of these policies. In 2002, the year in which the Democratic Security policy was implemented, the Public
Forces were comprised of 203,283 members. By the end of August 2010, that number had increased by 25% to
267,629.21
2. Guerrilla groups continue to commit grave violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).22 Guerrilla groups,
particularly the FARC-EP, consistently violated the distinction principle23 throughout 2010 and 2011, resulting in
18 CODHES (February 2011). Consolidation of what? 2010 Report on displacement, armed conflict and human rights in Colombia.
19 CODHES (March 2012). Increasing displacement and the hidden humanitarian crisis.
20 Presidential Directive 01: Coordination of the national government to implement the National Plan for Territorial Consolidation, issued March 20, 2009
by president Uribe.
21 Document: Achievements of the Security and Defense Policy, Sectorial Studies Director, Ministry of Defense, August 2010.
22 The Justapaz database reports 52 violations allegedly committed by guerrilla groups against individuals and 470 acts against collective victims
between 2010 and 2011
23 Principle of International Humanitarian Law whereby belligerants must distinguish between civilians and combatants.
22
numerous dead and wounded civilians (see cases 12 and 59, 2010 and case 117, 2009).24 Minors continued to be
victimized by guerrilla groups in a generalized and systematic fashion (see case 132).25
3. Neo-paramilitary groups26: Today, despite the demobilization of the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colom-
bia), numerous groups exist which largely share the behaviors, goals and social, economic, political and territorial
control of the AUC.27 Their existence alone is not as worrisome as their ability to increase their size, territorial control
and military power. Numerous hypotheses exist to explain how these groups were allowed to appear or to strengthen
themselves after the AUC DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration) process.
Several analysts have pointed out that [neo-paramilitary groups] have managed to establish hegemony in some re-
gions by avoiding direct confrontation with the guerrilla and focusing on the victimization of the civilian population,
as is the case with the Rastrojos (see cases 14, 28 and 35, 2010). Military and police forces recognize the existence
of these groups: Los Paisas, Los Urabeños, The People’s Revolutionary Antiterrorist Army (ERPAC), Renacer, Los
Rastrojos and Los Machos.
24 Report of the UN High Commission on Human Rights regarding the situation of human rights in Colombia 2010. February 3, 2011.
25 See: http://www.coalico.org/publicaciones/informes.htm. Accessed: September 2010.
26 These are the post-demobilization illegal armed groups which have strengthened a strategy and a series of direct actions against the civilian popula-
tion. They are characterized by a reduced anti-insurgent rhetoric and increased illegal economic activity such as drug trafficking.
27 The Justapaz database reports that neo-paramilitary were responsible for 234 violations against members of Protestant and evangelical churches and
81violations against collective victims between 2010 and 2011.
23
D. Victims and Land
1. Victims’ rights, such as land restitution, will inevitably be subjugated by the development of the mining industry
even stunting the progress of the Victims and Land Restitution Law.28 Additionally the economic model could pro-
duce new and profound sources of displacement and violence.
CINEP researcher Vera Zamudio pointed out that the law was the first piece of Colombian legislation attempting to
provide reparations to victims. After the failed Justice and Peace Law, problems in the conception and implementa-
tion of Decree 1290 of 2008 regarding administrative reparations, and the weakness of Acción Social, the State was
in debt to victims as a whole. Nevertheless, the recognition of victims of State crimes is a meaningful step forward
towards uncovering the diverse armed actors responsible for violations in Colombia.
Nonetheless each positive development has its corresponding problems – some structural, some managerial – that
threaten the new law’s success. Worse still, many of these problems may actually worsen victims’ legal standing
and remove certain rights.29
2. Land restitution. The government program aspires to restore 2 million hectares of land to its original owners, a
laughable sum considering that the total area of land affected is closer to 6.5 million hectares. Even more concern-
ing is the state’s inability to guarantee the safety of those victims returning to their land.
Between 2002 and the first months of 2011, 44 land restitution leaders were assassinated. In the town of Costa de
Oro in the Córdoba province, where 1,854 hectares were restored to 58 families in June of 2008, five leaders were
killed and a lawyer for the victims was attacked. In Urabá, where a handful of restitution processes were initiated,
three farmers were killed and another attacked in 2010.30
Clearly, neo-paramilitary groups and the local and regional landowning elite are not predisposed to accept res-
titution claims or adjudications in the regions they control. If the government cannot manage to dismantle [neo-
paramilitary groups], parapolitics and powerful local and regional elites, the Victims and Land Restitution Law will
be threatened, as has been the case with every attempt at reparations in recent years.
28 Ariza, Felipe. (June 2011). “Presidente Santos Sancionó la ley de víctimas” (President Santos condones Victims Law) Revista Semana. Available at:
http://www.semana.com/nacion/presidente-santos-sanciono-ley-victimas/158208-3.aspx. Accessed: September 2011. Also at: www.presidencia.
gov.co.
29 Vera Zamudio, “La ley de víctimas al estrado” (The Victims Law on the table) in: Cien días vistos por CINEP/PPP (One hundred days witnessed by
CINEP/PPP) No. 73. Santos’ first year.
30 CODHES (February 2011). Consolidation of what? Report on displacement, armed conflict and human rights in Colombia in 2010.
24
It is unclear how Santos will incorporate land restitution into his policies and connect the issue with rural develop-
ment and the new Territorial Organizing Law31. It could even be said that his policies move away from the horizon of
a sustainable rural economy, as is evidenced by the focus on developing the mining industry.
International Context and International Policy Towards Colombia32
The transition between the administration of Álvaro Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos has significantly affected Colombia’s
international relations; with bordering countries as well as with the United States, the European Union and the broader
international community. Although the dialogue has clearly changed, particularly in terms of Colombia’s positioning in
international relations and the new presidency’s management of news media, there are points of continuity in security,
economy and defense policy.
A. United States
Since President Barack Obama arrived at the White House, United States policy towards Colombia has gradually changed
in both form and content, particularly with respect to the militaristic legacy of the preceding Bush administration. The June
2010 inauguration of Colombia’s new president, Juan Manuel Santos, also brought changes in the relationship between the
two countries, most of which appear to be positive.
In the 2010 budget, the US House of Representatives reduced the proportion of military aid provided by Plan Colombia by
3% as an effort to balance military and humanitarian assistance. In the 2011 budget, military support was reduced a further
8% leading to an almost equal distribution of financial aid for the military and anti-narcotics programs and humanitarian
and development programs. The Obama administration asked for $400 million for Colombia in the 2012 budget, 14% less
than in 2011.33
Perhaps the most controversial issue has been the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Colombia and the United
States. It is important to keep in mind that Colombia already benefitted from agreements such as the Andean Trade Promo-
tion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), which gave Colombia certain trade preferences. On December 31, 2010, the United
States Congress extended ATPDEA for an additional six months, and the free trade agreement was approved in 2011. Overall,
United States policy towards Colombia has shifted from a “strong hand” approach of military aid to neo-liberalization focus-
ing on direct foreign investment seeking increased economic influence.
31 Ley de Ordenamiento Territorial

32 By Rebecca Bartel, former Coordinator for Political Advocacy of the Mennonite Central Committee – Colombian Office.
33 June S. Beittel. (March 18, 2011). “Colombia: Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service Report RL32250.
25
B. Canada
Historically, Canadian policy on Colombia has focused on human rights, peace dialogues and humanitarian intervention.
However, since Stephen Harper became Prime Minister, the “human security” plan has shifted to an emphasis on com-
mercial pursuits and encouraging direct investment in Colombia.
The two governments signed a free trade agreement in January 2010, which was approved in the Canadian parliament that
June and in the Colombian Congress in March of 2011. The treaty involves two parallel agreements on the topics of labor
rights and the environment. As part of the treaty on human rights, both governments have agreed to conduct annual evalua-
tions regarding the effects of trade on human rights in both countries.34 On the other hand, critics of the trade agreement say
that such bilateral negotiations fail to reduce unemployment, improve quality of life, strengthen institutions and infrastruc-
ture, achieve higher levels of sustainable economic development, or lead to a political climate conducive to peace.35 Given
that the treaty offers no guarantee of food security nor of social security – particularly for the 64% of the rural population
living in poverty – the possibility of increased violence resulting from destabilizing local economies is not only real but
extremely concerning.
Furthermore, the vast majority of Canadian investment in Colombia goes to sectors such as mining, oil and the services
market, leaving relatively little resources for human rights, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding. There is also a lack of coher-
ence between the peacebuilding policies and programs of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the
massive influx of Canadian mining and oil companies.36 Without further legislation regulating the private sector with regards
to human rights, the political will to protect the wellbeing of the Colombian population, particularly those most vulnerable
and affected by the armed conflict, remains in question.
C. European Union
The European Union has been developing a strategic plan for relations with Colombia since 2007. Peacebuilding is a prior-
ity in this plan, which affects aid between the European Commission and Colombia.37 Beginning with emergency aid for
victims and peacebuilding at the local level, the plan looks forward to eventually building peace at the national level through
“Development for All,” which appears to be focused on establishing a free trade agreement between Colombia and the
European Union.
34 Canada-Colombia Relations, Ministry of the Exterior and International Commerce, Canadian Government (DFAIT), http://www.canadainternational.
gc.ca/colombia-colombie/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/canada_colombia-colombie.aspx
35 Lavoie-Evans, Emma. (May 2010). “Canada’s Free Trade Agreements with Latin America,” North-South Institute, Background paper prepared for
Dialogue on Canada-Latin American Economic Relations.: http://www.nsi-ins.ca/english/pdf/FTA%20backgrounder.pdf.
36 According to CODHES and the International Displacement Monitoring Center, the majority of those displaced in the country come from areas rich in
natural resources.
37 European Commission (March 2007) Colombia Country Strategy Paper, 2007-2013, (E/2007/484).
26
The European Union works with Colombia bilaterally as well as with the Andean Community and Latin America as a region.
A significant majority of aid arriving to Colombia from the European Union is meant for: 1) peace and stability, including
alternative development 2) establishing the rule of law, justice and human rights and 3) competitiveness and commerce.38
Despite the European Union’s positive policies in Colombia regarding human rights, humanitarian aid for the displaced
population and programs to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers, Christian Solidarity Worldwide suggests that greater
pressure could be placed on the Colombian government to ensure greater respect for human rights and the work of victims’
movements.39 The economic interests of the European Union should not overshadow the political pressure necessary to
ensure improved security conditions for human rights defenders and their organizations.
Religious Liberty in Colombia 1991-201140
A. Background on the Religious Liberty Law
Protestants first arrived in Colombia in 1845 with the establishment of the Baptist Church in San Andrés y Providencia
before establishing themselves in Bogotá in 1856 through the Presbyterian Church. Other churches such as the Evangelical
Missionary Union Church and the Christian and Missionary Alliance arrived at the beginning of the 20th century and col-
laborated with the previously established churches to create a space for religious expression other than the Catholic Church,
which had been the preeminent religious institution since the colonial era.
During the 1930s and 1940s, more and more Protestant churches were established until they were numerous enough to
create the Evangelical Confederation of Colombia (CEDEC41) in 1949. Protestants suffered during these years along with
other Colombians as a result of political violence that began to permeate various provinces and, in some cases was only
documented after the fact.42 Religious intolerance reached such extremes as the closure of some churches, the burning of
protestant schools and the forced displacement of whole families from the countryside to the city.
Protestantism was also transformed by the growth of Pentecostalism. The massive migration of the rural population to cities
during the 1960s helped the growth of Pentecostalism become the most significant religious dynamic of the time.43
38 Ibid.
39 Christian Solidarity Worldwide. (November 2010) “Briefing: Colombia, Religious Liberty and Freedom of Conscience”.
40 Article provided by Pablo Moreno, Rector of the Baptist University Foundation, Cali, Colombia.
41 Confederación Evangélica de Colombia
42 Goff, James. (1968). The Persecution of Protestant Christians in Colombia: 1948-1958, with an investigation of its background and causes. Cuer-
navaca, CIDOC, Sondeos No. 23.
43 Studies of Pentecostalism which cover these characteristics are the work of Jean Pierre Bastian, Protestantism and Latin American Modernity, Mexio:
Cultural Economic Fund, 1994 pp. 210-212 and Mauricio Beltrán (2007) “Why Pentecostalism is not Protestantism” pp. 476-485. Clemencia Tejeiro
and others, editors. Believe and be able today, Bogotá. Universidad Nacional.
27
Over the course of 20 years, Pentecostals became such a powerful force in the Protestant church that they formed an organi-
zation known as ASECOL, which later joined with CEDEC, founded in 1949, to become what is now known as the Evangelical
Council of Colombia (CEDECOL).
CEDECOL often discussed the presence of Protestants and evangelicals in society and their role in social conflicts and eco-
nomics. In the late 1980s, CEDECOL held an assembly to discuss, among other things, participation in the newly convened
Constitutional Assembly of 1991.
By that date, a new wave of churches known as independents, charismatics or neo-Pentecostals had arisen. These churches
began to differentiate themselves from historical Protestantism and Pentecostals in terms of their positions on participation
in politics. Neo-Pentecostals believed that politics were a new area for the church to “conquer” and began to mobilize their
members to participate in electoral conventions. One of the conventions created a confessional party to participate in the
Constitutional Assembly of 1991.
B. The Religious Liberty Law and its Implementation
The new Constitution resulting from the National Constitutional Assembly states in Article 19 that “Freedom of worship is
guaranteed. Every person has the right to freely profess his or her religion and express it individually or collectively. All
professed religions and churches are equally free under the law.” The law was supported by Liberals who saw it as a way to
add a touch of “modernity” to the new political landscape. The constitution still invoked “God’s protection” but ensured the
freedom to worship and affirmed that “all professed religions and churches are equal under the law.”
The nation’s charter also ensures freedom of religious education in Article 68 and the suspension of civil effects of Catholic
marriage in Article 42. Both changes marked a departure from the Catholic Church’s centuries-old role as the touchstone
of cultural cohesion. In effect, the 1991 Constitution opened the doors for various Protestant churches, coming in waves,
to burst onto society as never before. However, one final piece of legislation needed to be added to the law, which finally
arrived during the government of President Ernesto Samper Pizano. On May 12, 1995, President Samper, with the support of
Minister of Interior Horacio Serpa, signed Decree No. 782 that further regulated of the Religious Liberty Law.
Decree No. 782 of 1995 focused on the subject of legal status, and legal agreements, both public and private, between the
State and the churches. The law was well received because it should have allowed churches to take on new public roles in
an open and unrestricted fashion. However, reality has been quite different. It has not been possible to effectively implement
these agreements due to the lack of political will and the poor preparation of the personnel responsible for the carrying out
said agreements.
The first public agreement between the Colombian State and non-Catholic religious institutions was signed on December 2,
1997 and ratified February 19, 1998. The matters dealt with in the agreement were: the civil effects of non-Catholic religious
28
Photo by Michael Joseph
marriage, teaching, education and non-Catholic religious training, spiritual and pastoral assistance, general arrangements
for holding worship services in public places or State institutions, and a separate article stating that members of the Seventh
Day Adventist Church would not be forced to fulfill work, educational or other duties on their day of rest.
Legislation during the years following the ratification of the new constitution has included myriad laws, decrees, resolutions
and nationally applicable legal sentences regarding subjects such as religious liberty, the environment, education, marriage
and other topics pertinent to the freedoms bestowed on churches in these two decades. It seems therefore that the problem
lies not with a lack of laws, but rather a lack of proper implementation, political will to apply them, adequate preparation
by the churches in presenting viable projects and qualified personnel capable of overcoming the excuses often given by
relevant authorities.
C. Problems in Exercising Religious Liberty
Colombia has lived through an internal armed conflict for more than five decades, causing a serious humanitarian crisis
characterized by forced internal displacement, a lack of security in the general population and the systematic and ongoing
29
violation of human rights. In this context, church life has become particularly complicated, given that everyday conflicts,
political violence and the regional and local armed conflict have significant and distinct impacts on religious liberty. In other
words, Protestant and evangelical churches suffer the impact of the armed conflict as a sector of society in which religious
freedom has been seriously threatened or violated by different armed groups in multiple ways.
Since 2005, the Research and Advocacy Program of the Christian Mennonite Association for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent
Action (JUSTAPAZ) and the CEDECOL Peace Commission have documented human rights and International Humanitarian
Law (IHL) violations committed against pastors, leaders and individuals associated with Protestant and evangelical church-
es. This research effort also introduces the concept of religious intolerance in order to categorize, conceptualize and group
violations dealing specifically with the exercise of religious liberty. Acts of religious intolerance include attacks against the
freedom of worship and religion (protected by the constitution of 1991) and the individual and collective freedom of con-
science. Among such acts are the forced closures of churches and the victimization of the works carried out by members
of churches. In terms of International Humanitarian Law, infractions against free religious practice include attacks against
religious missions and attacks against cultural and religious goods.
30
C h a p t e r 2
31
Chapter 2
Political violence
H istorical memory has been a key element for Christians in better understanding their faith and social responsibilities as
bearers of hope. As a testimony to the impact of the Colombian armed conflict, this chapter provides evidence of the
human rights and IHL violations committed against Protestant and evangelical churches.
2010 CASES
A. HOMICIDE
CASE 1: Homicide CASE 2: Homicide, Torture
Victims: Marcela Quintero and Jader Vásquez, of Victims: José Félix, of the Baptist Church
the Mennonite Brethren Church Date: January 21, 2010
Date: January 14, 2010 Location: López, Cauca
Location: Medellín, Antioquia Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
José Félix, 46, was a professor, community leader, hu-
Jader, age 46, was married to Marcela, age 36. Jader man rights defender and a member of the La Gloria Baptist
worked at a dairy company and Marcela was a homemak- Church. José was assassinated, by alleged members of
er. They had three children: Laura, 18, Carlos*, 14 and the FARC-EP’s 29th Front, on January 21, 2010 at ap-
José*, 10. Both Jader and Marcela were active members proximately 3:00 p.m. in López, Cauca. José was in his
of the Mennonite Brethren Church in Medellín’s Salvador home when he was called to the door. When he opened it,
neighborhood. Jader and Marcela were killed on January he was shot and had a finger cut off, which was taken. A
14, 2010. After leaving Sunday worship, two men ap- bomb was placed in the school where José was a teacher.
proached Jader, Marcela, Carlos* and José* just three His role as a community leader and human rights defend-
blocks from the church. The men ordered the children to er could be a possible motive.
run away and killed Jader and Marcela. There were no wit-
nesses, and the motive is unknown.
33
CASE 3: Homicide, Torture CASE 5: Homicide
Victims: Milton Grueso Torres, of the Baptist Church Victims: Esteban Moreno*, of the Inter-American
Date: January 22, 2010 Church of Colombia
Location: López, Cauca Date: March 26, 2010
Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: National Police
Milton Grueso Torres, 42, was a fisherman, farmer, com-
munity leader and member of the La Gloria Baptist Church. Esteban* was 24 years old and attended the Inter-Amer-
Milton was killed, allegedly by a member of the FARC-EP, ican Church of Colombia with his family. A few months
on January 22, 2010 in the early morning. While he was before his murder, a policeman allegedly detained,
on his way to his house, he was approached by a guer- handcuffed and shot Esteban* in the foot. Despite the
rilla, who shot him, cut off his hand and took it with him. violation, Esteban* didn’t file a complaint against the
Presumably he was killed for being a community leader. police. At midnight on March 26, Esteban* was walk-
Both neo-paramilitary and guerrilla groups have a pres- ing home past a gym when a policeman (apparently a
ence in the area. squad commander), allegedly followed, detained and,
after making sure there were no witnesses, shot Este-
CASE 4: Homicide, Displacement ban* 13 times. The police later allegedly carried his
corpse to the station where they held it until noon the
Victims: Yaneth Ríos*, Ernesto Saavedra*, next day before turning it over to the coroner44. Strangely,
Camila*, Daniela* and Julián Ríos*, of the United the coroner found no bullets in any of the 13 wounds.
Pentecostal Church of Colombia
Date: February 2010 The following day, the police allegedly helped to pub-
Location: Valledupar, Cesar lish an article in the local newspaper claiming that alias
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown “El Mello” of the neo-paramilitary group Los Rastro-
jos had been killed. Esteban’s* family demanded that
Ernesto Saavedra*, 34, and Yaneth Ríos, 27, are a cou- the newspaper clear his name. In response, the police
ple and have two daughters, Camila*, 4, and Daniela*, claimed that they shot Esteban* because he refused to be
3. The family attended the United Pentecostal Church of searched. They also said that another man had accompa-
Colombia. In February of 2010, unidentified men killed nied him, a claim denied by sources close to Esteban*.
Yaneth’s* brother Julián* in Valledupar, Cesar, presum-
ably to settle a debt. His death caused the Saavedra-Ríos* A source reported that a month later the policeman went
family to flee to Maquencal, in the municipality of Agustín looking for Esteban’s* father in the church where he was
Codazzi, Cesar. The family had already been displaced pastor in order to explain their version of what had hap-
to Valledupar in 2004 due to threats from various legal
and illegal armed groups and the disappearance of one of
Yaneth’s* brothers (Case 95, Case 135). 44 Medicina Legal
34
pened. Esteban’s* father refused to listen to the police provided not just for his children, but also for his partner
officer, instructing him to talk with a lawyer instead. A and his mother. On April 4, 2010, Raúl* was on his way to
complaint has been filed. work (he had to walk through the mountains) when several
men approached him, took his money and documents and
CASE 6: Homicide killed him. The community claims that, “the people up in
the mountain killed him45.”
Victims: Ramiro Duarte*, of the Church of God
Guided by the Holy Spirit CASE 8: Homicide
Date: March 30, 2010
Location: Cáceres, Antioquia Victims: Viviana Saldarriaga*, of the Church of God
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Guided by the Holy Spirit
Date: April 7, 2010
Ramiro* was 57 years old and all of his friends called Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
him “el lechero” (the milkman) because he transported Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
milk from a small farm near Caucasia to the El Jardin
cheese factory. Along with his family, Ramiro* attended Viviana* was 15-years-old and a member of the Church of
the Church of God Guided by the Holy Spirit. Ramiro* and God Guided by the Holy Spirit. She was killed in Zaragoza,
his assistant were allegedly killed by members of the neo- Antioquia at approximately 8:00 p.m. on April 7, 2010 by
paramilitary group Los Rastrojos or Los Sebastianes. On neo-paramilitaries who allegedly shot her five times while
March 30, 2010, Ramiro* delivered milk to the La Pradera she sat on the sidewalk in front of her house on the out-
cheese factory and began to return home when members skirts of town. She died instantly. Witnesses claim that
of either the Los Rastrojos or the Los Sebastianes neo- the neo-paramilitaries shot her for being an informant. It
paramilitary group began firing at him. Ramiro* lost con- is believed that those responsible were members of a neo-
trol of the truck and, along with his 16-year-old assistant, paramilitary group fighting against Los Sebastianes.
drove off a cliff. Both men died. According to later ac-
counts, they were attacked by mistake. CASO 9: Homicide, Collective Threat, Illegal Means
and Methods of Warfare
CASE 7: Homicide
Victims: Julián Castillo and Esteban*, of an
Victims: Raúl Londoño*, of the Inter-American independent Christian church; Andrés Payares and
Church of Colombia Cristian Castillo, of the Inter-American Church of
Date: April 4, 2010 Colombia; and residents of El Palomar
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia Date: April 25, 2010
Raúl* was well-regarded in his community. He had seven

children and attended the Inter-American Church. Raúl 45 This is believed to be a reference to an armed group.
35
Location: Caucasia, Antioquia the police, but the threats that followed their complaints
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries forced them to flee. The motive and group responsible
have yet to be identified, but sources mention that pam-
Julián, 63, and Esteban*, 17, were members of an inde- phlets threatening marginal and stigmatized groups had
pendent Christian church, and Andrés, 23, and Cristian, been circulating in the town a few days earlier, suggesting
18, were members of the Inter-American Church of Co- that the killings may have been related.
lombia. They were all miners and fishermen in the region
of El Palomar, Caucasia, Antioquia. Presumed neo-para- CASE 11: Homicide, Threat, Displacement
militaries arrived at El Palomar on the night of April 25,
2010 and demanded that everyone convene on the soccer Victims: Luis Manuel Lázaro, Ana Helena Erazo,
field. After everyone was gathered, the town’s inhabitants Luis Darío Lázaro, Elton*, Francisca*, Roxana*,
were forced to their knees, interrogated and threated to be Carolina* and Asdrúbal*, of the Association of
killed if they did not help the neo-paramilitary group find Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
the houses of some people they were looking for. Later, Date: June 1, 2010
the presumed neo-paramilitaries went to Julian’s house Location: Montelíbano, Córdoba
where they found him, Andrés, Cristian and Esteban* and Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
killed them. The armed men also fired on, and damaged,
the boat that the community used for transportation. Luis Manuel Lázaro, 46, worked on a small dairy farm and
pastored a local church of the Association of Evangelical
CASE 10: Homicide, Collective Displacement, Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). He was married to Ana
Collective Threat Helena Erazo, 33, with whom he had six children: Luis
Darío Lázaro, 18, Elton*, 16, Francisca*, 15, Roxana*,
Victims: Diego Sánchez* and his family, of 12, Carolina*, 10, and Asdrúbal*, 7.
the Association of Evangelical Churches of the
Caribbean (AIEC) At 7:20 p.m. on June 1, 2010, five armed men allegedly
Date: May 31, 2010 from the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group arrived at
Location: La Apartada, Córdoba pastor Luís Manuel’s house while he was there with three
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown of his oldest children and demanded that he come out-
side. The men assaulted Luis Manuel and took him behind
Diego* was a 31-year-old single, indigenous independent a small hill from which several rounds of gunshots could
laborer and a member of the Jesus My Best Friend Church be heard. Five minutes later, witnesses report that “every-
of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Carib- thing was completely silent.”
bean (AIEC). Diego* was killed in La Apartada, Córdoba
on May 31, 2010, presumably by an unidentified illegal Pastor Luis Manuel was shot 20 times, dying instantly. Days
armed group. His family was later forced to leave the area. later, his wife Ana Helena Erazo and their children received
A group of armed men entered Diego’s* house and shot threatening phone calls and text messages warning that
him and a friend. Diego’s* family filed a complaint with they would all be killed if they refused to leave the area. As
36
such, Ana Helena and their six children were forced to flee CASE 13: Homicide, Threats, Extortion, Illegal Means
to another town and she became severely depressed. and Methods of Warfare
The family lived in an area caught in a dispute between the Victims: Roberto Gómez*, Eliana Vargas*, Viviana*
neo-paramilitary groups Águilas Negras and Los Paisas, and Alberto*, of the Inter-American Church of
to whom pastor Luis Manuel had witnessed. It is believed Colombia
that the Águilas Negras had begun to threaten Pastor Luis Date: June 2, 2010
Manuel asking for information regarding the meeting plac- Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
es of Los Paisas a few months before his murder. Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
Pastor Luis Manuel had expressed to his family his con- Roberto Gómez*, and his family were members of the
cern that one of the groups with a presence in the area El Sinaí Inter-American Church of Zaragoza. Roberto*
could kill him at any moment given that they constantly worked as a farmer and owned two small farms with gold
demanded information from him regarding the people he mines and cattle. One farm was in the El Limón communi-
preached to – demands that he always refused. ty and the other in the El Naranjo community in Zaragoza,
Antioquia. He also owned a backhoe that he used for gold
CASE 12: Homicide, Torture mining. On June 2, 2010, guerrillas were waiting for him
when he arrived at one farm from the other. They killed
Victims: Wilson Bustamante and Silvia Bustamante, him and took the backhoe and the rest of his livelihood,
of the Wesleyan Church leaving his family with no means of support.
Date: June 2010
Location: Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia One of Roberto’s* oldest children tried to warn him that
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries the guerrilla were looking for him, but couldn’t get in
touch with him in time. The guerrilla had extorted gold
Wilson Bustamante, 18, was the son of Silvia Bustamante, and cattle from Roberto* for a long time, but he grew tired
both of whom attended the Wesleyan Church. Wilson was of it and decided to stop paying in March of 2005. The
killed in June of 2010 and Silvia was forcibly displaced by armed group responsible for Roberto’s* murder currently
presumed neo-paramilitaries. Wilson had been recruited controls one of the farms, but Roberto’s family has not
at age 12 and entered into the demobilization process as filed a complaint due to fear of possible repercussions.
he no longer wanted to continue being part of the group. A
woman pretending to want to join the church arrived at the CASE 14: Homicide
Wesleyan Church where Wilson’s mother worshipped. In
reality, the woman only wanted to get closer to Wilson in Victims: Gustavo Prieto* and his colleague, of the
order to turn him over to a neo-paramilitary group led by Church of God Guided by the Holy Spirit
Ramón Isaza. Wilson disappeared and was killed in June Date: July 10, 2010
of 2010. His family managed to recover his corpse, which Location: Caucasia, Antioquia
showed signs of torture. Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
37
Gustavo*, 28, was married with two children and attended Teresa* was later informed that Mauricio’s* murder was
the Church of God Guided by the Holy Spirit with his fam- due to bad information and that nothing would happen to
ily. Alleged members of the neo-paramilitary group Los her son. She filed a complaint with the Human Rights Om-
Rastrojos killed him in Caucasia, Antioquia, on June 10, budsman’s Office; but claims that the representative tried
2010. Gustavo* had worked for four months in a gas sta- to silence her and argue that the Justice and Peace Law
tion when, several men presumably with ties to Los Ras- did not cover her case since Los Rastrojos were common
trojos arrived in vehicles at his workplace. When Gustavo* criminals rather than a paramilitary group.
got up to attend to them, the men shot him. They also
shot a woman who worked with him when she came out- CASE 16: Homicide, Injury
side. While the motive for the killings remains unclear,
Los Rastrojos extort money from companies in Caucasia. Victims: Rigoberto Soler*, of the United
Gustavo’s* death could be related. Pentecostal Church of Colombia
Date: July 13, 2010
CASE 15: Homicide, Threat Location: Cali, Valle del Cauca
Victims: Mauricio Soler* and son, of the Inter-
American Church of Colombia Rigoberto*, 28, was a single volunteer soccer coach and
Date: July 12, 2010 community leader who occasionally worked as a con-
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia struction assistant and attended the United Pentecostal
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Church of Colombia. He was killed on June 13, 2010 at
approximately 2:00 p.m. in Cali, Valle del Cauca. He was
Mauricio*, 39, and his wife Teresa were both leaders in the shot by armed men while having a conversation with his
Inter-American Church of Colombia. Mauricio was also an girlfriend. Another woman was also injured. Rigoberto*
air conditioning technician in Zaragoza, Antioquia. A man had to leave Zaragoza, Antioquia to live in Cali in 2008
arrived asking Mauricio* to fix the air conditioning units of after refusing to join an armed group.
some apartments on July 12, 2010. Mauricio* agreed, ex-
plaining his fees for the service, unaware that the man was CASE 17: Homicide, Torture
allegedly the leader of the Los Rastrojos neo-paramilitary
group. When he had finished the job and went to collect Victims: Ever Manuel Miranda, of the Association of
his payment, the presumed neo-paramilitary leader said Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
that he would not pay and ordered his assassins to kill Date: August 14, 2010
Mauricio*. Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
On June 12, at 9:00 a.m. Mauricio* was shot by an alleged
neo-paramilitary while drinking coffee at a restaurant. That Ever Manuel Miranda, 22, was married and had a daughter.
same day, Teresa* had learned that the leader of Los Ras- He was a farmer and a member of the God is Love Church
trojos had also ordered the murder of her 19-year-old son. of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Carib-
38
bean (AIEC). Alleged members of the neo-paramilitary CASE 19: Homicide
group Águilas Negras killed Ever Manuel on August 14,
2010. While heading to the village of La Rica in his home- Victims: Miguel Ángel, of the Foursquare Church
town of Puerto Libertador, Córdoba with his mother-in-law Date: September 4, 2010
to buy some plants, armed men rode up on motorcycles Location: Caucasia, Antioquia
and took him. They later forced him to dig his own grave, Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
threw acid on his face and killed him. It is presumed that
the armed men wanted to steal Ever’s land. His father had Miguel Ángel, 28 and his wife Marina, 22, had a 2-year-
been killed several years earlier. old baby and both participated in the praise group of the
Foursquare Church in Caucasia, Antioquia. The worship
CASE 18: Homicide, Displacement service started early on September 4, 2010 and, while
Miguel and Marina were singing praise songs, a man en-
Victims: Marcelo Gordillo*, Martha Sánchez* and tered and shot Miguel Ángel, who died immediately. The
their three children, of the Inter-American Church of shooting caused tremendous confusion and fear in the
Colombia congregation. Although the church’s pastor doesn’t know
Date: August 30, 2010 why Miguel Ángel was killed, he believes neo-paramili-
Location: Villavicencio, Meta taries were responsible and notes that fear remains in the
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries community despite the solidarity of churches in the area.
Marcelo*, 32, was married and attended the Inter-American CASE 20: Homicide, Torture, Injury, Threats,
Church with his family. He disappeared from Villavicen- Displacement, Illegal Means and Methods of Warfare
cio, Meta on August 30, 2010 and was later found dead.
Neo-paramilitaries are the alleged perpetrators. Marcelo* Victims: Pablo Gómez*, Dora Restrepo* and one
and his brother had worked on construction projects in of Pablo’s* brothers, of the Inter-American Church
Villavicencio since 2002 and were familiar with the area. of Colombia; Antonio Flecha*, of the Mennonite
He called his family to let them know that he had decided Brethren Church; Miguel Ángel, of the Foursquare
to return home, but that was the last they heard from him. Church
Marcelo’s* brother was able to confirm that he had taken a Date: September 23, 2010
bus and slept in a hotel but never arrived at his destination. Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries and
A woman later informed him that presumed paramilitar- National Police
ies had taken a man from a bus. Marcelo’s* body was
found several days later in the river. His wife and children Pablo* was a 56-year-old Christian farmer who attended
had to flee their home as a result. It is believed that neo- the Inter-American Church of Colombia along with his
paramilitaries had been extorting money from Marcelo* family. Pablo* was killed on September 23, 2010, pre-
and his brother, who decided to stop paying, leading to sumably by the neo-paramilitary group Los Urabeños in
his murder. Zaragoza, Antioquia.
39
Hoping to start a better life, Pablo* had moved to a small CASE 21: Homicide
farm with sheds, planted fields and a small house where
he lived alone near the aqueduct in Zaragoza. Pablo* Victims: Alcira Díaz and Ubaldo, of the Foursquare
was visited by several different neo-paramilitary groups, Church
including Los Rastrojos, Los Urabeños, Los Paisas and Date: October 2010
Los Gaitanistas, who threatened him and interrogated him Location: Montelíbano, Córdoba
about the other groups that had previously stopped by. Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
On September 23, Los Urabeños arrived at his farm de- Alcira Díaz and her husband Ubaldo had two children and
manding that he give them information about the groups were active members of the Foursquare Church, where
that had passed by his home. When Pablo* explained they worked to support and restore struggling churches.
that he didn’t know anything about the other groups, they While they were traveling from their small farm in the
pulled him out of his house and killed him. Afterwards, Córdoba province to Caucasia, Antioquia in early October
the men called Pablo’s* brother, told him that Pablo* was 2010, an unidentified armed group killed them without
dead, and demanded that the brother pay them 500,000 warning or clear motive. Close sources suggest that the
pesos monthly in addition to giving them cell phones and couple may have been victims of extortion. Alcira had for-
SIM cards or they would kill him too. merly been a political activist, but distanced herself from
that work several years prior.
Los Urabeños neo-paramilitaries took control of the
farm and Pablo’s* family had to abandon the land as CASE 22: Homicide, Displacement
the group controlled the area and held meetings there.
As of the date of publication, no formal complaint had Victims: Johan Niño Mesa, José Niño Mesa, Mery
been filed by the family or the community for fear of the Mesa and Miguel Niño, of the Inter-American
consequences. According to locals, a 2011 firefight be- Church of Colombia
tween the National Police and neo-paramilitaries burned Date: October 24, 2010
Pablo’s* land and sheds. Location: El Bagre, Antioquia
Pablo’s* farm is located in an area known as La Tempera-
tura, prized amongst neo-paramilitary groups for its stra- José Niño Mesa, the son of Miguel Niño, 70, and Mery
tegic location near the mountain pass for the aqueduct Mesa, 55, was a 24-year-old student and assistant auto
and a nearby radio antenna. Neo-paramilitary groups in- mechanic. José and his parents were members of the
cluding Los Rastrojos, Los Urabeños, Los Paisas and Los Inter-American Church of Colombia. José and his brother
Gaitanistas have fought over the territory. Johan were killed in El Bagre, Antioquia, allegedly by
members of the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group.
José and Johan’s parents were forced to displace. Johan
40
was killed on October 24, 2010, apparently because it was CASE 24: Homicide
thought that he was a member of the Águilas Negras and
had possession of some money belonging to the group. Victims: Geider Landero Chica, of the Association
José was later accused by the same group for having their of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
money, the likely motive for his murder. He was shot while Date: November 1, 2010
in his car. Miguel and Mery reported that their son José Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba
was being extorted and threatened. Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
CASE CASO 23: Homicide Geider Landero Chica, 21, was the second of five broth-
ers and worked in informal mining. He attended the Elín
Victims: Carlos Farith Borja Mosquera, of the Church, of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the
Mennonite Brethren Church Caribbean (AIEC). Geider was murdered, allegedly by the
Date: October 26, 2010 Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group, on November 1,
Location: Istmina, Chocó 2010 in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba. On the day of his
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries murder, Geider was returning to his house in the Ramón
Rubio neighborhood from the village of La Piedra, where
Carlos Farith Borja Mosquera was an 18-year-old student, he had worked for a week mining for gold. He was travel-
motorcycle taxi driver, and member of the Mennonite ling by mototaxi when armed men grabbed both Geider
Brethren Church. He was killed on October 26, 2010 at and the motorcycle driver and killed them both in an area
7:30 a.m. allegedly by a member of the Los Rastrojos known as El Terminal.
neo-paramilitary group in the El Salto region of Istmina,
Chocó. Carlos had transported a passenger to a mine out- Geider had not been previously threatened. According to
side of town early in the morning and was stopped and accounts from local residents, the armed men killed the
shot on his way back. mototaxi driver first and made a phone call to decide what
to do with Geider. Illegal armed groups have a presence in
His murder was likely related to a recent argument be- the area and are known to be involved with drug trafficking
tween Carlos and a tenant over unpaid rent. The tenant was and extortion.
part of the Los Rastrojos neo-paramilitary group. There
were apparently no previous threats or attacks against CASE 25: Homicide
Carlos or other members of his family. Carlos lived in the
La Pepé neighborhood, which is completely controlled Victim: Leonardo Mosquera*, of the Inter-American
by the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group. The mu- Church of Colombia
nicipality of Istmina is disputed territory amongst illegal Date: November 10, 2010
armed groups. Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
41
Leonardo* was 25 years old and worked in mining along CASE 27: Homicide, Torture
with his mother and brother, with whom he lived. They
were all members of the Inter-American Church of Co- Victims: Melkin Antonio Salas Cuesta and Alex Jeison
lombia. In the early morning of November 10, Leonardo* Cuesta Cuesta, of the Missionary Union Church
was in the Las Canoas port when two men arrived, one of Date: December 2010
whom was a presumed neo-paramilitary member. Leon- Location: Vigía del Fuerte, Antioquia
ardo* realized that they were going to kill him and ran Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
away, but the neo-paramilitaries chased him and killed
him. There are different hypotheses as to why Leonardo* Melkin Antonio Salas Cuesta, 20, and Alex Jeison Cuesta
was killed. Possible motives are territorial control or that Cuesta, 18, were students, farmers and members of the
he was a consumer of marijuana or a miner, an industry Missionary Union Church. The FARC-EP guerrilla group
that neo-paramilitary groups want to control. allegedly killed them in December 2010. Melkin and Alex
were recruited by the armed group but expressed that they
CASE 26: Homicide did not want to join. No more than three months after their
recruitment, their family was informed that they had been
Victims: Orlando Andrade Martínez, of the Inter- tortured and killed. Their bodies were never returned. One
American Church of Colombia of Melkin Salas’s brothers was tortured and killed in 2000
Date: November 25, 2010 for similar reasons.
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: Zaragoza, Antioquia Illegal armed groups have maintained a presence in the
area for more than 20 years. Forced recruitment of men,
Orlando Andrade Martínez, 25, worked in informal mining women and children has been a constant problem.
and lived with his mother and his brother, Humberto, all
of whom attended the Inter-American Church of Colombia. CASE 28: Homicide, Illegal Means and Methods
Orlando was killed by alleged neo-paramilitaries in the of Warfare
early morning of November 25, 2010 in Zaragoza, Antio-
quia. Orlando was in the port when he saw two men begin Victim: Andrés Pardo*, of the Association of
following him. They chased him through the whole town Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
until they caught him and killed him. Orlando’s mother Date: December 7, 2010
suggests that neo-paramilitaries must be responsible be- Location: El Bagre, Antioquia
cause her son was a consumer of psychoactive substanc- Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
es and worked in mines controlled by neo-paramilitary
groups. Four months later, one of Orlando’s brothers was Andrés*, 18, was a student and a member of a church of
killed and another was forced to flee as a refugee (Case the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
75, Case 96). (AIEC). Presumed members of a neo-paramilitary group
42
killed Andrés* on December 7 in Antioquia after resisting The area has been plagued by extortion, originally from
attempts of recruitment since he was 14 years old (Case the ELN and later from various neo-paramilitary groups
131). The attempts to recruit Andrés* caused his parents a including Los Urabeños, Águilas Negras, Los Rastrojos
great deal of fear, but they never reported the situation to au- and Los Paisas.
thorities as they were concerned about possible retaliation.
B. DISAPPEARANCE
On the day of his death, neo-paramilitaries demanded that
Andrés* come to El Real, in the municipality of El Bagre, CASE 30: Disappearance
Antioquia. When he arrived, they took his cell phone and
shoes and shot him in the back and the head. His murder Victim: Marisol Perea*, of the Association of
was reported to the Attorney General’s Office. Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
Date: November 27, 2010
The neo-paramilitary group with an established presence Location: El Bagre, Antioquia
in the area uses young boys and girls as messengers, Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
drug runners and extorters, giving them money and mo-
torcycles in exchange. Marisol*, 18, was the niece of Daniela Perea*, with whom
she attended a church of the Association of Evangelical
CASE 29: Homicide, Death Threats, Extortion, Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). Since she was a young
Forced Displacement girl, presumed neo-paramilitary groups had tried to recruit
Marisol* (Case 130). She disappeared from El Bagre, An-
Victim: Orlando Ortiz*, of the Inter-American Church of tioquia on November 27, 2010 when she left her house
Colombia on the way to church around 1:00 p.m. She was never
Date: December 31, 2010 seen again.
Location: Bello, Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Her grandmother searched for her everywhere, asking fam-
ily members from other regions if they had heard from Mari-
Orlando*, 54, was married and had a son and two step- sol*. Marisol* was friends with a woman who apparently
daughters. He worked as a miner and was the owner of a helped recruit young girls for a neo-paramilitary group. The
pharmacy in Zaragoza, Antioquia. Orlando* was killed by woman was close to many of the group’s members. An-
presumed members of the Los Urabeños neo-paramilitary other woman, also presumably part of a neo-paramilitary
group on December 31, 2010 in Niquía, in the munici- group, claimed that Marisol* had been killed in a crossfire
pality of Bello, Antioquia for refusing to pay an extortion. during a massacre in Puerto López, Antioquia. Given that
Orlando* had already been forced to flee to Niquía from the account cannot be confirmed, Marisol’s* grandmother
Zaragoza after being attacked by the same group that had prefers to consider her missing.
killed his brother-in-law William*.
43
C. INJURY er. The churches are disappearing, and there is so much
pain and sadness for what is going on. Many stay in the
CASE 31: Injury, Death Threats, Displacement area because they don’t know where else to go, but they
are under constant pressure from the groups,” reports
Victim: Emilio Munevar*, Amelia Miranda* and Emilio*. The couple also mentioned that several families
Rodrigo*, of the Association of Evangelical Churches of slept in a single room because they were too afraid to stay
the Caribbean (AIEC) in their own homes.
Date: February 12, 2010
Location: Caucasia, Antioquia The above events were formally reported in Medellín on
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries March 15, 2010 and the family sought help from the At-
tention and Orientation Unit (UAO) for the displaced popu-
Emilio* was a pastor and was married to Amelia*, with lation in order to be included in their registry and receive
whom he had three children. Rodrigo* was the youngest humanitarian aid. However, the Unit has been slow to pro-
child. On February 12, 2010, Emilio, his wife and their vide help, demanding excessive paperwork and placing
youngest child were returning to Caucasia from the village the family at unnecessary risk.
of Costa Rica by motorcycle. At approximately 6:30 p.m.,
at a location known as El Basurero between the villages CASE 32: Torture, Injury, Death Threats, Collective
of Campo Alegre and Las Margaritas, two armed men Threats
presumably from the Los Paisas neo-paramilitary group
began shooting at them. Victims: María Magdalena Zúñiga Zúñiga, and Antonio,
of the Mennonite Church of Colombia
The pastor was wounded in his left arm and was grazed Date: August 1, 2010
by several bullets, but his wife and son were not hurt. He Location: Bogotá
was treated for three days in a hospital, during which time Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
several men, allegedly from the National Police, arrived to
tell him that he could no longer live in that town. Antonio and Magdalena attend the Mennonite Church in
Bogotá. They were attacked and threatened in Bogotá at ap-
The family hid themselves in their home for 15 days, afraid proximately 8:00 a.m. on August 1, 2010 by a group of six
to be seen on the street. On March 3, Emilio* and his family hooded men who identified themselves as paramilitaries
were forced to displace, traveling to another town and leav- from the AUC. The men intercepted Magdalena and Antonio
ing behind all of their belongings. The couple believes that when they were going to have coffee while waiting for the
Los Paisas neo-paramilitaries attacked them due to the fact watchman of the project where they had worked until 2009.
that the group has a known presence in the area, in which
other groups also maintain control over certain zones. The hooded men fiercely attacked Magdalena and Antonio
while telling them not to return to the neighborhood. They
“If anyone left one part of town for another, one of the told Antonio that “they didn’t understand how he survived
groups would think they were being informants for anoth- the last time, because they had left him bleeding black
44
blood.” At the suggestion of the coroner’s office, Mag- Olga Díaz, 52, was a widow and the mother of five chil-
dalena made a formal complaint of the attack to Attorney dren. She lived in the countryside and attended the Dios
General’s office on September 3. To date, nothing concrete es Amor Church of the Association of Evangelical Church-
has come from the complaint and, to the contrary, they have es of the Caribbean (AIEC). Olga was injured, threatened
implied to Magdalena that she is wasting her time. and forced to flee by presumed members of the Águilas
Negras neo-paramilitary group in Puerto Libertador, Cór-
Towards the end of November, Magdalena expressed that doba on August 22, 2010. She was the owner of a small
she still suffered pain and complications resulting from farm and decided to rent out the land to a man from the
the blows to her stomach. Magdalena and Antonio were region that wanted to mine for gold. During the first year,
part of a cooperative organized by the Minuto de Dios Cor- the man paid her, but he later refused and threatened her
poration and had worked on a project raising snails in the with the support of neo-paramilitaries.
Sierra Morena neighborhood of the Ciudad Bolívar locality
in the southern part of Bogotá. After she attempted to charge him rent again, men arrived
at Olga’s house and assaulted her, threatening her with
In 2009, the cooperative began to receive threats from pre- firearms and ordering her to leave her land. A few days
sumed neo-paramilitaries accusing them of being guerril- later, men arrived on motorcycle and took her to an en-
las or training guerrillas, even though guerrilla groups had campment where she was held for two days. The man who
displaced all of the members of the group. As time went had rented her land was at the encampment and asked that
by, the 30 families that made up the group gradually dis- she be killed.
tanced themselves until only seven remained. Given the
dwindling numbers and continuing threats, the leaders of When they tried to kill Olga, the gun didn’t fire and they
the project decided to end it. decided to let her go. The next day, they arrived at her
house and informed her that she had an hour and a half to
Neo-paramilitary control in the Sierra Morena neighbor- leave the region. She was displaced along with her chil-
hood is readily apparent and the presumed neo-paramil- dren and lost her land.
itaries were able to identify Magdalena and Antonio even
months after they had last been involved with the project. CASE 34: Injury, Death Threat
The lack of progress in the Attorney General’s investiga-
tion allows paramilitary control to continue. Victims: Rodrigo Arandía* and Danis Gómez*, of the
Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
CASE 33: Injury, Death Threats, Displacement (AIEC)
Victims: Olga Díaz and children, of the Association of Location: La Apartada, Córdoba
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
Date: August 22, 2010
Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba Rodrigo*, 50, is married to Danis Guerra*, and they have
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old. Rodrigo* was the pastor of
45
the Principe de Paz Church, of the Association of Evan- harmed. In addition to the attacks, men took photos of her
gelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) for 12 years. On children in front of their house in June.
November 20, 2010, Rodrigo* was injured by two men,
allegedly Águilas Negras neo-paramilitaries but dressed In July, Milena* received threatening phone calls. Mile-
as civilians, in La Apartada, Córdoba. He was shot while na’s* first husband and his brothers were killed in a mas-
riding on a motorcycle with his wife and was injured in his sacre committed by the FARC-EP in 1989, forcing the
right arm. Seeing the men in the road, the pastor decided family to displace. Years later, presumed neo-paramilitar-
not to stop as he had heard that most people who stopped ies began to follow and threaten Milena* and her family.
in the area were robbed. As he was injured, Rodrigo* went
to the hospital. CASE 36: Attempted Murder, Death Threat,
Displacement
The National Police arrived at the hospital to investigate
since Rodrigo* had been shot, but he decided not to of- Victims: Gertrudis Muñoz*, Jeison Londoño*
ficially file a report as he knew that doing so could be and Tatiana Londoño*, of the Mennonite Church
dangerous. Afterwards, at the suggestion of his church, Date: March 4, 2010
Rodrigo* didn’t return to his community for security rea- Location: Bogotá
sons. He has had to work as a mototaxi driver. Sources Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries,
have confirmed the presence of the Águilas Negras, Los National Army
Paisas and other paramilitary groups in the region.
Gertrudis Muñoz* is a 38-year-old widowed mother of
D. ATTEMPTED MURDER two: Jeison Londoño*, 10, and Tatiana Londoño*, 8. On
March 4, 2010, Gertrudis* received a phone call threaten-
CASE 35: Attempted Murder, Threat ing her if she didn’t leave her home in the south of Bogotá
within 72 hours. On June 9 she was violently attacked.
Victims: Milena Reyes*, Paula Rojas Reyes*, After the threats, Gertrudis* stayed locked in her home
Pedro Rojas Reyes* and Daniel Rojas Reyes*, with her children as she didn’t have the money to look
of the Mennonite Church for an apartment elsewhere. Eventually, Gertrudis* worked
Date: January 2010 up the courage to formally report what had happened to
Location: Bogotá the Attorney General’s office, bringing a written account
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries of the events which had occurred and reluctantly leaving
her children alone at home. On May 10, 2010, Gertrudis*
Milena*, 38, cares for her three children: Paula*, 24, managed to move to a different area with the help of the
Pedro*, 23 and Daniel*, 13. Milena* and her family are Mennonite Church and began to work selling jewelry.
members of the Mennonite Church. Alleged neo-paramil-
itaries tried to kill her oldest son, Pedro*, in Bogotá in That same month, Gertrudis* returned to the Attorney
January of 2010. Later, in June, her daughter Paula* was General’s office where she was interviewed by a public
also attacked at gunpoint. Both survived the attacks un- prosecutor dealing with the Justice and Peace Law. She
46
asked, “If the paramilitaries have been demobilized, why She went to the Attorney General’s office the next day to
do they continue to threaten me?” The prosecutor re- report the attack. Finally, the Attorney General’s office re-
sponded that “there are some delicate issues dealing with quested the National Police protect Gertrudis* and her fam-
the participation of members of the military.” ily. On June 10 at 4:45 p.m., the police arrived and took the
family to a seedy hotel in the southern part of the city.
The prosecutor asked if Gertrudis* would agree to make
a sworn statement and mentioned that, if members of the Gertrudis* was deeply depressed having been forced to
military had been involved in the death of her husband, he endure such an ordeal and wondered why, given that she
would gladly investigate and put them behind bars if nec- was dealing with the National Police and, worse still, the
essary. As such, Gertrudis* said she would make a state- Attorney General’s Human Rights Unit, her family was
ment and spent two days in that process. Several names forced into such a difficult situation. Her children even
of soldiers in the National Army were mentioned. became sick due to their living conditions. The family was
forced to remain in the hotel until August 26, when they
The prosecutor had agreed to place Gertrudis* in the Vic- were moved to a different hotel on the recommendation of
tim and Witness Protection Program after she denounced the doctors that had treated Jeison*.
soldiers, but she never received that protection. On the
contrary, the testimony was used in the investigation E. HOSTAGE TAKING, KIDNAPPING
without providing any protection at all to Gertrudis*. She
stated that she called the Attorney General’s Office several CASE 37: Hostage Taking, Kidnapping, Death Threats,
times to inquire about the protection offered to her, but Displacement
never received a response.
Victims: Jairo Peña López and Olga Cecilia Saavedra, of
After a while, Gertrudis* realized she was being followed, the World Missionary Movement Church
and she was attacked one month after making her sworn Date: October 9, 2010
statement. On June 9, 2010, at around 10:00 p.m., Ger- Location: Lebrija, Santander
trudis* left her children with her nephew while she went Alleged perpetrators: Guerrilla groups
to buy food for breakfast the next morning. When she re-
turned, she saw two suspicious men on the corner, and Jairo Peña López, 53, and his partner Olga Cecilia Saave-
she thought that they might try to rob her. dra, 50, are farmers and members of the Global Missionary
Movement Church. On October 9, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. in the
As she continued walking, she noticed them following her community of San Eumidio, Lebrija, Santander, Jairo and
so she hurried up and ran into her apartment and into the Olga were in their house when they heard people shouting
kitchen when she heard gunshots. She immediately called “run away, run away”. Between 150 and 180 members
the National Police, but they didn’t arrive until around of a guerrilla group gathered the villagers and asked for
11:00 p.m. The gunshots were fired from the door and a their identification cards. Once they had gathered all the
bullet hit Gertrudis’s* bed. IDs, they were handed over to a man who seemed to be
in charge of the armed group. The residents of the village
47
were held until 9:00 p.m. when they began returning the 5 shortly after 2:00 p.m., Leonel was held and threatened,
ID cards. Olga was asked to remain. allegedly by the National Army. Later, he was attacked by a
guerrilla group in Tame, Arauca. Leonel had received a call
Jairo could hear the guerrillas asking Olga who her mother to pick up a passenger in an area of Tame called El Mor-
and father were and saw them push her into a group of female disco - about 30 kilometers along the road to Saravena.
guerrillas. Jairo asked what was going on and was told, with He says that he was stopped at an Army checkpoint where
a gun pressed against his neck, “she has some questions to the taxi was taken from him. Several soldiers got into the
answer and you have 12 hours to leave the province”. vehicle and left, while Leonel was held and told that the
men would kill him and his family if he said anything.
Jairo went home, grabbed a suitcase hanging in the door
and displaced. Olga and Jairo had worked for a while in The group, presumably comprised of soldiers from the Na-
Bogotá where he was a security guard and she worked in tional Army, used the taxi for about two hours. Apparently
a restaurant. Their situation in the city was difficult, how- they used the vehicle for an operation in which one guerrilla
ever, and they had decided to return to Santander. was injured and another killed. They then returned the taxi to
Leonel who then left for Tame. Shortly thereafter Leonel was
The guerrilla, who accused them of being informants for signaled to pull over by presumed guerrillas near Tamacay -
the national army, had killed Olga’s parents 20 years earli- a small village about 20 kilometers from Tame. Leonel sped
er. One night, the guerrilla had arrived at their home, called up rather than stopping, causing the men to fire on him. He
out a list of names, lined up the 22 people named and managed to reach Edwin and hand over the taxi before hid-
killed them. Jairo said that the guerrilla control everything ing out on a small farm fearing for his life.
in the area and are aware of the day-to-day movements of
everyone in town. At the time of publication, Jairo was in On March 7, Edwin had to go to Puerto Miranda, about
the process of demanding his rights as a refugee. 25 kilometers from Tame, where an alleged guerrilla was
waiting for him. He remembers that the guerrilla was ex-
F. ARBITRARY DETENTION tremely angry and asked for him, saying he was going to
kill him. The guerrillas held the taxi until he could pay
CASE 38: Arbitrary Detention, Threat, Collective 13 million pesos, the value of the motorcycles they had
Threat, Illegal Means and Methods of Warfare lost in the confrontation with the National Army involving
the taxi. Edwin returned without his vehicle, scared by the
Victims: Leonel Suárez, Edwin Suárez and Leonel’s threats.
family, of an independent Christian church
Date: March 9, 2010 G. DISPLACEMENT
Location: Tame, Arauca
Alleged perpetrators: National Army and Guerrilla CASE 39: Forced Displacement, Death Threat
Edwin Suárez is the owner of a taxi driven by Leonel. Victim: Catalina Díaz*, of the Inter-American Church of
Both attend an independent Christian church. On March Colombia
48
Date: January 1, 2010 CASE 41: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
Location: Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Victims: Consuelo Cadavid* and Roberto Miranda*,
of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the
Catalina* is a 61-year-old pastor in the Inter-American Caribbean (AIEC)
Church of Colombia and a community leader. She was Date: January 2010
also the mother of Rigoberto* and David* who were both Location: Puerto López, Antioquia
killed by presumed neo-paramilitaries (Case 114, Case Alleged perpetrators: ELN
115). Due to the deaths, she was followed by presumed
paramilitaries throughout 2010, specifically by the pre- Consuelo Cadavid*, 30, is the widow of Darisnel Miranda*
sumed commander of a neo-paramilitary group who (killed in 2000), with whom she has a 15-year-old son, Ro-
seems to be the person who ordered and paid for the mur- berto Miranda*. In early 2010, Consuelo* received a threat-
der of her sons. Catalina* was continuously threatened ening note, presumably from the ELN guerrilla group, say-
by the man, given that she had reported the deaths of her ing that she should leave the region as the ELN had taken
sons to the authorities. Due to the threats, she has had to control of the area around Puerto López, Antioquia.
sleep in different houses, and she lives with a great deal of
fear according to sources close to the victim. The note said that she had one month to leave the area if
she didn’t want to suffer the same fate as her husband.
CASE 40: Forced displacement, Death Threats Consuelo* and her son Roberto* displaced from the re-
gion, leaving behind their house and a small shop in the
Victim: Maritza*, of the Inter-American Church of town. After her husband’s murder, Consuelo* had tried to
Colombia maintain the business that he left behind.
Date: January 2010
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia CASE 42: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
Alleged perpetrators: National Army
Victims: Jenny Sánchez*, Marcela Sánchez*,
Maritza* is 28 years old and, along with a large part of Magdalena Sánchez* and Camilo Sánchez* of the Inter-
her family, is a member of the Inter-American Church American Church of Colombia
of Colombia. She was threatened on various occasions Date: March 2010
throughout 2010 and forced to flee to Zaragoza, Antio- Location: Valencia, Córdoba
quia. Her brother Mario* (Case 113) was taken, tortured Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
and killed by members of the National Army. Since his
death and particularly during 2010, Maritza* has received Jenny*, 40, lives with her mother Marcela*, 60, and
phone calls threatening her and telling her to leave the her two children: Magdalena* and Camilo*. The family
region because she knows the sergeant and the lieutenant attends the Inter-American Church of Colombia where
who killed her brother Mario*. As such, she has had to Jenny* and her mother are church leaders. A group of
displace on several occasions. presumed paramilitary members threatened Jenny* at the
49
beginning of March and forced her to leave the village Humberto* is the youngest son of María* and works in a
of Valencia, Córdoba. In her new location, Jenny* and gas station. He attends the United Pentecostal Church of
her family live in fear of being found by the armed group Colombia along with his mother. In June of 2010, Hum-
in addition to facing economic difficulties resulting from berto* was forced to become a refugee due to threats
their status as internally displaced persons. against his life from presumed members of the Los Ras-
trojos paramilitary group in Palomino, La Guajira. He had
CASE 43: Forced Displacement initially ignored phone calls from men threatening to kill
him until an armed man came to look for him in his house
Victim: Ana Patricia Díaz Mondragón, of the Baptist a few days later. Humberto* was not in his house at the
Church time, but the man told a friend of his that he needed to
Date: May 11, 2010 speak with Humberto* face to face. The friend called
Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Humberto* minutes later and told him to be careful as
Alleged perpetrators: Combatants a man was looking for him and might try to kill him. He
decided to flee the town.
Ana Patricia Díaz Mondragón is a 29-year-old rural mother
of six and a member of the Gloria de Dios Baptist Church. It is probable that Humberto*, as a gas station attendant,
She was forced to become an internally displaced person was flagged as a possible informant for other armed
on May 11, 2010 due to confrontations between the guerril- groups. Additionally, some suggest that the owner of the
la and the National Army in the village of La Fragua outside gas station had refused to pay extortion demanded by
of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca. On the day of the events, armed groups.
Ana and her children heard the fighting and hid underneath
the bed. Realizing that the fight was getting closer to their CASE 45: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
home, they decided to flee the village of Silva, in the mu-
nicipality of Buenaventura, in a boat without knowing where Victims: Pedro Pardo*, Priscila*, Esperanza* and
to go. Ana and her family abandoned their home and land Ramón*, of the Association of Evangelical Churches of
and lived in Buenaventura, where they faced serious hard- the Caribbean (AIEC)
ship. Their economic situation was so dire that they had to Date: June 3, 2010
sleep underneath a bridge several nights. Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba
CASE 44: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
Pedro Pardo*, 50, is the pastor of the Sinaí Church of the
Victim: Humberto Sánchez*, of the United Pentecostal Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
Church of Colombia (AIEC) and is married to Paola Herrera*, 28. They have
Date: June 2010 two daughters and a son: Priscila*, 11, Esperanza*, 5,
Location: Palomino, La Guajira and Ramón*, 2. All three children are in school. On June
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries 3, Pedro* and his family were forced to flee as internally
50
displaced persons due to threats that they had received CASE 47: Forced Displacement, Death Threats,
since 2009, presumably from the Águilas Negras neo- Religious Intolerance
paramilitary group (Case 129).
Victims: Marcial Poveda*, Viviana Montes*, Román
CASE 46: Forced Displacement, Death Threats Poveda* and Gonzalo Poveda*, of the Lutheran Church
Date: June 23, 2010
Victim: Sebastián Prada*, of the Inter-American Church Location: Casanare
of Colombia Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
Date: June 12, 2010
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia Marcial Poveda*, 34, is a Lutheran pastor and is married
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries to Viviana Montes*, 33. They have two sons: Román*,
12, and Gonzalo*, 7. On Wednesday June 23, 2010 at
Sebastián*, 58, attended the Inter-American Church of approximately 2:00 p.m., pastor Marcial* was visited by
Colombia, along with his brother Daniel*. Sebastián* was a man at his church who identified himself with an alias
threatened by presumed neo-paramilitaries, forcing him and claimed to be a member of a paramilitary group. The
to leave Zaragoza, Antioquia as an internally displaced man told the pastor that he wanted to escape the neo-
person on June 12, 2010. The Prada* brothers lived in paramilitary group that he was involved with but that they
Remolino, Nariño but returned to Antioquia after Daniel* were following him. He asked Marcial* for money in order
was killed by the FARC-EP guerrilla group. After a while, to move to a different city.
Sebastián* had to return to Remolino as he needed to get
some things he had left behind. The pastor prayed with the man and told him that if he
wanted to change his life he could repent and start attend-
When he arrived, he realized that presumed neo-paramili- ing church. When the man continued asking for money,
taries had taken control of the region and were threatening Marcial* gave him 30,000 pesos46 and asked him to leave
the residents as possible accomplices of the FARC-EP. As as there was nothing else he could do. The man left, but
such, he lived in hiding from the neo-paramilitaries, who he returned around midnight and pounded on the church
nonetheless managed to keep tabs on him and even kidnap door telling the pastor to come out and talk with him. The
him, saying that he had information about the guerrilla. man said that he had killed two people that day and need-
ed more money in order to leave town. The pastor told him
In December of 2009, Sebastian* was informed that he that he would not attend to him that night, but that they
should leave because the neo-paramilitaries were going could talk in the morning. Marcial* noted that the man
to kill him. Finally, neo-paramilitaries arrived at his house had a rock in his hand. The man began to yell and insult
in Zaragoza, Antioquia on June 12, 2010, forcing him to the pastor, saying that pastors were liars who never help
flee the area and leave behind his home, a workshop and anyone. He made the shape of a pistol with his hands and
an ice cream shop.
46 Approximately US $17.00
51
told the pastor that he was going to go to the armed group six more times. Men arrived, asked for money and never
and tell them to kill him. Then, he threw the rock that was returned. All of the men that arrived told the same story
in his hand and left. and had military-style haircuts.
The pastor and his family decided to stay home for the The same thing has happened to some other people in
next two days. They spoke with the church board and the community. The fact that the church works with differ-
called some authorities they knew. One of the people they ent social projects funded by diverse sources could cause
spoke with told them that the incident couldn’t be catego- armed groups to view it as a way of financing occasional
rized as particularly serious and that it would be better activities or as a threat.
to denounce the occurrence in a different place, like the
provincvial capital or Bogotá. CASE 48: Forced Displacement, Death Threats,
Religious Intolerance
The pastor, his family and the church board all agreed that
Marcial* and his family should leave the area within the Victims: Simón Mosquera*, his wife and their eight
week. The members of the congregation staying behind children, of the Mennonite Brethren Church
would watch to see if the man returned. Marcial* and his Date: August 15, 2010
wife and children left the town on Saturday June 26, 2010. Location: Medio Baudó, Chocó
Alleged perpetrators: Combatants
The church that Marcial* led was known for its social and
educational work, and his family also helped with humani- Simón* is a pastor, farmer and community leader. He is
tarian aid for vulnerable people, including internally dis- married with eight children and is a member of the Men-
placed persons, and young people at risk of drug addic- nonite Brethren Church along with his family. Simón* and
tion or recruitment by armed groups and gangs. For three his family were forced to leave as internally displaced
years, Marcial* and his family had ministered to people persons from Medio Baudó, Chocó by combatants on
claiming to be part of neo-paramilitary groups, particu- August 15, 2010. Constant fighting between the various
larly the Águilas Negras, many of whom said that they armed groups in the area, including the National Army,
wanted to leave the group and asked for money in order to the FARC-EP guerrilla group and the Los Rastrojos neo-
move to other locations. paramilitary group led to the displacement of 74 local
families, including Simón’s*, in August of 2010.
On one occasion, a man arrived claiming to be a neo-
paramilitary commander and demanded that the pastor In September of 2008, an armed group had threatened
give him 180,000 pesos47. Given the man’s threatening Simón* because of his community work and leadership,
tone, the pastor gave him the money for fear of the con- causing his family to become internally displaced per-
sequences of saying no. The same thing occurred about sons. Months later, Simón* and his family returned to the
region, but have had to continuously move due to con-
frontations between different armed groups.
47 Approximately US $100.00
52
CASE 49: Forced Displacement, Death Threats longed to an armed group. In the end, they never helped
me or did anything for me.”
Victim: Miguel Hurtado*, of the Foursquare Church
Date: October 16, 2010 Due to economic difficulties, Miguel* decided to return
Location: Riohacha, La Guajira to his town, saying that it was better “to live in my home-
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown town with a full belly than to starve somewhere else.” At
the beginning of January 2011, he was threatened again
Miguel*, 28, has been a community leader and member (Case 103).
and pastor of the Foursquare Church for a long time and
has led communities of displaced people. One day, while CASE 50: Forced Displacement, Collective
Miguel* was on his way to Riohacha on behalf of a dis- Displacement, Death Threats
placed community, he received a call on his cell phone
from a woman who identified herself as a commander. Victims: Emiro Casarrubia, Iris Jaramillo and their five
She told him to leave the town or they would kill him. children, of the Association of Evangelical Churches of
When he tried to ask what armed group she was a com- the Caribbean (AIEC)
mander for and why they would threaten him, she cut him Date: October 18, 2010
off and said that the only thing he needed to know is that Location: Tierralta, Córdoba
they would kill him. Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
He received a second call from a different number in which Emiro Casarrubia, 40, is a farmer and has five children
the same woman told him he had 24 hours to leave town. with his wife Iris Jaramillo, 38. Emiro is the pastor of the
Miguel* went to the Attorney General’s office in Riohacha, Nuevo Sinaí Church of the Association of Evangelical
reported the threatening calls and returned home. Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). He was threatened by
the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group on April 18,
Two days later, they called to threaten him again. Earlier, 2010 in Tierralta, Córdoba. It was rumored in the region
one of Miguel’s* aunts had received a phone call in which that they were going to kill pastor Emiro, and a friend of his
she was told to get her nephew out of town or he would managed to confirm the rumor through a member of the
be killed. Similarly, a friend of Miguel’s* told him that illegal armed group. On October 18, Emiro was forced to
he had overheard men saying that they were going to kill hide out in a thicket until nightfall and flee the region. Iris
him. Given the threats, Miguel* left town as an internally and the children were also forced to leave the area since
displaced person on October 16. He went to the Human Emiro was accused of collaborating with the guerrilla.
Rights Ombudsman’s Office in Riohacha but was sent
instead to the secretary of the provincial government in There have been confrontations in the area between illegal
order to receive protection and help evacuating. Miguel* armed groups fighting over territory. It is a region known
said, “when I arrived there, things only got worse because for growing and processing of cocaine, a primary source
the secretary told me to tell the truth and asked if I be- of financing for said groups.
53
CASE 51: Forced Displacement, Death Threats the Cristo Rey Church of the Association of Evangelical
Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). The Miranda-Restrepo
Victims: Yina Pinto*, of the Inter-American Church family was displaced on October 30, 2010 allegedly by
of Colombia; Larry Pinto*, of the Mennonite Brethren the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group. Armed men
Church; Rodrigo Pinto*, of the Inter-American Church of dressed in camouflage arrived at their house asking for
Colombia; Miguel Hurtado*, of the Foursquare Church Jorge and one of his daughters at around 9:45 a.m. Jorge
Date: October 22, 2010 and his daughter were in the corn field at the time. The
Location: Barranquilla, Atlántico armed men told one of the younger daughters to go get
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Jorge, but he didn’t hear her when she called. The men
waited at the house all morning until they finally gave up
Yina*, 36, has two children, one of whom is a minor. saying that they had orders to kill Jorge and his daughter
After she received death threats from an alleged neo- and that they would carry out those orders at a different
paramilitary member (Case 141), she reported the events time. The threat forced the Miranda-Restrepo family to flee
to the Attorney General’s office in Soledad, Atlántico, as internally displaced persons.
but reported, “They didn’t want to hear my case.” Later,
Yina* received a phone call from alleged neo-paramilitary Several illegal armed groups operate in the area, particu-
members saying that she was still on the list of people larly neo-paramilitary groups financed mainly through ex-
they would disappear. She then took her children and went tortion and drug trafficking.
to seek temporary shelter in a church. Men in an armored
car came looking for her at her home, but when they ar- CASE 53: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
rived she was not there. Out of fear for her life, Yina* and
her children were forced to flee as displaced persons on Victim: Eliana Arias*, of the Pentecostal Church
October 22, 2010. Date: December 2010
Location: Ciénaga, Magdalena
CASE 52: Forced Displacement and Death Threats Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
Victims: Jorge Miranda, Adelaida Restrepo, Juan*, Eliana* is 54 years old and attends the Pentecostal
Pedro*, Jesús*, Luís*, Diana*, Ángela*, Mariana*, Church. She was threatened by neo-paramilitaries in De-
Luisa* and Leidy*, of the Association of Evangelical cember 2010 while in Ciénaga, just having arrived from
Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) Canada. She was forced to move to Canada after her hus-
Date: October 30, 2010 band and son were killed. She returned to Colombia in
Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba order to file a claim under the Justice and Peace Law. She
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries received a phone call from a person who claimed to be a
paramilitary commander threatening her and asking about
Jorge Miranda, 54, and his wife Adelaida Restrepo, 46, her intention to seek reparations for her murdered family
have nine children, are farmers and are members of members. The threats forced her to return to Canada.
54
Her husband and son had been killed in Tagua, Magdalena lages of La Chilona and El Encanto have suffered attacks
in 2003 after being held for nine days. Their bodies were against the civilian population from illegal armed groups
thrown into a dump in Santa Marta. with presence in the area including death threats, selective
killings, forced disappearances and intimidation. Territo-
CASE 54: Forced Displacement, Death Threats rial disputes often occur between the Águilas Negras, Los
Sebastianes, Los Rastrojos and Los Paisas neo-paramili-
Victim: Rafael Danubio Márquez Nisperuza, of the tary groups.
(AIEC) CASE 55: Forced Displacement, Collective
Date: December 15, 2010 Displacement, Death Threats
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Victims: Hernando Páez*, Carmen Díaz* and their
children, of the Association of Evangelical Churches of
Rafael Márquez, 56, is a pastor, missionary and farmer the Caribbean (AIEC)
who is married and has eight children. He is a member Date: December 18, 2010
of the Canaan Church of the Association of Evangelical Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). Rafael allegedly re- Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
ceived various threats from the Águilas Negras neo-para-
military group, forcibly displacing his family and several Hernando* is a pastor, missionary and farmer who is a
others from their small farms. On December 15 at 3:00 member of the Canaan Church of the Association of Evan-
p.m., Rafael received a threat directed at himself and other gelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). On December
families from a commander in the area who goes by the 18, 2010, Hernando’s* family and eight other families in
alias “Tripilla”. The threats led nine families to flee to dif- the area were forcibly displaced due to threats made by
ferent regions of the country three days later. Three days the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group in Zaragoza,
after the families had left, Rafael received another call in- Antioquia. The group’s commander had threatened the
forming him that all of their houses had been burned. pastor (Case 65) days earlier, mentioning that there would
be a massacre on December 24.
There had been four other murders in the village in previ-
ous months in addition to six more in a neighboring vil- The region was controlled by the AUC for many years.
lage. The National Police recovered some of the bodies, The group was responsible for the murder and forced
but others were sent to a mass grave that the armed group displacement of many residents. Currently, the area
used in the area. is plagued by territorial disputes between the Águilas
Negras, Los Sebastianes, Los Rastrojos and Los Paisas
Illegal armed groups have taken over the territory through neo-paramilitary groups.
intimidations and ongoing threats. Historically, the vil-
55
H. COLLECTIVE DISPLACEMENT munity. Tatucos48, grenades and rifles were used in the
attack and Diana’s* house was hit with bullets and other
CASE 56: Collective Displacement ammunition, nearly destroying it. Unexploded ordnances
further endangered the lives of Diana* and her children.
Victims: 24 families of an unidentified church The area suffers continuous hostilities as a result of the
Date: August 15, 2010 military base having been constructed near the victims’
Location: Medio Baudó, Chocó home.
Alleged perpetrators: Combatants
J. RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
Seventy-four families from the Berrecuí municipality of
Baudó, Chocó were forcibly displaced in the month of Au- CASE 58: Religious Intolerance, Death Threats
gust 2010 after repeated violent confrontations between
state security forces, the FARC-EP guerrilla and the Los Victim: Carlos Sánchez, of the Mennonite Church
Rastrojos neo-paramilitary group. Of these families, around Date: April 2010
24 attended Protestant and/or evangelical churches. Location: Soacha, Cundinamarca
I. HUMAN SHIELD
Carlos is a volunteer in a community shelter for at-risk
CASE 57: Human Shield, Illegal Means and Methods girls and boys and works with youth groups in the San
of Warfare Nicolás neighborhood in Soacha, Cundinamarca. He is
a member of the Mennonite Church. Members of neo-
Victims: Diana Cuadros*, Antonia*, Fernando José*, paramilitary groups in Soacha, Cundinamarca, allegedly
Ermina* and Micaela*, of the Christ the Center Church threatened Carlos in April 2010. Men armed with rifles
Date: June 28, 2010 traveling in a truck without a license plate stopped him
Location: Toribío, Cauca and told him that they would kill him if he didn’t leave the
Alleged perpetrators: Combatants San Nicolás neighborhood, where he worked with chil-
dren and young people. He was stopped again in July by
Diana Cuadros*, 38, is an indigenous farmer and a female presumed neo-paramilitaries in a truck at the entrance to
head of household with three daughters and a son: Anto- the neighborhood. One of the men got out of the vehicle,
nia*, 16, Fernando José*, 14, Ermina*, 9, and Micaela*, 7. pushed and insulted him and asked “You’re not going to
The family attends the Christ the Center Church. On June leave? Do you think we’re playing?” It is believed that the
28, 2010, a guerrilla group attacked a National Army mili- threats are related to Carlos’s community service, particu-
tary base in Toribio, Cauca at around 9:00 a.m., leading larly in promoting conscientious objection, a part of the
to a violent confrontation near the outskirts of the com- Mennonite church’s work in the area.
48 Homemade bombs.
56
CASE 59: Religious Intolerance, Death Threats, Location: Antioquia
Collective Death Threats Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
Victims: Diego Hurtado*, Arturo Parra* and María Andrea* attended a [Protestant or evangelical] church
Suárez* of the Association of Christian Churches; along with her three children. On January 5, 2010 an un-
and the following churches (as collective victims): known party threatened her. Andrea* received a phone call
Evangelical Church of the municipality of Chopal, telling her not to denounce her forced displacement (Case
Evangelical Church of the municipality of Puerto Rico, 143) or try to return to her house with her family. After
Evangelical Church of the municipality of Miramar, her displacement, Andrea* has received threats on several
Evangelical Church of the municipality of Calamar, occasions.
Evangelical Church of the municipality of Miraflores,
Evangelical Church of the municipality of Retorno CASE 61: Death Threats
Date: 2010
Location: Guaviare Victims: Constanza Ríos*, Diego*, Humberto*,
Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP Ernesto*, Pablo*, Oscar* and Daniel*, of the Foursquare
Church
Diego Hurtado*, Arturo Parra* and María Suárez* are pas- Date: March 6, 2010
tors with the Association of Christian Churches and have Location: Medellín, Antioquia
been forced to deal with the prohibition of worship services Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
and the closure of church buildings by alleged members of
the FARC-EP guerilla group since 1998. The first of such Constanza* is a widow and has six children: Diego*,
violations occurred in the municipality of Miraflores and 19, Humberto*, 18, Ernesto*, 13, Pablo*, 12, Oscar*,
in some cases caused residents to be forcibly displaced. 10, and Daniel*, 10. The family attends the Foursquare
In 2001 and 2002, similar violations occurred in the mu- Church. On March 6, 2010, Constanza* received a phone
nicipalities of Chopal and Puerto Rico, among others. The call in which a man allegedly told her that a neo-paramil-
source confirms that the prohibition of worship services itary group was watching her and was aware of her every
and closure of church buildings remained in effect at least move. They insulted her and then told her that she should
until June of 2010 in the municipalities of Chopal, Puerto drop the case related to her husband’s murder.
Rico, Miramar, Calamar, Miraflores and Retorno.
On March 10, Constanza* received another call reiterating
K. THREATS the threat and reminding her to revoke her testimony from
the Attorney General, which she had given as part of the
CASE 60: Death Threats investigation of some alleged neo-paramilitary members
being held in the Bellavista prison. Constanza* says that
Victims: Andrea Beltrán* and her three children, of an the man told her that if she refused to comply with the
unidentified church demands, “she would end up underground, because they
Date: January 5, 2010 would find her wherever she went.”
57
Constanza* and her children have been pursued by alleged grow and process coca on their land. Additionally, there
neo-paramilitaries involved with her husband’s murder. have been disputes between neo-paramilitary groups
Her husband was a pastor and was kidnapped, tortured and within San Jacinto del Cauca, and churchgoers live in
killed in 2003 in front of the Biblical Seminary of Colombia constant fear because the Águilas Negras and Los Paisas
in Medellín. His death was likely related to his reporting on forbid discussion and business, walking in enemy territory
torture and murder committed by a paramilitary group in and taking in or serving members from other groups.
the Doce de Octubre neighborhood of Medellín in 2003.
CASE 63: Death Threats and Collective Threats
Two neo-paramilitaries awaiting trial, one in prison at
Bellavista and the other in a maximum-security prison in Victims: Patricia Espejo* and her family, of the Inter-
Itagüí, were allegedly involved in the aforementioned acts American Church of Colombia
and are probably the reason for the threats against Con- Date: October 14, 2010
stanza* and her family. Location: Medellín, Antioquia
CASE 62: Death Threats
Patricia* is 25 years old and is the mother of Santiago*, 5.
Victim: Humberto Márquez*, of the Inter-American She is a community leader and was elected in March, with
Church of Colombia the support of her church community, as the secretary of
Date: June 23, 2010 the Community Council in the neighborhood of La Sierra.
Location: San Jacinto del Cauca, Bolívar Patricia* and her family attend the Inter-American Church
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries of Colombia.
Humberto Márquez* is an educator and has two children: Patricia* was allegedly threatened by neo-paramilitaries on
Esteban*, 11 and Alfredo*, 6. Humberto* was allegedly October 14 in Medellín, Antioquia. After months of working
threatened by neo-paramilitaries from the Águilas Negras with the Community Council, she received a phone call in
on June 23 in San Jacinto del Cauca, Bolívar. After visiting which a man told her that she should quit her position or
a doctor in Cartagena, Humberto* was having breakfast be killed. He also told her to watch out for her family. Given
in San Jacinto when a leader of the Águilas Negras gave the threat and by the suggestion of her pastor, Patricia* re-
him a shovel and told him to dig a ditch in a part of town nounced her position and rarely left her house out of fear.
where the group claimed to need one. Humberto* refused
and was insulted, threatened and beaten. He remained in The neighborhood is reported to be under neo-paramili-
town despite threats and constant monitoring. Other rural tary control and the illegal armed group decides who can
workers in the region have suffered similar hostilities and or cannot participate in civil service. Patricia’s* family
threats from the same group. was forcibly displaced by paramilitary groups in 2002 and
she has had to move to different homes and neighbor-
In 2010, the Águilas Negras took control of the village and hoods on several occasions.
continuously threaten the community and force farmers to
58
CASE 64: Death Threats CASE 65: Death Threats
Victim: Argemiro Arturo Caballero Simitave, of the Victims: Hernando Páez* and Carmen*, of the
Foursquare Church Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
Date: October 16, 2010 (AIEC)
Location: Riohacha, La Guajira Date: December 15, 2010
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
Argemiro Caballero, 28, is in a civil union and has been
a pastor, professor, community leader and the leader of a Hernando Páez*, 56, and Carmen*, 52, are husband and
group of refugees from the village of La Vorágine, Rioha- wife and lead the Canaan Church of the Association of Evan-
cha, La Guajira. He is currently unemployed and attends gelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). Hernando* also
the Jehovah’s Camp Foursquare Church, in Riohacha, La works as a missionary and maintains a small farm. On De-
Guajira. On October 16, 2010, Argemiro allegedly be- cember 15, 2010 at approximately 3:00 p.m., a command-
gan receiving phone calls telling him to leave town or be er of the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group allegedly
killed. He reported the threats to the Attorney General’s threatened Hernando* and forced him to flee to Zaragoza,
office. Some of his family members and friends have also Antioquia (Case 55). A man came to Hernando’s* home
received phone calls threatening Argermiro. As a result, and told him that there would be a massacre on Decem-
he decided to move to a different town. ber 24. After leaving town, Hernando* received a phone
call telling him that all of the houses in the town had been
In the new town, Argemiro went to the Human Rights burned. The armed group had also previously threatened
Ombudsman’s Office, who sent him to the Secretary of to recruit Hernando* and Carmen’s* children. Witnesses
the provincial government. The Secretary accused him of report that territorial disputes between different neo-para-
being part of an armed group and refused to help him. military groups cause constant problems in the region.
Argemiro decided to return home and began receiving
threats again in January. The threats also caused Argemiro L. COLLECTIVE THREATS
to lose his job in a high school in Palomino and forced
him to stop his community service work. On some occa- CASE 66: Collective Threats
sions, men have come looking for Argemiro in his home,
although he has not been there at the time. Victims: Hosanna Christian Church of the Assembly of
God
Since the interview, Argemiro has not received any more Date: 2010
phone calls as he changed his number. Nonetheless, Location: Ciénaga, Magdalena
many people have told him that he is in serious danger Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
and should leave town. Argemiro replies that he has no-
where to go. Several members of the Hosanna Christian Church of the
Assemblies of God have been victims of extortion. Most
59
of the victims have refused to pay and are afraid to leave began fighting with a guerrilla group who fired rampas49
their homes, affecting church attendance. Attendance toward the village. One of the explosives hit Rosalba Lind-
has also been affected by men who ride through town at arte’s home, but fortunately did not explode. Others hit
night warning that no one should be in the streets after a church and other places in the town. The next day, na-
9:00 p.m. As such, the pastor now ends services earlier. tional army soldiers arrived accusing town residents for
Neo-paramilitaries who control the region are allegedly the previous night’s hostilities. The rural villagers fearfully
responsible for both the extortion and the curfew. reminded them that the situation was ongoing as a result
of the army’s presence near town, threatening the lives of
CASE 67: Collective Threats the community and using them as human shields. The
Rural Worker’s Association of Arauca (ACA) has publicly
Victims: United Pentecostal Church of Pueblo Nuevo denounced the situation.
Date: May 30, 2010
Location: Florida, Valle del Cauca 2011 CASES
A. HOMICIDE
Presumed soldiers from the Anti-Guerrilla Battalion No.
8 of the National Army accused the United Pentecostal CASE 69: Homicide, Injury
Church of Pueblo Nuevo, Valle del Cauca as being a place
from which guerrillas in the FARC-EP fired mortars. The Victims: Andrés Contreras* and a friend, of the
community maintains that the pastor was the only one Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
who lived in the chapel. (AIEC)
Date: January 6, 2011
CASE 68: Collective Human Shield, Illegal Means Location: Tierralta, Córdoba
and Methods of Warfare Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
Victims: Unidentified [Protestant and/or evangelical] Andrés Contreras* was 17 years old and was a painter
church studying Fine Arts. He attended the Casa de Oración
Date: August 24, 2010 Church of the Association of Evangelical Churches of
Location: Tame, Arauca the Caribbean (AIEC) along with his family. Andrés* was
Alleged perpetrators: National Army, Guerrilla killed on January 6 at 2:00 p.m. in Tierralta, Córdoba
while fishing with a friend in the Sinú river. Four men ap-
On August 24, 2010 at approximately 11:30 p.m. in the proached them and asked them questions before one of
Filipinas community of the municipality of Tame, Arauca, the men struck Andrés’s* neck with a machete. The attack
alleged National Army soldiers, camped out in the village, continued until he was killed. His friend was badly injured
49 Explosives.
60
but managed to escape. The men responsible for the at- Location: Algeciras, Huila
tack threw Andrés’s* body into the river where a fisherman Alleged perpetrators: Guerrilla
found it five days later.
Pedro Nel and Arnulfo Salazar Flórez are brothers and
Andrés* had not been previously threatened, but it is be- worked as movers. They were members of the Christian
lieved that his murder may have been a retaliation for a and Missionary Alliance Church and were killed on Febru-
fight his brother had had with drug traffickers. The events ary 8, 2011 at approximately 4:00 p.m. in the community
occurred in an area known for the presence of illegal of Arcadia in the municipality of Algeciras, Huila. Arnulfo
armed groups involved in drug trafficking. Confrontations was marked as a target by the guerrillas for refusing to
and territorial disputes are common. provide them transportation. Three alleged guerrilla sol-
diers came up to the brothers and had a heated discus-
CASE 70: Homicide, Injury sion. When the brothers turned to leave, the guerrillas
began shooting at them. Arnulfo died instantly and Pedro
Victims: Rosmari López Guzmán, Everlides and Mari Nel’s head was injured, leaving him in a coma. He died
Bustamante, of the United Pentecostal Church of three months later.
Colombia
Date: January 18, 2011 Arnulfo had been previously threatened by the guerrilla
Location: Caucasia, Antioquia for transporting supplies for the National Army and the
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown final threat was for refusing to transport guerrilla soldiers
to Aguas Claras, Caquetá.
Rosmari López, 39, is a shopkeeper and a member of the
local board of the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia. CASE 72: Homicide, Forced Displacement, Death
On January 18, 2011, at approximately 9:00 p.m., while Threats, Collective Threats
she was sitting on the sidewalk outside of a birthday party
for a girl from the church, a man appeared and began fir- Victims: José Puente*, Juliana León*, Diego*, Daniel*,
ing a gun. Seeing people screaming and running away, Emanuel* and José’s* brother-in-law, of the Church of
Rosmari fled the scene but was shot in her left leg. Mari God and an independent Christian Church
Bustamante, the church receptionist, was also injured and Date: February 13, 2011
Everlides, the pastor, was killed by a gunshot wound to Location: La Guajira
his head. The community does not know why the events Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
occurred nor who was responsible
José, 32, and Juliana*, 27, are a couple and have three
CASE 71: Homicide, Death Threats children. The family attends the Church of God. During a
worship service at around 10:00 a.m. (Case 87, Case 93),
Victims: Pedro Nel Salazar Flórez and Arnulfo Salazar a group of armed men allegedly from the Los Rastrojos
Flórez, of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church neo-paramilitary group arrived and began shooting at the
Date: February 8, 2011 attendees attempting to kill José’s* brother-in-law. One
61
of the shots hit Juliana*, who died instantly. Afterwards, CASE 74: Homicide, Torture, Sexual Violence
José* forcibly displaced, leaving his livelihood and small
farm behind. Previously, a rumor had circulated in town Victim: Liney Pacheco Pereira, of the Association of
suggesting that a pastor was going to be killed in order to Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
scare the community. Date: March 5, 2011
Location: Tierralta, Córdoba
CASE 73: Homicide, Forced Displacement Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
Victims: Pedro Campos*, Yina Orión*, Camila*, Liney Pacheco Pereira was 32 years old, separated,
Leonardo* and Valentina*, of an independent Christian mother of three children, and worked odd jobs. She was
church a leader and the vice-president of the women’s commit-
Date: February 13, 2011 tee of the Athens Church of the Association of Evangelical
Location: Dibulla, La Guajira Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). Liney was murdered
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries allegedly by the Águilas Negras, neo-paramilitary group
on March 5, 2011, at 10 p.m. in Pueblo Cedro in the Santa
Pedro*, 37, was a shopkeeper and married to Yina*, Marta community of Tierralta, Córdoba. The men from the
with whom he had three children: Camila*, Leonardo*, armed group came to her parents’ house and asked for her
and Valentina*. The family attended the Church of God, by name, saying they needed to talk to her. They took her
an independent church. Pedro* was allegedly killed by from the house and told her family that they would bring
members of the Los Rastrojos neo-paramilitary group on her right back. The next day her family and members of the
February 13 at approximately 10:00 a.m. in Palomino, church went to look for her. At 7 a.m. they found her about
Dibulla, La Guajira. Pedro* was worshipping at the time 300 yards from the house, with her throat slit and with her
with his family in their house, where they held Sunday breasts cut off.
services in Palomino. Two men arrived on motorcycle car-
rying pistols. They called out for Pedro* and shot him. It is presumed that Liney was murdered as revenge against
When Camila* ran towards him she was shot in the neck. her ex-boyfriend, who was part of the rival neo-paramili-
Pedro* died on the way to a hospital in Riohacha and Ca- tary group called Los Paisas.
mila* died two days later after undergoing surgery.
CASE 75: Homicide
Yina* forcibly displaced with the rest of the family. They
have faced economic difficulty given that she was unable Victim: Humberto Andrade Martínez, of the Inter-
to recover anything of value from the shop that had been American Church of Colombia
their livelihood, as almost everything had already been Date: March 16, 2011
stolen. Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
62
Humberto Andrade Martínez, 26, worked in informal min- The Arquía river area is largely populated by forcibly dis-
ing in Zaragoza, Antioquia and lived with his mother. He placed families and armed groups constantly fight for ter-
attended the Inter-American Church of Colombia. Hum- ritorial control.
berto was killed by alleged neo-paramilitaries on March
16, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. While visiting his girlfriend, he was CASE 77: Homicide, Forced Displacement
approached by armed men who killed him in front of her.
On February 10 an alleged neo-paramilitary in the same Victims: Rebeca Trujillo* and Esteban Trujillo*, of the
area injured Humberto, but he managed to escape and Baptist Church
receive treatment at a hospital. Date: April 20, 2011
Location: Murindó, Chocó
Humberto’s mother suggests that her children could have Alleged perpetrators: Guerrilla
been killed for working in mines controlled by neo-para-
militaries or for being drug users (Case 26, Case 96). Rebeca* is a 22-year-old mother and member of the La
Gloria de Dios Baptist Church. She was with her cousin
CASE 76: Homicide Esteban* in a rural part of the Murindó municipality on
April 20 when fighting broke out between the National
Victim: Manuel Esteban Meléndez Cuestas, of the Army and the guerrilla. Rebeca* and Esteban* ran to hide,
Missionary Union Church but Esteban* fell and a guerrilla killed him. Rebeca* es-
Date: April 2011 caped unharmed and subsequently forcibly displaced.
Location: Quibdó, Chocó
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries CASE 78: Homicide, Forced Displacement
Manuel Esteban Meléndez Cuesta was a 19-year-old Victims: Manuel Escarrago, Ana Elvia Vasallo and
farmer and member of the Missionary Union Church. Guillermo Escarrago, of the Wesleyan Church
Alleged members of a neo-paramilitary group in the Date: May 2011
city of Quibdó, Chocó killed him in April, 2011 and his Location: Puerto Boyacá, Boyacá
body was found in a dump outside of town. Due to the Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
unstable situation along the Arquía River, Manuel moved
to a neighborhood in Quibdó known for the presence of Manuel Escarrago and Ana Elvia Vasallo were an elderly
neo-paramilitaries, who were convinced that Manuel and couple that worked in the countryside and attended the
his brother were members of the FARC-EP guerrilla group. Wesleyan Church. They were displaced from a rural area
Previously, two of Manuel’s brothers had been killed by of Puerto Boyacá, Boyacá in May 2011 by presumed
the FARC-EP; one in 2000 and the other in 2010. The members of a neo-paramilitary group. In 2010 and 2011,
brother who had accompanied Manuel to Quibdó man- the couple had begun to seek reparations for the murder of
aged to escape. their son, Guillermo Escarrago, killed by paramilitaries in
1984. As a result they were threatened by an illegal armed
group and told to leave or be killed.
63
Every time the couple reported their son’s death, the gov- CASE 80: Homicide, Displacement
ernment responded that the case was too old and that only
cases occurring after 1985 could be part of the adminis- Victims: Merly del Carmen González, Pedro*, Laura*,
trative reparations process. Manuel and Ana also reported Valentina* and Sebastián*, of the Association of
their own forced displacement to Acción Social50, but Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
were told that they would not receive any aid as there was Date: May 10, 2011
no evidence to support their claims. Location: Montelíbano, Córdoba
CASE 79: Homicide
Merly de Carmen González, 25, was married with three
Victim: Jairo Enrique Zúñiga Vides, of the Inter- children and lived in the community of Pica Pica Nuevo
American Church of Colombia in the municipality of Montelíbano, Córdoba where she
Date: May 4, 2011 attended the Hermosa Luz Church of the Association of
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) with her
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries family. Presumed members of the Águilas Negras neo-
paramilitary group in Montelíbano, Córdoba, killed her on
Jairo Enrique Zúñiga, 39, was married with three children May 10, 2011 at approximately 3:50 p.m. Merly was on
and worked in informal mining. He and his family were her home’s terrace when two men on motorcycles shot
members of the Inter-American Church of Colombia in her. The reasons for her murder are unknown and she had
Zaragoza, Antioquia. Julio Enrique left his house on May not been previously threatened. Merly’s death was never
4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. and was killed by alleged paramili- formally reported and her husband and children left as
tary members. While traveling to the village of Puerqu- internally displaced persons just days after burying her.
era, in the municipality of Zaragoza, Antioquia where he
worked, two hooded men approached him and forced him Illegal armed groups have a known presence in the area
off his motorcycle before shooting him. and there had been violent confrontations between the
Águilas Negras and Los Paisas neo-paramilitary groups in
Until 2009, Julio Enrique was working as an administrator the days before the attack.
and chemist at a small farm that grew and processed coca.
After leaving that job, he started working in mines, but was CASE 81: Homicide
told he would be killed if he did not return to the farm.
Victim: Abimael Antonio Urango Arcia, of the
Foursquare Church
Date: May 26, 2011
Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba
50 Colombian Governmental agency that provides temporary hu- Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
manitarian aid to displaced families, now known as Departa-
mento para la Prosperidad Social. See: http://www.accionsocial.
gov.co/portal/default.aspx
64
Abimael Urango, 22 was a member of the Santa Fe, Las him. The reasons for his murder are unknown and he had
Claras Zenú Indigenous Council and the Foursquare not received previous threats. The case was formally re-
Church. Alleged members of the Águilas Negras neo- ported to the Attorney General’s office.
paramilitary group killed him on May 26, 2011 at approxi-
mately 5:30 p.m. in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba. Abimael Illegal armed groups have an established presence in the
was on the road between Puerto Libertador and Río Verde region and violent confrontations between the Águilas
when he was shot approximately 12 times. The reasons for Negras, Los Paisas and guerrillas of the FARC-EP are
his murder are unknown and he had not received previous common.
threats. The case was formally reported to the Attorney
General’s office. CASE 83: Homicide
Illegal armed groups have an established presence in the re- Victim: Heiler Mosquera Moreno, of the Mennonite
gion and violent confrontations between the Águilas Negras, Brethren Church
Los Paisas and guerrillas of the FARC-EP are common. Date: September 15, 2011
Location: Medio San Juan, Chocó
CASE 82: Homicide, Displacement Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
Victims: Ubaldo Hoyos Solórzano, Josefina*, Heiler was 18 years old and had graduated from high-
Amanda*, Leticia*, Fabián*, Elmer* and Jacobo*, of the school. He attended the Sinaí Mennonite Brethren Church.
Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean Presumed members of the Pájaros Amarillos neo-para-
(AIEC) military group killed Heiler on September 15, 2011 at ap-
Date: June 6, 2011 proximately 5:30 p.m. in the Bocas de Suruco region of
Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba Medio San Juan, Chocó. Heiler lived in Quibdó but had
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries asked his father to come get him and take him to Bocas
de Suruco. On the day he was murdered, he had been
traveling with his father and was at his father’s house when
Ubaldo Hoyos Solórzano was about 47 years old and was a man called to Heiler from outside and shot him three
married with five children. He was a member of the La Meta times. It seems that the murderer had followed Heiler from
Territorial Zenú Indigenous Council. He often preached at Quibdó.
the Libertador Church of the Association of Evangelical
Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). Members of the Águi- Although it is unknown if Heiler had been previously
las Negras neo-paramilitary group allegedly killed Ubaldo threatened, locals reported that some young men that he
on May 26, 2011 at approximately 8:00 p.m. in Puerto spent time with were part of a gang and knew the location
Libertador, Córdoba. of a hideout belonging to an armed group. Illegal armed
groups have a presence in Bocas de Suruco and fight for
Ubaldo was on the road between Puerto Libertador and territorial control.
Villa Nueva when he was stopped by two men who shot
65
CASE 84: Homicide, Collective Displacement Ismael* is approximately 17 years old and indigenous. He
is the son of Luís Rada, governor of the Liboria Indigenous
Victims: William Peñate Yanes, Carlos Álvarez Buelvas Council and attends a church of the Association of Evan-
and Zenú Indigenous families of the Association of gelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). In the early hours
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) of the morning of January 15, 2011, members of the Águi-
Date: October 8, 2011 las Negras neo-paramilitary group allegedly attempted to
Location: Córdoba forcibly recruit Ismael* in Planeta Rica, Córdoba. Several
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries men approached Ismael*, beat him and threatened him for
refusing to join the illegal armed group. He was forcibly
William Peñate was a 37-year-old single indigenous displaced to a different province as a result of the threats
man and the reserve indigenous governor of the La Meta and received economic aid from the Attorney General’s Of-
Territorial Zenú reservation. Carlos Álvarez, also indig- fice for six months after formally reporting the attack.
enous, was married with two children and served as the
secretary for the reservation. Both men were members of Illegal armed groups are present in the area and often at-
the El Libertador Church of the Association of Evangeli- tempt to forcibly recruit minors.
cal Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC). Members of the
Los Paisas neo-paramilitary group allegedly killed Wil- CASE 86: Injury, Death Threats
liam and Carlos on October 8, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. on the
La Meta Territorial reservation in Córdoba. Two armed Victim: José Alirio Osorio, of the Inter-American Church
men entered the Zenú indigenous reservation and took of Colombia
William and Carlos from their homes, saying that they Date: February 10, 2011
needed to have a talk with them. A half hour later, shots Location: Frontino, Antioquia
were heard throughout the reservation and the two men Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
were found murdered. A note under William’s shirt read
“for ratting.” Their murder led to the forced displace- José Alirio Osorio, 54, is married with two children and
ment of 21 people from six families. is a farmer. He and his wife are part of the Dios es Amor
Church of the Inter-American Church of Colombia. On
B. INJURY February 10, 2011 at approximately 7:00 p.m. José was
allegedly threatened and injured by members of a neo-
CASE 85: Death Threats, Injury, Forced Recruitment, paramilitary group while he was at home. José was cook-
Forced Displacement ing when a young man arrived at his door and pointed a
revolver at him. When he went outside, he saw two other
Victims: Ismael Rada*, of the Association of armed men wearing ski masks and camouflage, one with a
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) small gun and the other with a rifle (R15 or M16).
Location: Planeta Rica, Córdoba Upon seeing the men, José tried to run away but was
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries captured. The neo-paramilitaries beat him badly, injuring
66
his head and cutting his jaw. This happened, according to Location: Tierralta, Córdoba
José, because he didn’t cooperate with the neo-paramil- Alleged perpetrators: National Police
itary group and had even told the rest of the community
that he wouldn’t help the neo-paramilitaries. They finally Leonardo Sotelo is a 21-year-old mototaxi driver and at-
let him go, warning that they would kill him if he reported tends the Casa de Oración Church of the Association of
what they had done to him. Despite the threats José Alirio Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) along with
reported the attack to the Attorney General’s office. After his mother. On June 7, 2011 at 10:00 p.m. Leonardo was
speaking with the Attorney General’s office in Frontino, he driving down the road from the Urrá power plant to Tier-
said that he didn’t trust the police or the army and, as of ralta, Córdoba. When he arrived at the edge of town, near
publication of this document, José Alirio has not returned the Puerto Colón neighborhood, armed men in civilian
to his small farm. clothes ordered him to stop. He ignored their orders and
they began firing at him. Leonardo stopped in the Sagrado
CASE 87: Injury Corazón de Jesús neighborhood and realized that the
armed men were National Police. They forced him off of
Victim: Mauricio Cortéz*, of an independent Christian his motorcycle, threw him against a metal door and began
church kicking him when he fell to the ground.
Date: February 13, 2011
Location: La Guajira They later took him to a police station and continued kick-
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries ing him in addition to sticking a t-shirt in his mouth and
poking him with a pistol. They put the gun to his head
Mauricio Cortéz* is a 9-year-old boy and part of the and told him they would shoot. While they beat him, they
Church of God, an independent Christian church. Mau- asked him for “the tough guys”, to which Leonardo re-
ricio* was injured, allegedly by members of the Los sponded that he didn’t know what they were talking about.
Rastrojos neo-paramilitary group, on February 13, 2011. They let him go the next day and he filed a complaint with
Mauricio* was attending a worship service in the church the Attorney General’s office noting the results of a medi-
(Case 72, Case 93) when various men began firing into cal exam after the beating.
the crowd in order to kill Mauricio’s* uncle. Mauricio*
was shot in the right hand. The cause of the attack is unknown and no previous threats
were made. Leonardo believes that he was confused with a
C. TORTURE different person. Illegal armed groups involved with drug
trafficking have a presence in the area and often fight for
CASE 88: Torture, Arbitrary Detention territorial control.
Victim: Leonardo Fabio Sotelo Martínez, of the

(AIEC)
Date: July 7, 2011
67
D. FORCED RECRUITMENT José*, 45, is a shopkeeper and lives with María* and
their three children. He and his family attend the Centro
CASE 89: Forced Recruitment, Death Threats Cristiano Ebenezer Church. José*, María*, and their three
children were forcibly displaced by presumed members
Victims: Juan Peña* and Marisol González*, of the of the Los Paisas neo-paramilitary group. On the morning
Missionary Union Church of January 4, 2011, one of José’s* sons was approached
Date: March 2011 by two people who asked where José *was, how many
Location: Vigía del Fuerte, Antioquia children he had, and whether or not they attended school.
Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
That same afternoon, José* was detained by the National
Juan Peña*, 14, was a student and a member of the youth Police who checked him for weapons. Just before he ar-
group of the Missionary Union Church in Belén de Ar- rived at his small farm, he saw a man on a bicycle hiding.
quía. He was allegedly forcibly recruited in March, 2011 When he got home, his wife and children were crying and
by members of the 34th front of the FARC-EP guerrilla told him that men had come to kill him. José* left through
group in Vigía del Fuerte, Antioquia. Juan* managed to the back door while two men shot at him seven times. He
escape and is currently living in a different city for his own managed to evade them and his family forcibly displaced
safety. Marisol*, Juan’s* mother, was also threatened by a few days later.
the armed group and was prohibited from leaving the area.
She cannot make phone calls and is not able to maintain CASE 91: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
contact with Juan*. No previous threats had been made
against the family. Victim: Carlos Benites García, of the Christian and
Missionary Alliance Church
There are illegal armed groups with established presence Date: January 21, 2011
in the area and they commonly recruit or involve children Location: López, Cauca
and adolescents in their operations. Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
E. FORCED DISPLACEMENT Carlos Benites García, 60, is a fisherman, farmer, forest

ranger and a member and deacon of the Christian and
CASE 90: Forced Displacement, Death Threats Missionary Alliance Church. He was displaced by the 29th
front of the FARC-EP on January 21, 2011 at 4:00 a.m. in
Victims: José Pelaez*, Maria Gómez*, Mari*, Mario* López, Cauca. That day, various men arrived at Carlos’s
and Maribel*, of an independent Christian church house by boat. They allegedly threatened him and ordered
Date: January 4, 2011 him to leave the area. The threats could be related to Car-
Location: Montería, Córdoba los’s position as a forest ranger (he made sure that no one
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries cut down trees in the forest) and community leader.
68
Neo-paramilitary and guerrilla groups constantly fight Rodrigo* and Catalina* are an elderly couple living in
over territory in the area. the countryside, and they attended the Church of God,
an independent Christian community. They were alleg-
CASE 92: Forced Displacement, Religious Intolerance edly forcibly displaced after members of the Los Rastrojos
neo-paramilitary group in La Guajira killed some of their
Victim: Alfredo Moreno*, of an independent Christian family members on February 13, 2011.
church
Date: February 10, 2011 Their son-in-law, daughter-in-law and one of their nieces
Location: Solano, Caquetá were killed during a Sunday worship service and one of
Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP their nephews was injured (Case 72, Case 87). Rumors
had circulated in the community that a pastor would be
Alfredo Moreno*, 30, was indigenous, a musician, and the murdered in order to sow fear in the town.
pastor of Renewal Christian Church. Alfredo was forcibly
displaced from the Solano municipality allegedly by the CASE 94: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
FARC-EP guerrilla group. Alfredo regularly traveled from
community to community to teach music and preach. He Victims: Yaneth Ríos*, Ernesto Saavedra*, Camila*,
was forced to attend a meeting held by the guerrillas with Daniela* and Sandra*, of the United Pentecostal Church
the community, where the guerrillas reported on their of Colombia
activities in the region and precautions the community Date: February 15, 2011
should take. At the meeting a guerrilla commander told Location: Agustín Codazzi, Cesar
Alfredo that they had gathered intelligence on him and Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
they knew about his work and travels. They told him that
while they didn’t consider him dangerous he should leave Yaneth Ríos*, 27, is married with three children and at-
the area as quickly as possible. tends the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia with
her family. On February 15, 2011, Yaneth* and her fam-
The guerrilla have maintained a well-known presence in ily were allegedly forcibly displaced by members of the
the area for years and hold regular meetings with the com- Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group. Yaneth* received
munity in order to control its actions. a threatening phone call and was followed by a man on a
motorcycle before finally deciding to flee after escaping
CASO 93: Forced Displacement a kidnapping attempt along with her youngest daughter.
Victims: Rodrigo Puente* and Catalina Romero*, of an Yaneth* and her family lived in the Maquencal community,
independent Christian church in the municipality of Agustín Codazzi, César. Violent con-
Date: February 13, 2011 frontations between state security forces and illegal armed
Location: La Guajira groups had occurred in the area. The Saavedra-Ríos* fam-
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries ily was threated by the guerrilla in 2002 for refusing to
support them, and on May 30, 2004, the Northern Bloc of
69
the AUC paramilitaries kidnapped one of Yaneth’s* broth- CASE 96: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
ers. In February 2010, Julián*, one of Yaneth’s* brothers,
was killed. Her father was also threatened on December Victim: Alberto Andrade Martínez, of the Inter-American
15, 2010, and on January 18, 2011 at 10:20 a.m. Yaneth* Church of Colombia
and her husband, mother and three children saw armed Date: March 29, 2011
men approaching their home but managed to escape. Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
This was the third time Yaneth* and her family were forc-
ibly displaced (Case 4, Case 133) Alberto Andrade, 28, worked in informal mining and at-
tended the Inter-American Church in Zaragoza, Antioquia
CASE 95: Forced Displacement, Death Threats along with his mother. He was allegedly forcibly displaced
in March, 2011 by neo-paramilitaries. He fled after the
Victims: Patricia Alba*, Marcos* and a son of murder of two of his younger brothers (Case 26, Case 75).
Patricia’s*, of the Foursquare Church
Date: March 1, 2011 Members of the community told Alberto’s mother that
Location: Dibulla, La Guajira neo-paramilitaries were going to kill her son and decided
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries to flee the area as well. Alberto, his brothers and his moth-
er all worked in informal mines run by neo-paramilitaries.
Patricia*, 35, is the mother of two children including
13-year-old Marcos*. Patricia* is a women’s leader in CASE 97: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
the Foursquare Church and Marcos* is a musician there.
Patricia* and her children had to forcibly displace from Victims: Luz Dary Gil and Duban Gil, of an independent
Dibulla, La Guajira in March, 2011, after the Los Rastro- Christian church
jos neo-paramilitary group threatened to forcibly recruit Date: June 23, 2011
Marcos*. In early March, Patricia* received a phone call Location: Medellín, Antioquia
telling her to hand over her son Marcos* who had been Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
selected for recruitment by the Los Rastrojos neo-para-
militaries. She responded that they could not recruit her Luz Dary Gil, 56, works odd jobs and attends an inde-
son because he was a Christian, but the man replied that pendent Christian church with her son Duban, 20. Luz
his religion was a good thing as he could help them recruit Dary and Duban were forcibly displaced from Medellín,
more young men from the church. Patricia* didn’t give Antioquia as a result of violent confrontations that took
much thought to the phone call until she received another place between members of the Los Valencianos and Los
call two days later telling her that she had to leave town Sebastianes (one group is related to the Los Paisas group
or her son would be killed for refusing to join the group. and the other to Los Rastrojos) neo-paramilitary groups
on June 23, 2011. Luz Dary and Duban lived in a house
on the border between the Belencito, La Divisa and the
Quebrada del Alto de la Virgen neighborhoods in which
70
illegal armed groups often fight over territory and im- CASE 99: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
pose invisible boundaries to restrict people’s movement.
Young people were injured or killed on several occasions Victims: Salvador José Alcántara Rivera, Nidia Alian
for crossing the boundaries. On June 23, 2011, Luz Dary and family, of the Foursquare Church
and Duban were shot at but the bullets missed them. The Date: December 9, 2011
ongoing confrontations and hostilities in the area led Luz Location: Simití, Bolívar
Dary and Duban to flee the area, leaving behind their Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
house and the store that was their livelihood.
Salvador José Alcántara Rivera, 52, is married to Nidia
CASE 98: Forced Displacement, Threat Alian and they have four daughters. Salvador is a pastor
in the Foursquare Church in addition to being a leader of
Victims: Alfonso Domicó Domicó, Luz Mila Domicó, a rural community, the president of the Community Coun-
Luz Domicó, Mara Domicó, of the Association of cil of the community of El Garzal and the vice-president
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) of ASPROAS – the Association of Alternative Farmers of
Date: September 2011 Simití.
Location: Tierralta, Córdoba
Alleged perpetrators: Guerrilla Salvador was allegedly threatened by members of the Los
Urabeños neo-paramilitary group and forced to leave Sim-
Alfonso Domicó Domicó is married to Luz Mila Domicó ití, Bolívar along with his family on December 9, 2011.
and they have two daughters. He is the pastor of the Em- Two days earlier, the pastor received a phone call notify-
bera Katío community of the Association of Evangelical ing him that men had been heard discussing plans to kill
Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) in the rural Paramillo him. The caller also mentioned that armed men wearing
zone of the municipality of Tierralta, Córdoba. Alfonso and ski masks had been asking for him. As such, he left the
his family were forcibly displaced in September 2011 af- Magdalena Medio region in the company of the Christian
ter alleged threats from a guerrilla group. The pastor had Peacemaker Teams (CPT).
already been threatened on two other occasions during the
first half of the year. The events occurred the day after a national and interna-
tional verification commission had been held with rep-
Neo-paramilitary and guerrilla groups have an established resentatives from churches, civil society, the diplomatic
presence in the area. Guerrillas came to Alfonso’s house community and the government. During the meeting, tes-
asking for his help, but he turned them away because, timony was heard on the communitiy’s situation, with a
as a Christian, he didn’t want to become involved in the particular focus on land rights. Salvador had previously
conflict. received threats from neo-paramilitary groups on several
occasions (Cases 59, 76, 77, 78 and 83 of LP5).
71
F. RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Church. Fabián* allegedly received death threats in Janu-
ary 2011 from members of the Los Rastrojos neo-para-
CASE 100: Religious Intolerance military group in the Palomino community of Dibulla, La
Guajira. Fabián’s* brother received a phone call informing
Victim: Ricardo Plata*, of the Pan-American Church him that Fabián* should be careful because he was going
Date: January 2011 to be killed. After learning of the threats, Fabián* imme-
Location: Puerto Rico, Caquetá diately left town.
Alleged perpetrators: Guerrilla
It has been said in the town that anyone working for the
Ricardo Plata* is the 29-year-old pastor of a Pan-Ameri- gas station is accused of collaborating with one armed
can Mission church in rural Caquetá. He was transferred group or another, and Fabián was likely threatened for the
to the village of La Rastra, near Río Negro, where the same reason. The owner of the gas station also refused to
guerrilla has a strong presence. Upon arriving to Puerto pay extortion money to Los Rastrojos, the group allegedly
Rico, Caquetá in January 2011, Ricardo* was prohibited responsible for the threats.
from leaving the village where the church was located or
from conducting activities outside the congregation. If he CASE 102: Death Threats
wanted to leave the town limits or invite other pastors to
the church, he would need to first inform the armed group. Victim: Fabio de Jesús Díaz, of the Seventh Day
Ricardo* mentioned that he had never been threatened by Adventist Church
any armed group, but said that his activities were often Date: 2011
supervised or restricted as a result of working in regions Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
with guerrilla presence. Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
G. THREATS Fabio Díaz, 49, is married with three children and attends
the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Zaragoza, Antioquia
CASE 101: Death Threats along with his family. He was allegedly threatened and ex-
torted by members of the Los Urabeños neo-paramilitary
Victims: María Piedrahita*, of the Foursquare Church group. He was the victim of extortion and constant threats
and Fabián Piedrahita*, of the Pentecostal Church throughout 2011 as a result of his position as a wood
Date: January 2011 vendor. Fabio’s brother Domingo Díaz, was assassinated
Location: Dibulla, La Guajira by the same armed group. He never formally reported
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries the threats and extortion because it is believed that the
police in Zaragoza are connected with neo-paramilitary
Fabián* worked at a gas station and attended the Pente- groups.
costal Church. His mother, María*, attends the Foursquare
72
CASE 103: Death Threats José’s son Ever was recruited by paramilitaries in 2003
and is currently part of the Los Rastrojos neo-paramilitary
Victim: Miguel Hurtado*, of the Foursquare Church group. From this moment on, other groups with a pres-
Date: January 2011 ence in the area, including the Águilas Negras and Los
Location: Dibulla, La Guajira Urabeños, have threatened José and his family. Ever has
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown expressed a desire to leave Los Rastrojos, but remains a
part of the group for fear of retaliations against his father
Miguel*, 28, is a teacher, community leader working with and grandmother. The case has not been formally reported
displaced communities and member of the Foursquare out of distrust of the authorities.
Church. Miguel* was threatened at the end of January
2011 in Dibulla, La Guajira for unknown reasons. He re- CASE 105: Death Threats
ceived a threatening phone call informing him that his
actions within the community were not to the caller’s lik- Victim: Israel Manuel Aguilar, of the Association of
ing. The call was part of a series of threats Miguel* had Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
received since 2010 (Case 49) forcing him to displace. Date: August 31, 2011
Currently, Miguel* lives in his hometown despite the risk Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba
that the threats will be carried out. Presumably, the threats Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
were related to his community service and leadership
within the displaced population. Israel Aguilar, 49, is married, the father of seven children
and has been the Governor and Chief of the Alto San Jorge
CASE 104: Death Threats Zenú Indigenous Community of southern Córdoba since
2000. He and his family are members of the Libertador
Victims: José Líder Rentería and Javier Rentería, of the Church of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the
Inter-American Church of Colombia Caribbean (AIEC). On August 23, 2011 at approximately
Date: June 11, 2011 5:00 p.m., Israel was told of alleged threats made against
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia him by members of the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries group in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba.
José Líder Rentería, 53, lives with his mother and four At the time, Israel was meeting with the El Tambo com-
of his children and works for informal mines transporting munity when he was told that alias “El Diablo,” the neo-
goods in his canoe. He and his family attend the Inter- paramilitary commander whose group controls the area
American Church of Colombia. On June 11 at 9:00 a.m. between Corozalito and the community of La Bonga, was
José Líder and his son, Javier, were allegedly attacked offering money to anyone who could tell him Israel’s exact
by the Águilas Negras neo-paramilitary group in Zaragoza, location or phone number.
Antioquia. Several men began shooting at them from the
other side of the river and José and Javier managed to On August 31, 2011 at approximately 6:40 p.m., Israel re-
swim to safety in a nearby village. ceived a phone call informing him that two men on black
73
motorcycles with no license plates were looking for him the whereabouts of the indigenous leaders. When Elubin
near his home. Israel immediately called the National Po- replied that he didn’t know, the men stole his cell phone
lice and they quickly arrived on the scene. A few hours and told him not to say a word. They also ordered him to
later they confirmed that the men were Águilas Negras return to the community and not leave until he knew the
neo-paramilitaries. locations of the reservation’s leaders (Case 107).
Israel’s leadership position in the indigenous community CASE 107: Death Threats
in southern Córdoba has put him at risk with various armed
groups who have maintained control over the region on Victim: Germán Agámez, of the Association of
different occasions. His first threat came in 1984 from the Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
EPL guerrilla, and he was later threatened in 1988 and Date: December 27, 2011
1989 by the FARC-EP guerrilla, between 1989 and 1991 Location: Montería, Córdoba
he was threatened by the National Army for allegedly be- Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
ing a guerrilla, and in 2000 by the AUC paramilitaries.
Since 2000, neo-paramilitary groups have continuously Germán Agámez is a leader of the El Quindío community
threatened him. Nevertheless, Israel had never formally and a member of the Working Group for the Protection
reported any of the threats until 2009. of Land and Territory in Córdoba. He attends a church in
the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
CASE 106: Death Threats, Collective Threats (AIEC). On December 27, 2011 at approximately 10:00
a.m., two neo-paramilitaries riding on motorcycles alleg-
Victims: Elubin Camargo and Zenú Indigenous Leaders, edly approached Germán and threatened him while he was
of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the traveling from the village of El Quindío to Nueva Lucía, a
Caribbean (AIEC) rural area outside of Montería. They told him to “watch out
Date: September 8, 2011 because we know everything that you do and you’re going
Location: Puerto Libertador, Córdoba to mess up.” Two days later, a local resident told Germán
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries that rumors were circulating that he was in danger and that
he should leave for his own safety.
Elubin Camargo is the local governor of the Torno Rojo
indigenous community and attends the Decapolis Church H. COLLECTIVE THREATS
of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Carib-
bean (AIEC). He was threatened by the Águilas Negras CASE 108: Collective Threat
neo-paramilitary group on September 8, 2011 at approxi-
mately 9:00 a.m. in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba. Elubin Victims: Community of Belén de Arquía, of the
was waiting for a car on the road to Torno Rojo when two Missionary Union Church
men dressed in green camouflage rode up on a motorcy- Date: February 27, 2011
cle. The men, one of whom had his face covered and was Location: Antioquia
carrying a revolver, approached Elubin and asked him for Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
74
The community of Belén de Arquía is made up of more I. ILLEGAL MEANS AND METHODS OF WARFARE
than 80 people, the vast majority of whom are members
with the Missionary Union Church. On February 27, 2011 CASE 109: Illegal Means and Methods of Warfare
at about 10:30 a.m. FARC-EP guerrillas allegedly arrived
at the church during Sunday worship and waited until the Victims: José Alejandro Olivera and Álvaro Olivera,
service was over before announcing that they would be of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the
holding a meeting at the school. Once the community had Caribbean (AIEC)
gathered at the school, the FARC-EP referred to them- Date: April 15, 2011
selves as the Clandestine Bolivarian Movement and as- Location: Tierralta, Córdoba
sured everyone that they were not terrorists but were at the Alleged perpetrators: National Police
service of the people and fought for social equality. They
wanted to take power through local elections. Brothers José Olivera, 48, and Álvaro Olivera, 36, are ru-
ral workers and members of the Upper Room Church of
In addition to the information they presented to the com- the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean
munity, they handed out papers on which everyone was (AIEC). The brothers’ corn, cassava, cacao, hot peppers
asked to write their name and the words “yes” or “no”, and rice crops were sprayed with glyphosate on April 15,
in an impromptu vote. The guerrillas said that those who 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Crop-dusters arriving from spraying
voted yes were voting in favor of the guerrilla while those illegal crops in Nudo del Paramillo suddenly appeared
who voted no were in favor of the government. Everyone and doused their crops with herbicide, killing the plants.
above the age of 12 was forced to vote and neutral votes
were not accepted. About 50 people from the community CASES PRIOR TO 2010
voted, including minors, with the majority voting no and
refusing to write their names on the ballots. The guerril- A. HOMICIDE
las said that they would return for the people who voted
no or neutral. Lastly, they warned that everyone would be CASE 110: Homicide, Displacement and Death Threats
expected to take up arms in the event of a war.
Victims: Benjamín Mesa, Catalina Altamiranda and their
Around the same time the FARC-EP also forced other six children, of the Inter-American Church of Colombia
communities along the river to vote, including Puerto Me- Date: May 10, 1998
dellín, Puerto Palacio, Vidrí, Luisa, Vegades, Belén, Isleta, Location: Apartadó, Antioquia
Punta de Ocaidó and Taitá. The Missionary Union Church Alleged perpetrators: Paramilitaries
has a presence in many of these communities.
Benjamín Mesa, 43 was a shopkeeper and was married to
Catalina Altamiranda, 40, with whom he had six children.
The family attended the Inter-American Church of Colom-
bia. Benjamín was killed by presumed paramilitaries on
May 10, 1998 in Apartadó, Antioquia, forcing his fam-
75
ily to flee the area as internally displaced persons. Men David’s father Benjamín was killed on May 10, 1998 (Case
from a paramilitary group arrived with a list of shopkeep- 110) and both David and Benjamín’s death were tied to
ers who were involved with associations or cooperatives the paramilitary group connected with the Chiquita Brands
in Apartadó and killed them. Benjamín was shot various Company, which paid the illegal armed group to watch
times, including in the head. over its employees in the areas where they grew bananas
as well as to displace rural families in order to extend their
The motives behind his murder were related to his in- areas of cultivation. David’s mother, Catalina, reported her
volvement with the Association of Apartadó Plaza Mer- son’s murder and received partial reparations.
chants as well as the fact that he had been accused of
aiding the guerrilla after selling goods to farmers at his CASE 112: Homicide, Death Threats
store. After Benjamín’s death, Catalina was threatened by
the same paramilitary group and was forcibly displaced Victims Marina Cortés* and Mauricio Pérez*, of the
along with her children. Two years after the incident, Cata- Assemblies of God Church
lina returned to open a small store in Apartadó, although Date: June 20, 2003
the armed group still kept it under surveillance. Location: Ciénaga, Magdalena
Alleged perpetrators: Paramilitaries
In 2002, the paramilitary group had killed one of Ben-
jamín’s sons (Case 111). Catalina formally reported her Marina*, 43 and her son Mauricio*, 19, were members
husband’s murder, but he is nonetheless not recognized of the Assemblies of God Church. On January 20, 2003
as a victim of the paramilitaries hired by the Chiquita at 8:00 a.m., two armed men arrived on motorcycle in the
Brands Company as alleged by Catalina. middle of Sunday service and shot Mauricio*, killing him
instantly. Three months before the incident, paramilitary
CASE 111: Homicide soldiers had arrived at Marina’s* house and informed her
that Mauricio* had stolen a battery from one of their trucks
Victim: David Mesa Altamiranda, of the Inter-American and they would kill him if she didn’t pay them for the bat-
Church of Colombia tery. Even though no one in Mauricio’s* family believed
Date: June 2002 the accusation, they collected the money and paid the
Location: Apartadó, Antioquia parailitaries for fear of the consequences if they refused.
Alleged perpetrators: Paramilitaries Nevertheless, this did not prevent Mauricio* from later
being killed.
David Mesa, 19, was a rural worker and attended the Inter-
American Church of Colombia along with his family. Para- In his court testimony given on April 24, 25 and 26, 2010,
militaries allegedly killed David in June 2002 in Apartadó, well-known paramilitary leader alias “Tijeras” recounted
Antioquia. Due to his family’s difficult financial situation, the story of Mauricio’s* murder, mentioning that one of his
David began working on a small farm. Paramilitaries ac- men had killed him for allegedly having stolen a battery.
cused him of being involved with the ELN guerrilla group
and killed him while he was driving his car.
76
CASE 113: Homicide, Injury, Torture, Arbitrary The next day, Mario* had to travel to El Bagre, Antioquia
Detention, Death Threats and he boarded a small boat around 9:00 a.m. In the mid-
dle of his trip National Army soldiers stopped his boat
Victims Mario Sánchez*, Claudia Benítez*, Maritza* near the community of El Real, between Zaragoza and El
and family, of the Inter-American Church of Colombia Bagre along the Nechí River. The soldiers shot Mario* in
Date: April 26, 2005 the head. Passengers on the boat reported that Mario* did
Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia not die right away. The soldiers told the other passengers
Alleged perpetrators: National Army to leave and tell no one what they had seen.
Mario* was 19 years old and attended the Inter-American Witnesses told Mario’s* mother Claudia* of her son’s
Church of Colombia along with his mother, Claudia* and murder and abduction of his body. Claudia* immediately
sister, Maritza*. On April 26, 2005 Mario* and Maritza* went to the Municipal Ombudsman’s office and formally
were allegedly beaten by soldiers from the National Army. denounced the incident. The Municipal Ombudsman told
Mario* was allegedly killed by members of the Natioanl her that she needed to go to the Attorney General’s Of-
Army the following day in Zaragoza, Antioquia. Claudia* fice. However, the Attorney General’s Office was closed
and Maritza* had been previously threatened and Maritza* at the time. Later, she decided to speak with the mayor,
had to flee for her safety. who loaned Claudia* a small boat to search for Mario’s*
body. While searching for his body, various bodies were
Mario* had gone out with family members for ice cream uncovered in the Nechí River, but they were set adrift again
at approximately 11:00 p.m. Two soldiers arrived at the as orders from paramilitaries, the National Police and the
ice cream shop and searched one of Mario’s* cousins. National Army commanded local residents to leave bod-
When they began to beat him, Mario* and the other family ies that they found in the river or to bury them without
members with him intervened to try to stop the soldiers. saying anything.
Apparently the soldiers had previously been drinking in
the street. Later that night, the soldiers chased Mario* After five days of searching, Claudia* found her son’s
and his family members to a cemetery in Zaragoza and dead body in a fence in the river with signs of torture.
began attacking them with machetes while they defended After burying him, she went to a National Army lieutenant
themselves with sticks. Shortly thereafter a National Army and called him a murderer. The army gave the family 15
corporal arrived and pulled out a revolver, apparently in- million pesos51 as compensation and told them not to tell
tending to kill Mario*. Maritza* threw herself in front of anyone what had happened. Nonetheless, the family has
Mario* and told the corporal that he would have to kill received several threats and Mario’s* sister Maritza* had
them all in order to get to her brother. Fortunately, the to flee as an internally displaced person (Case 40).
incident ended there.
51 Approximately US $8000.
77
CASE 114: Homicide who ordered Rigoberto’s* murder paid 200,000 pesos52
to a retired paramilitary soldier to carry out the murder.
Victim: David*, of the Inter-American Church of Rigoberto’s* mother, Catalina*, has been threatened on
Colombia several occasions (Case 39, Case 115).
Location: Antioquia CASE 116: Homicide
Alleged perpetrators: Paramilitaries
Victim: Leonardo Alcalá*, of the Missionary Union
David* was 30 years old and attended the Inter-American Church
Church of Colombia. A group paramilitary soldiers alleg- Date: November 3, 2006
edly killed him in front of his brother Rigoberto* for un- Location: Atrato, Chocó
known reasons. Rigoberto* was later killed as well (Case Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
39, Case 115).
Leonardo* was married to Martha Sánchez* and worked
CASE 115: Homicide, Death Threats as a teacher in the village of Belén, a municipality of Atra-
to, Chocó in addition to serving as the pastor of the local
Victims: Rigoberto* and Catalina*, of the Inter- Missionary Union Church. Leonardo* was allegedly killed,
American Church of Colombia on November 3, 2006, by the FARC-EP’s 34th Front.
Date: October 22, 2006 Leonardo’s* corpse was left exposed for local residents
Location: Antioquia to see for two days due to the guerrilla group prohibiting
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries civilians from collecting bodies and burying them.
Rigoberto* was a 36-year-old professor and attended the CASE 117: Homicide
Inter-American Church of Colombia along with his mother.
He was allegedly threatened and killed by neo-paramili- Victim: Milton Gómez*, of the United Pentecostal
taries on October 22, 2006 at approximately 10:30 p.m. Church of Colombia
in Antioquia. On the day of his death, a paramilitary boss Date: February 28, 2007
gave the order and payment for Rigoberto’s* murder under Location: Bello, Antioquia
the auspices of their “social cleansing” campaign which Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
demands that the mentally ill be murdered. Rigoberto’s*
family suggests that his emotional state had deteriorated Milton* was married to Sara*, with whom he had two
greatly after his brother’s death to the point that he had be- daughters ages 16 and 19. They all attended the United
come unstable and suffered psychiatric episodes. Sourc- Pentecostal Church, where Milton* served as treasurer.
es close to the victim confirm that the paramilitary boss Milton* was killed on February 28, 2007 in Bello, Antio-
52 Approximately US $115.
78
quia. The motives and the killers are unknown. Two days Armando*, 23, was in a civil union and worked as a mo-
before his murder, a friend had offered Milton* a job sell- totaxi driver. He attended the United Pentecostal Church
ing vegetables in Bello Oriente, the area in which both of of Colombia. Armando* was killed on May 5, 2008 in
them were killed. Caucasia, Antioquia. His killers and their motives are
unknown. On the day of his death, Armando* was eat-
CASE 118: Homicide, Death Threats, Forced ing lunch when he received a phone call asking him to
Displacement make a trip to Cuturú, which he accepted. After several
days without hearing from him, Armando’s* family began
Victims: Ana Milena Valencia Aragon and Encarnación to worry and went looking for him. His mother asked a
Valencia, of the Baptist Church neo-paramilitary commander if he knew of Armando’s*
Date: October 11, 2007 whereabouts and was told the next day that a rural farmer
Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca had found her son’s body, with stab wounds.
Armando’s* corpse was found in La Arenosa, a village
Ana Milena Valencia, 29, is a housewife and a leader in the near Cuturú in Caucasia, Antioquia. His attackers had left
La Gloria Baptist Church and part of a family of famers and his cell phone and watch but taken the motorcycle, docu-
fishermen. On October 11, 2007 at 5:00 a.m, Ana Milena ments, cap and shoes. Armando’s* mother went to the
was threatened and forcibly displaced and her aunt, En- Attorney General’s Office in Caucasia to report the murder,
carnación, was killed. Members of the Águilas Negras but was told that she could not file a report because the
neo-paramilitary group are the alleged perpetrators. The body had been moved.
Águilas Negras neo-paramilitaries arrived in town firing
rifles and throwing grenades, causing the forced displace- CASE 120: Homicide
ment of several members of the community.
Victim: Delio González, of an unidentified church
Threats and forced displacement are common in the area Date: January 2009
resulting from fighting between neo-paramilitaries and the Location: Zaragoza, Antioquia
guerrilla, seeking to establish territorial control. Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
CASE 119: Homicide, Forced Disappearance Delio González was 20 years old and worked as a farm-
er and informal miner. He was a member of a Christian
Victim: Armando Lozano*, of the United Pentecostal church. In January of 2009, Delio was in a motorcycle
Church of Colombia accident and asked his employer for an advance on his
Date: March 5, 2008 salary in order to cover his medical bills. The following
Location: Caucasia, Antioquia Monday, a source reports that Delio was shot in the back
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown as a result of his insistence that he be paid in advance. It
is unclear who is responsible for the murder.
79
CASE 121: Homicide, Collective Displacement CASE 123: Homicide, Forced Displacement
Victims: Mauricio Campos* and family, of the Victims: Rubén Salas and family, of the United
Foursquare Church Pentecostal Church of Colombia
Date: April 13, 2009 Date: July 23, 2009
Location: Caucasia, Antioquia Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
Mauricio*, 42, was married to Jenny* and worked as a Rubén Salas, 39, was a fisherman who attended the United
shopkeeper in addition to serving as a musician in the Four- Pentecostal Church of Colombia. Alleged members of the
square Church. On April 13, 2009, presumed neo-paramil- FARC-EP’s 29th Front killed him on July 23, 2009 at ap-
itary soldiers in Caucasia, Antioquia, killed Mauricio. He proximately 4:00 a.m. in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca.
was selling watermelon in the street with his brother-in-law While Rubén and his family were sleeping, guerrilla sol-
when two men killed him. Two possible motives have been diers entered their home to steal two boat motors. When
suggested for his murder. One version posits that he was Rubén awoke and went to see what was going on, the men
caught in the middle of a violent confrontation between the shot him. His wife and children decided to flee the area for
different armed groups operating in the area. The other sug- fear of further repercussions. The neighborhood in which
gests that they may have been killed for refusing to help Rubén lived has suffered repeated confrontations between
transport drugs. His family was forced to flee the area. the guerrilla and neo-paramilitaries over territorial control.
CASE 122: Homicide CASE 124: Homicide, Illegal Means and Methods of
Warfare
Victim: Andrea Guerrero, of an independent Christian
church Victim: Darío Duarte*, of an independent Christian
Date: July 19, 2009 church
Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Date: December 31, 2009
Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP Location: Cesar
Andrea Guerrero was a 26-year-old housewife and mem-
ber of the Puerta del Cielo Church. Soldiers from the Darío Duarte* was 25 years old and attended the Em-
FARC-EP guerrilla killed Andrea on the night of July 19, maus Church with his father. On December 31, 2009,
2009 in the Miramar neighborhood of Buenaventura, Valle Darío* was near the pavilion where the town celebrates
del Cauca. As she was leaving her house, Andrea was ap- New Years when a grenade, allegedly thrown by a National
proached by two men who insulted her and shot her three Army soldier, exploded next to him. He was killed instant-
times, killing her instantly. A few days earlier, Andrea had ly (Case 127).
mentioned that other murders in the area were related to
drug distribution controlled by the FARC-EP.
80
B. INJURY injured William. He was working on a small farm in the
village of San Luis when he stepped on the mine.
CASE 125: Injury, fFrced Displacement, Death Threats
The guerrilla has maintained a presence in the area for
Victim: María Ilda Albán, of the United Pentecostal many years. They often leave landmines on small farms
Church of Colombia and rural areas when retreating from the National Army.
Date: 2009
Location: San Andrés de Tumaco, Nariño CASE 127: Injury, Illegal Means and Methods
Alleged perpetrators: Guerrilla of Warfare
María is a member of the United Pentecostal Church of Victim: Alicia López*, of the Emmaus Church
Colombia. She was allegedly beaten, threatened and forc- Date: December 31, 2009
ibly displaced in early 2009, by members of a guerrilla Location: Valledupar, Cesar
group in San Andrés de Tumaco, Nariño. María was liv- Alleged perpetrators: National Army
ing in the community of Tangareal del Mira, Nariño when
a guerrilla group took over the town at night. When they Alicia* is married with three children and belongs to the
arrived at her house, they beat her, accusing her of help- Emmaus Church. A grenade allegedly thrown by a Nation-
ing the AUC paramilitaries and forcing her to flee to avoid al Army soldier on December 31, 2009 in the commu-
being killed. María was displaced to Tumaco, Nariño, but niuty of Atánquez, Valledupar, Cesar, injured her. Alicia*
a harsh wave of flooding and the threat of guerrilla groups was walking near the pavilion where the town celebrated
encroaching on the area caused her to be forcibly dis- New Years when a soldier arrived and threw the grenade.
placed once again. Alicia* suffered multiple injuries to her leg and several
bystanders confirm that the man who threw the grenade
CASE 126: Injury, Illegal Means and Methods of was a National Army soldier (Case 124).
Warfare
C. ATTEMPTED MURDER
Victim: William Pedraza Garzón, of the United
Pentecostal Church of Colombia CASE 128: Attempted Murder, Forced Displacement,
Date: July 20, 2009 Religious Intolerance, Death Threats, Collective
Location: San Vicente del Caguán, Caquetá Threats
Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
Victims: Pedro Pardo*, Paola Herrera*, Priscila*,
William Pedraza Garzón was a rural worker and community Esperanza* and Ramón*, of the Association of
leader in the San Vicente del Caguán region of Caquetá. Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
He attended the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia. Date: February 2009
A landmine allegedly left by the Teófilo Forero brigade of Location: Montelibano, Córdoba
the FARC-EP, on July 20, 2009 in San Vicente del Caguán, Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
81
Pedro Pardo*, 50, is the pastor of the Sinaí Church of the D. FORCED RECRUITMENT
AIEC and is married to Paola*, 28, with whom he has three
children: Priscila*, 11, Esperanza*, 5, and Ramón*, 2. CASE 129: Forced Recruitment
Pastor Pardo* was allegedly threatened by neo-paramil-
itary soldiers in February of 2009. He received a phone Victims: Camila Abril* and Rodrigo Abril*, of the
call in which he was ordered to leave the area along with United Pentecostal Church of Colombia
the entire church community because the Águilas Negras Date: January 1, 2004
neo-paramilitaries, did not approve of the church. The Location: Chiriguaná, Cesar
pastor insisted that he would not leave, but the Águilas Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP, AUC
Negras paramilitaries insisted and gave him a week to
comply. Camila* and Rodrigo*, 12 and 13-years-old respectively,
are brother and sister and attend the United Pentecostal
The pastor and his family fasted and prayed, but they con- Church of Colombia. Presumed members of the FARC-EP
tinued to receive threatening calls telling them that they forcibly recruited them after the murder of their parents in
would be killed if they refused to leave. On September 2004 in Cesar. Their parents had been murdered in front of
21, 2009, while returning from a trip to the municipality of them, when they were 5 and 6 years old, respectively, by
Montelíbano, he was fired upon by armed men near Boca the AUC in the village of La Poponte, in the municipality of
de Uré. He managed to escape unharmed but arrived at Chiriguaná, Cesar. Shortly afterwards, guerrillas from the
the church panicked and crying. Members of the church FARC-EP recruited them and gave them various assign-
tried to hide him while they could inform church authori- ments including helping grow coca. While on assignment,
ties as to what had occurred. They also called the National Camila* and Rodrigo* were stopped and identified at a
Police, who transported the pastor with a police escort to National Police checkpoint while carrying a cell phone,
the police station in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba where he money and identification. They were alone at the time.
filed a formal report. The police gave him a document to
take to Montería and assured him that they would provide The police detained the minors and they were handed over
him with protection if necessary. to the Colombian Family and Social Services Institute
(ICBF). An aunt was notified that Camila* and Rodrigo* had
As of the publication of this document, the pastor had not been taken in by the Institute and was assigned custody.
received this protection and has had to hide by moving Their story was covered in a local newspaper, which pub-
from place to place (Case 45). Pedro* and his family have lished their names and a photo, putting them at serious risk
also suffered financial difficulties having left behind their of another recruitment attempt or an attack on the family.
home and livelihood. In addition to his ministry, the pastor
also worked in community projects and social work. It is CASE 130: Forced Recruitment
presumed that his role as a community leader led to the
threats. Victim: Marisol Perea*, of the Association of
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)
82
Date: 2006 E. ARBITRARY DETENTION
Location: El Bagre, Antioquia
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries CASE 132: Forced Disappearance, Death Threats,
Collective Threats, Forced Displacement
Marisol*, 13, is the niece of Daniela Perea* with whom
she attended a church belonging to the Association of Victims: Yaneth Ríos*, Ernesto Saavedra* and
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) in El Bagre, Rodrigo*, of the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia
Antioquia. Marisol* spent a lot of time in the street and Date: December 28, 2004
was once allegedly approached by neo-paramilitary sol- Location: Cesar
diers who offered her money if she would join their group. Alleged perpetrators: Paramilitaries and FARC-EP
Years later, she was abducted by the group and forcibly
disappeared (Case 30). Yaneth Ríos*, 27, is married to Ernesto Saavedra*, 34,
and they both attend the United Pentecostal Church of
CASE 131: Forced Recruitment Colombia. They had been threatened by the ELN during
fighting between the guerrilla group, the National Army
Victim: Andrés Pardo*, of the Association of and paramilitary groups. Yaneth’s* mother had been orga-
Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) nizing the community to protest becoming involved with
Date: January 2007 armed groups. On May 30, 2004, Yaneth’s* brother Ro-
Location: Antioquia drigo* was abducted and forcibly disappeared by alleged
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries members of the Northern Block of the paramilitaries.
Later, in September 2004, guerrillas from the 41st Front
Andrés* was 14 years old and attended one of the of the FARC-EP infiltrated a meeting in the village and
churches of the Association of Evangelical Churches of threatened everyone there, telling them that they would
the Caribbean (AIEC). Neo-paramilitary soldiers allegedly be killed if they refused to leave the area. As a result, Er-
recruited him in January 2007 in El Bagre, Antioquia. The nesto* and Yaneth* were forcibly displaced to Valledupar
neo-paramilitary group had established a presence in a on December 28, 2004. The rest of their family was also
neighborhood in El Bagre where the majority of residents later displaced (Case 4, Case 94).
had been forcibly displaced. There, they used children
as messengers and extortion collectors in exchange for CASE 133: Arbitrary Detention, Death Threats, Illegal
motorcycles and cash. The incentives he received made Means and Methods of Warfare
it difficult to convince Andrés* to leave the group. His par-
ents felt that there was little that they could do and worried Victims: Eduardo Cantor Castro and Wilson Durán
that they would be threatened if they reported their son’s Barrera, of the Lutheran Church
recruitment. Andrés* was killed in 2010 by alleged neo- Date: October 9, 2009
paramilitaries (Case 28). Location: Socha, Boyacá
Alleged perpetrators: National Police – SIJIN
83
Eduardo Cantor Castro, 21, and Wilson Durán Barrera F. FORCED DISPLACEMENT
work as farmers and coal miners and attend the Lutheran
Church. On October 9, 2009 at approximately 8:30 a.m., CASE 134: Forced Displacement, Illegal Means and
Eduardo and Wilson were detained by the National Police Methods of Warfare
and later the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Police (SI-
JIN) who accused them of belonging to a guerrilla group. Victim: Bárbara Matilde Valencia, of the Baptist Church
After checking in at the coalmines where they worked, Date: September 22, 2003
Eduardo and Wilson were returning to their homes by mo- Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
torcycle when they passed a National Army checkpoint. Alleged perpetrators: Combatants
They had no problem passing through the first checkpoint
but were stopped at a second one in Socha, where they Bárbara Matilde Valencia, 59, works odd jobs to support
were detained and taken to the SIJIN office. Their motor- her family. She attends the Gloria de Dios Baptist Church.
cycle was left unattended. Bárbara was forcibly displaced during a confrontation be-
tween the guerrilla and the National Army on March 22,
They were later handed over to the Attorney General’s 2003 at 2:00 a.m. in the Barco Cajambre community
Office and accused of transporting guerrilla pamphlets, outside of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca. Residents were
which the SIJIN allegedly found inside the seat of the resting when an airplane began bombing the community.
motorcycle. It is believed that the police planted the Presumably the airplane intended to attack a guerrilla
pamphlets in the motorcycle after retaining Wilson and camp as there had previously been a violent confrontation
Eduardo. in the La Playita sector of Bajo Firme. The attack led to the
displacement of several families.
A few days later, the young men were taken to the Santa
Rosa de Viterbo prison. On October 10, 2009 ten men, Most local families relied on agriculture and fishing for
three of whom were in uniform, arrived without a search survival and there were nurseries and churches in the
warrant and illegally searched and photographed Wilson area that was bombed. The encroachment of the National
and Eduardo’s homes. The young men’s’ detention was Army on the area was likely related to guerrilla presence
widely publicized in the national media, that reported and illegal crops.
that they had participated in an armed blockade in which
several vehicles had been burned a few days before their CASE 135: Forced Displacement
capture by the police.
Victim: Isaac Cuero Valencia, of the Baptist Church
The victims’ families collected signatures from the com- Date: July 2006
munity to demonstrate that they were well-respected Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
young men with good reputations. Alleged perpetrators: Combatants
Isaac Cuero Valencia, 22, worked as a farmer and fisher-

man and attended the Gloria de Dios Baptist Church. He
84
was forcibly displaced from the Alfonso López Pumarejo few options for sustaining themselves in the urban area to
neighborhood of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca due to which they were forced to flee.
the recurrent violent clashes between guerrilla and neo-
paramilitary groups fighting for territorial control in July CASE 137: Forced Displacement
2006 (Case 136). Isaac survived three clashes before fi-
nally deciding to leave the area. His family was displaced Victim: Ismael David Gómez, of the Inter-American
from the banks of the Cajambre River. Church of Colombia
Date: October 2, 2006
Fighting for territorial control is common and demobilized Location: Apartadó, Antioquia
members of the AUC paramilitaries have a strong pres- Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
ence in the area.
Ismael Gómez, 27, is married and worked as a laborer on
CASE 136: Forced Displacement a banana plantation. He attends the Inter-American Church
of Colombia. Ismael was forcibly displaced from Apartadó,
Victim: Marta Cecilia Cuero Valencia, of the Baptist Church Antioquia on October 2 after being informed that presumed
Date: September 2006 neo-paramilitary soldiers were going to kill him. Ismael had
Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca begun working on a farm in order to support his family. On
Alleged perpetrators: Combatants October 2, after getting home from work, one of his co-
workers told him that his name was on a list of workers
Marta Cecilia Cuero Valencia, 32, has a daughter and who would be killed when they arrived at the farm the next
works odd jobs. She attends the Gloria de Dios Baptist Monday. The co-worker also warned that he should leave
Church. In September of 2006, Marta and her family the area cautiously as he would be closely watched. Ismael
were forcibly displaced from the Alfonso López Pumarejo managed to leave town with the help of his family.
neighborhood of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca as a re-
sult of ongoing confrontations between guerrilla and neo- CASE 138: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
paramilitary groups. Several of her family members had
already been displaced in the preceding months for the Victim: Arismendi Rentería Cuero, of the Baptist Church
same reason (Case 135). Date: November 11, 2006
Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
Marta had arrived in the neighborhood with her family in Alleged perpetrators: Combatants
2005 after being displaced from the Cajambre River by
aerial bombings related to a presumed guerrilla presence Arismendi, 30, is a fisherman, lumberjack and construc-
in the region. tion worker and attends the La Gloria de Dios Baptist
Church. He was threatened and displaced by presumed
Marta’s family has been seriously affected by the lack of neo-paramilitaries on November 11, 2006 during cross-
viable means of supporting themselves as they had for- fire between the FARC-EP and neo-paramilitary groups
merly worked as rural farmers and fishermen. There are fighting for control of the area.
85
Violent disputes have been common in the region as the receiving death threats on January 5, 2008 (Case 139).
Águilas Negras neo-paramilitaries and FARC-EP guerrilla After a while, the threats made by alleged neo-paramil-
fight for control of the strategic waterfront location for itaries against Carlos* were extended to the family as a
shipping and importing illegal goods. whole. As a result, María* and her children left behind all
of their belongings and fled the region on May 13, 2008.
CASE 139: Forced Displacement, Death Threats They currently survive with the help of neighbors and
friends. The threats against Carlos* seem to be related to
Victim: Carlos Córdoba*, of the Foursquare Church the fact that he ran for town council in 2007.
Location: Valencia, Córdoba CASE 141: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
Victims: Yina Pinto*, Larry Pinto*, and Rodrigo Pinto*,
Carlos Córdoba*, 43, is married to María Rey*, with whom of the Inter-American Church of Colombia
he has six children. They attend the Foursquare Church Date: June 8, 2009
in the municipality of Valencia, Córdoba. Carlos* was Location: Barranquilla, Atlántico
threatened and forcibly displaced by neo-paramilitaries Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
on January 5. As violence increased in the region, Carlos*
was informed that his name was on a list of men that the Yina*, 36, has two children and attends the Inter-American
neo-paramilitaries were going to kill. The National Police Church of Colombia with her family. She was displaced
escorted him throughout the night, helping him to leave from Barranquilla, Atlántico by presumed neo-paramili-
the region. For the next five months, he moved from town taries who had tried to kill her on two separate occasions.
to town unemployed. Eventually his partner and children On June 8, 2009, a presumed neo-paramilitary boss tried
were also forcibly displaced (Case 140). The threats seem to kill Yina* with a machete in the Renacer neighborhood
to have been related to Carlos’s* political aspirations as after she refused to join the group and wouldn’t obey their
he had run for town council in 2007. orders. It appears that the attacks against Yina* were re-
lated to her request that the presumed neo-paramilitary
CASE 140: Forced Displacement, Death Threats, member stop watching her, pestering her and preventing
anyone from entering her house without his permission.
Victims: María Rey*, Lucía*, Diego*, Judith*, Given the circumstances, Yina* was forced to leave the
Daniel*, Fabián* and Jacobo*, of the Foursquare area with her two children (Case 51).
Church
Date: May 13, 2008 CASE 142: Forced Displacement
Location: Valencia, Córdoba
Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries Victim: Eugenia Bernal*, of the Christian Crusade Church
Date: August 11, 2009
María* has six children and is a housewife. Her partner, Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
Carlos*, had been forced to flee Valencia, Córdoba after Alleged perpetrators: FARC-EP
86
Eugenia Bernal*, 56, is a housewife and member of the Worried, Andrea* tried to find out what had happened, but
Christian Crusade Church. She was forcibly displaced her daughter kept asking her to call the National Police
from the La Inmaculada neighborhood of Buenaventura, because apparently one of her classmates who was with
Valle del Cauca after witnessing a murder committed by her earlier that night had been killed. It took a while to
the FARC, who maintained a presence in the area sur- calm Consuelo* enough to explain that denouncing the
rounding her house. Eugenia* was shopping in a store occurrence to the National Police could be dangerous.
near her house when a young FARC soldier from the 29th
Front entered, pulled out a gun and shot another member Consuelo* told her mother that she had left school with a
of the FARC who had been shopping there. The young friend and, while walking down a hill, they passed a truck
man who had killed his companion and other men fre- with tinted windows. They couldn’t see anyone inside,
quently passed by Eugenia’s* house, watching her. For but when they passed by, men forced them to get into
fear of possible retaliation, Eugenia* decided to leave the truck. Once inside, the young girls were threatened
Buenaventura. and told not to scream. They were driven to a dark spot
along the river near a bridge where Consuelo* was told
The La Inmaculada neighborhood has suffered confronta- to run away and not tell anyone what had happened or
tions between the guerrilla and neo-paramilitary groups she would be killed. Consuelo* says that her friend was
over territorial control. tied up and gagged and she heard gunshots while running
away, suggesting that her friend had been killed by the
CASE 143: Forced Displacement, Death Threats neo-paramilitaries.
Victims: Andrea Beltrán*, Consuelo Salazar*, Yuldor As a result of the threats Consuelo* received from pre-
Salazar* and Ángela Salazar*, of an unidentified church sumed neo-paramilitaries, her family was forcibly dis-
Date: August 18, 2009 placed and remains in a situation of extreme poverty. The
Location: Caucasia, Antioquia threats have continued (Case 60).
CASE 144: Forced Displacement, Death Threats
Andrea*, is the head of her family and has three children:
Consuelo Salazar*, 15, Ángela*, 8, and Yuldor*, 11. Victims: Yeily Lucía Suárez*, Emiro Suárez*, Erly
She regularly attends a Christian church along with her Guerra* and two of Yeily’s* siblings, of the Foursquare
children. Andrea’s* daughter, Consuelo*, attended night Church
school and normally finished classes at 10:00 p.m. On Date: November 17, 2009
August 18, 2009 Consuelo* got out of class earlier than Location: Caucasia, Antioquia
normal, but when she didn’t arrive home after several Alleged perpetrators: Combatants
hours, Andrea* began to worry and stayed home waiting
for her. Finally, Consuelo* arrived home around midnight Yeily* was a 15-year-old student and member of the Four-
crying and unable to speak. square Church. She lived with her parents, Emiro* and Erly*
and her two younger sisters. Due to threats, murders and
87
pressure placed upon the community by armed groups in with an eviction order from the El Peñón Police station, the
the region, Yeily* and her family were forcibly displaced on municipal command. In addition to the police force, people
November 17, 2009 from Caucasia, Antioquia. dressed in civilian clothing took photos and recorded the
events. According to the community, more than 100 heavily
CASE 145: Forced Displacement, Death Threats armed men wearing bulletproof vests were present.
Victim: Carlos Salazar*, of the Pentecostal Church The community had returned to their rightful land on Jan-
Date: November 26, 2009 uary 15, 2009 after repeated acts of violence from para-
Location: Medellín, Antioquia military groups, including the murder of several rural vil-
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown lagers, on multiple occasions had displaced them in 2003
and 2006. In January of 2009, the Tequendama S.A. and
Carlos Salazar* was the pastor of the Apostles of Christ Aportes San Isidro S.A. companies filed a complaint with
Pentecostal Church in Medellín, Antioquia. He was forc- the National Police asking that the community be evicted.
ibly displaced on November 26, 2009 after receiving ASOCAB managed to have the eviction order lifted, but
death threats. the palm oil companies appealed the decision and had
the order reissued.
G. COLLECTIVE DISPLACEMENT
H. THREATS
CASE 146: Collective Displacement, Death Threats
CASE 147: Death Threats, Collective Threats
Victims: Community of Las Pavas
Date: July 14, 2009 Victims: Corinto* and farmers, of an unidentified
Location: Cantagallo, Bolívar church
Alleged perpetrators: National Police Date: January 2009
Location: Córdoba
The Las Pavas community, the majority of which belongs to Alleged perpetrators: Neo-paramilitaries
the Rural Workers Association of Buenos Aires (ASOCAB),
is made up of rural families who have been displaced on In January 2009 Pastor Corinto* and various farmers in the
multiple occasions from the region known as Las Pavas in region were threatened by means of a pamphlet signed by
Cantagallo, southern Bolívar. The community is comprised presumed members of the Los Rastrojos neo-paramilitary
of 572 people who struggle for their rights as rural work- group. The pamphlet directly threatens the pastor as well
ers, and are a community of faith. Most residents belong as other Protestants and evangelicals in the region. Farmers
to the Foursquare Church, the United Pentecostal Church of in the region were also threatened over the management of
Colombia or the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. their workers, their income and alleged support for other
armed groups. Additionally, the pamphlet prohibited the
On July 14, 2009, the National Police, including a riot squad community from leaving their homes between 8:00 p.m.
(ESMAD), forcibly displaced the community. They arrived and 6:00 a.m.
88
C h a p t e r 3
Chapter 3
Statistical Analysis
YEAR 2010
B etween January 1 and December 31, 2010, there were 68 documented cases of human rights and International Hu
manitarian Law (IHL) violations committed against pastors, church leaders, and members of Colombia’s Protestant and
evangelical churches. Sixty-one of the cases resulted in 224 violations against individual victims, and the remaining seven
cases involved collective violations committed against approximately 581 victims.
Victim Demographics
Graphic 1 presents the distribution of human rights and IHL violations according to the age group of the individual victims:
0-17 years old (41 violations), 18-25 years old (38 violations), 26-45 years old (49 violations), 46-60 years old (37 viola-
tions) and 61 and older (4 violations).
Graphic 1. Violations by Age Group
38 9 6 5 68 2 1 2 1 85 1 6
HOMICIDE TORTURE INJURY SHIELD THREAT EXTORTION DISAPPEARENCE FORCED ARBITRARY DISPLACEMENT HOSTAGE TAKING, RELIGIOUS
RECRUITMENT DETENTION KIDNAPPING INTOLERANCE
TOTAL
0 - 17 years old 41
18 - 25 years old 38
61 and over 4
Unknown 55
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
91
In 2010, 136 violations were committed against men, 73 were committed against women and 15 violations involved victims
whose sex was unknown. The majority of violations were committed against men in every category, but the difference in the
number of men and women being forcibly displaced was minimal, with 40 violations against men and 34 against women.
Graphic 2. Violations by Sex
38 9 6 5 68 2 1 2 1 85 1 6
HOMICIDE TORTURE INJURY SHIELD THREAT EXTORTION DISAPPEARANCE FORCED ARBITRARY DISPLACEMENT HOSTAGE TAKING, RELIGIOUS
TOTAL
Women 73
Men 136
Unknown 15
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
In 2010, we documented human rights and International Humanitarian Law violations committed against members of 14 dif-
ferent Protestant and evangelical denominations. The denominations which suffered the greatest number of violations were:
the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean – AIEC (77 violations); the Inter-American Church of Colombia
(45 violations); and the Mennonite Brethren Church (17 violations).
Graphic 3. Violations by Denomination
Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)

Baptist Church
Independent Church
Unidentified Church
Christ the Center Church
Foursquare Church
Mennonite Brethren Church
Inter-American Church of Colombia
Lutheran Church
Mennonite Church
World Missionary Movement Church
Pentecostal Church
United Pentecostal Church of Colombia
Missionary Union Church
Wesleyan Church
Church of God
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
92
Violations by Province
The 224 individual violations recorded occurred in 17 of Colombia’s 32 provinces. The provinces registering the greatest
number of violations were: Antioquia (86 violations), Córdoba (57 violations), Chocó (13 violations), Bogotá (13 violations)
and Cauca (9 violations).
Graphic 4. Violations by Province
Antioquia
Arauca
Atlántico
Bolívar
Casanare
Cauca
Cesar
Chocó
Córdoba
Cundinamarca
Bogotá
Guaviare
La Guajira
Magdalena
Meta
Santander
Valle del Cauca
0 20 40 60 80 100
Alleged Perpetrators and Types of Violations
Neo-paramilitary groups were identified as responsible for 150 individual violations which correspond to 67% of the total
number registered. They are followed by guerrilla groups (35 violations), combatants53 (18 violations) and Colombian State
Forces (2 violations).
Graphic 5. Violations by Alleged Perpetrator
Combatants
Alleged Perpetrators
Guerrillas
Neoparamilitaries
State forces
Unknown
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
53 The alleged perpetrators titled combatants refers to violations caused by combat between at least two armed groups in situations where responsibility cannot be assigned
to a single group.
93
The violations most commonly recorded were: forced displacement (85), death threats (68), homicide (38), torture (9),
injury (6) and religious intolerance (6).
Graphic 6. Type of Victimization
38 9 6 5 68 2 1 2 1 85 1 6
HOMICIDE TORTURE INJURY SHIELD THREAT EXTORTION DISAPPEARANCE FORCED ARBITRARY DISPLACEMENT HOSTAGE TAKING, RELIGIOUS
TOTAL
Combatants 18
Army 1
ELN 8
FARC-EP 22
Guerrilla 5
Paramilitaries 150
Police 1
Unknown 19
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150
Collective Victims
In 2010 Collective violations affected approximately 581 victims.54 The following table presents the cases by month, prov-
ince, alleged perpetrators, type of violation and the number of victims.
Tabla 1.
Month Province Alleged Perpretrator Type of Violation Approximate Number of Victims
January Magdalena Neo-paramilitaries Collective threats 30
June Guaviare FARC-EP Dead threats and collective displacements 360
August Arauca Guerrilla Collective Human shield 30
August Arauca National Army Collective threats 30
August Chocó Combatants Collective displacement 120
October Antioquia Neo-paramilitaries Collective threats 5
October Córdoba Neo-paramilitaries Collective displacement 6
54 When a collective violation is recorded, it is not always possible to determine an exact number of victims or specific details regarding the violation.
As such, numbers reported are estimates. In cases in which greater detail is not possible, families are estimated to include 5 members and church
communities are estimated to include 30 members.
94
YEAR 2011
In 2011 we documented 42 cases of human rights and IHL violations, corresponding to 108 individual violations. Of the 42
cases, three correspond to collective violations involving approximately 131 victims.
Victim Demographics
Graphic 7 presents the distribution of human rights and IHL violations by the victims’ age group: 0-17 years old (34 viola-
tions), 18-25 years old (13 violations), 26-45 years old (34 violations), 46-60 years old (14 violations) and 61 and older
(3 violations).
Graphic 7. Violations by Age Group
19 1 5 28 1 2 1 48 2 1
HOMICIDE TORTURE INJURY THREAT DISAPPEARANCE FORCED ARBITRARY DISPLACEMENT RELIGIOUS SEXUAL
RECRUITMENT DETENTION INTOLERANCE VIOLENCE
TOTAL
0 - 17 years old 34
13
18 - 25 years old
61 and over 3
Unknown 10
0 10 20 30 40 50
In the year 2011, men were victims of a greater number of violations (65 violations) in every category other than sexual
violence, in which a woman was the sole victim. Women suffered 38 violations.
95
Graphic 8. Violations by Sex
19 1 5 28 1 2 1 48 2 1
TOTAL
Women 34
Men 65
Unknown 5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
In 2011, we documented violations against 12 different Protestant and evangelical denominations including: the Associa-
tion of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean – AIEC (32 violations), the Foursquare Church (14 violations) and the United
Pentecostal Church of Colombia (13 violations).
Graphic 9. Violations by Denomination
Denomination
Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)

Seventh Day Adventist Church
Christian and Missionary Alliance Church
Baptist Church
Independent Church
Unidentified Church
Foursquare Church
Mennonite Brethren Church
Inter-American Church of Colombia
Pan-American Church
Pentecostal Church
United Pentecostal Church of Colombia
Missionary Union Church 108
Wesleyan Church
0 10 20 30
96
Violations by Province
The 108 violations recorded in 2011 were committed in 10 of Colombia’s 32 provinces. The provinces registering the great-
est number of violations were: Córdoba (39 violations), La Guajira (19 violations), Antioquia (18 violations) and Cesar (10
violations).
Graphic 10. Violations by Province
Antioquia
Bolívar
Boyacá
Province
Caquetá
Cauca
Cesar
Chocó
Córdoba
Huila
La Guajira
0 10 20 30 40 50
Alleged Perpetrators and Types of Violations
Neo-paramilitary groups were identified as the alleged perpetrators in 84 violations corresponding to 78% of the total reg-
istered. They are followed by guerrilla groups (17 violations) and state forces (1 violation).
Graphic 11. Violation by Alleged Perpetrators
Guerrillas
ALLEGED PERPETRATORS
Neo-paramilitaries
State Forces
Unknown
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
97
In 2011, the violations most commonly documented were: forced displacement (48), death threats (28), homicide (19) and
injury (5).
Graphic 12. Type of Violation
19 1 5 28 1 2 1 48 2 1
TOTAL
FARC-EP 6
Guerrila 11
Paramilitaries 84
Police 1
Unknown 6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Collective Victims
In 2011, collective violations affected approximately 131 victims. The following table presents the cases by month, prov-
ince, alleged perpetrators, type of violation and the number of victims.
Table 2.
Month Province Alleged Perpetrators Type of Violation Approximate Number of Victims

February Antioquia FARC-EP Collective threats 80
February La Guajira Neo-paramilitaries Collective threats 30
October Córdoba Neo-paramilitaries Collective displacement 21
98
C h a p t e r 4
99
CHAPTER 4
Seeds of Hope
Peacebuilding Proposals from Protestant and Evangelical Churches
T hroughout history, Christian churches have faced death and hopelessness just like that created by the Colombian armed
conflict. If Christians, as part of the broader society, cannot escape the terrible and shameful on-going human rights and
IHL violations, they must accept this reality while creating hope and providing consolation. This is what it means to walk
with Jesus.
In contrast to the death, violence and religious persecution detailed in the rest of this document, the Research and Political
Advocacy Program highlights in this fourth chapter different initiatives, projects and programs carried out by Protestant
and evangelical churches and inspired by the gospel message and prophetic call. These programs seek to end the cycle of
violence through creative nonviolence. As “Seeds of Hope,” they produce fruits of peace and reconciliation. Through effort,
steadfastness and dedication, these seeds can grow into an alternative society based on respect and solidarity as examples
of the gospel.
A. Presbyterian Accompaniment Program55
The Presbyterian Accompaniment Program started as a response to a call put out in May 2004 by social and human rights
organizations including the Coastal Presbytery of the Colombian Presbyterian Church (IPC) in Barranquilla. The call was di-
rected towards churches and human rights organizations in the United States expressing concern for the threats, persecution
and murders in Barranquilla, particularly in relation to work supporting displaced communities and human rights.
The program arose as a response to the Colombian Presbyterian Church (IPC) and particularly the Coastal Presbytery’s
call to the Presbyterian Church of the United States (PCUSA), to strengthen the relationship between the two Churches and
increase protection for vulnerable sectors of society such as the displaced population, labor organizers and organizations
working with the Coastal Presbytery in human rights and peacebuilding in the Caribbean region of Colombia.
55 Written by Milton Mejía, Presbyterian theology professor.
101
In March 2010, representatives from the IPC and PCUSA met to evaluate the program’s progress, analyze the two countries’
current contexts, evaluate the relationship over the last five years, discuss the positive experiences of the participants and
express the conviction that God had called them to continue the work of the Presbyterian Accompaniment Program.
The evaluation also affirmed the camaraderie in mission and the value of shared learning through work, mutual trust and the
fact that God was very much present in the Program. The guiding principles for the Presbyterian Accompaniment Program
were established as resisting violence, protecting human rights and creating a culture of peace within our churches, com-
munities, countries and the world.
The main objective of the U.S. volunteers is to accompany the IPC’s work in the following areas: providing protection for
at-risk human rights workers, supporting IPC efforts to assist displaced communities in the three Colombian presbyteries,
supporting political advocacy in Colombia, particularly (but not limited to) government agencies and embassies, support-
ing the efforts of the church to “build a culture of peace” and promote life through service and conflict resolution, working
to energize a growing group of accompaniers in the United States in their political advocacy work with the U.S. congress
and administration in closing U.S. military bases in Colombia, reducing military support for the Colombian armed forces,
increasing development aid and supporting agrarian reform for the internally displaced population in Colombia.
Since the accompaniment program’s beginning, 120 persons have participated in the training process and 77 have worked
as accompaniers. The program also provides a pair of permanent accompaniers. Participants have spoken about the per-
sonal changes that occur as a result of having shared in human rights and justice and peace building effrorts with com-
munities and churches in Colombia. The experience of being with these communities and feeling that they are contributing
to protecting lives and community efforts is helping churches to redefine their understanding of mission work and using the
gospel as a new tool for bringing peace to victims of poverty, violence and persecution in Colombia and around the world.
B. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia’s Report to the Committee on Economic,

Social and Cultural Rights (CDESC)56
By invitation from the Lutheran World Federation, Fabián Wilches, director of the Justice and Life Office of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Colombia and Lutheran pastor Jairo Suárez attended the session of the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (CESCR) of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as Colombian civil society rep-
resentatives. The session examined the fifth periodic report from Colombia on the application of the International Agreement
for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in its third and fifth sessions held on May 4 and 5 of 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the 23rd, 24th and 25th sessions held on May 19 and 20 of 2010, the CESCR approved the final observations of the
Colombian State.
56 Written by Fabián Wilches, director of the Justice and Life Office, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia.
102
One of the observations – number seven – specifically concerns the situation of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR)
in the armed conflict:
“The Committee is profoundly alarmed by the consequences of the prolonged internal armed conflict in
the mentioned State. The Committee regrets the lack of sufficiently detailed information on the State’s ef-
fective compliance with the obligations imposed upon it by virtue of the Pact in relation to the situation of
the civilian population in areas affected by the internal armed conflict.
The Committee urges the relevant State to immediately adopt efficient measures for applying the plans pre-
scribed in the report in order to confront prevailing armed violence. In this regard, the Committee implores
the State in its next periodic report to provide more detailed information regarding its compliance with the
obligations described in the Pact in relation to all economic, social and cultural rights in the population af-
fected by the internal armed conflict. The Committee reminds the State that it is precisely in crisis situations
that the Pact demands the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights, particularly
with respect to society’s most marginalized groups, to the greatest extent of its capacity.”57
During this occasion, the director of the Justice and Life Office, Fabián Wilches, and pastor Jairo Suárez shared the experi-
ences of civil society organizations in Geneva. They also had the opportunity to travel to Brussels, Belgium and meet with
57 Committee of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Final Observations of the Committee of Social, Economic and Cultural Rights to Colombia. June
2010.
103
deputies of the European Parliament as well as diplomatic personnel from the embassies of European countries. They spoke
with them about the grave situation faced by Protestant churches in Colombia in the midst of the armed conflict as well as
how the churches are responding with faith and hope.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia, despite the challenges and obstacles presented by the human rights and IHL
violations, continues to be a Seed of Hope in its dedication to defending and promoting justice and peace through advocacy,
human rights training, health education, environmental protection and sustainable community development projects.
C. Women’s Ecumenical Peacebuilding Group58
The Women’s Ecumenical Peacebuilding Group started in 2008 as an initiative of Catholic and Protestant women with a
desire to promote peacebuilding, justice and reconciliation through an ecumenical dialogue among women from different
churches. The group hopes to create opportunities for studying historical church violence and the mistreatment of women
while also raising awareness about women’s work for peace, justice and human rights in different churches in Colombia.
This particular seed of hope has extended its reach to seven regions in Colombia: Antioquia, the West, Santander, Norte de
Santander, Chocó, the Northern Coast and the East. Catholic and Protestant women from various denominations participate
in each region. Amongst the Protestants are women from Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Baptist and Anabaptist communities.
Ecumenical gatherings of women are a seed of hope bursting forth from the longing to build paths of discovery and tools for
peace in Colombia while also highlighting the work of each church and program on behalf of the least protected members
of our society. We strive therefore to transform church relationships, provide a space for listening, to be part of the process
and to show Colombia a group effort between women that truly creates signs of peace.
Our goals are:
• To strengthen the relationships between Catholic and Protestant women in ecumenical life, where church differ-
ences are an enriching factor.
• To empower women from an anthropological, theological and gender perspective, leading to changes in the family,
society and church.
• To propel women into pastoral roles and the defense of life, human rights, at-risk populations and the families of
victims of violence.
• To contribute to the spiritual and psychosocial self-care of peacebuilding women from different churches.
• To train women in ecumenical principles, providing a pathway to develop socio-political work.
58 Written by Alix Lozano, Mennonite theologian and member of the Women’s Network of CEDECOL.
104
• To highlight the work of women from different churches in their
respective regions, consolidating their efforts in building peace and
striving for social justice in Colombia.
It is important to remember that relations between Catholics and non-Cath-

olic Christians in Colombia have been characterized by indifference and,
in some cases, discrimination and tension. The benefits provided by the
Women’s Ecumenical Peacebuilding Group stem from the recognition and
acceptance of others as individuals. The understanding is that it is every-
one’s responsibility to work for peace regardless of denomination or church.
One of the primary challenges faced by the Women’s Ecumenical Peace-

building Group is that Catholic and Protestant women meeting together of-
ten causes suspicion in Colombia. This could be due to historical ignorance
about ecumenism. Therein lies the importance of re-encountering each other and providing new perspectives on peace as
Colombian women. The group has taken every chance to build trust, closeness, respect and friendship. This has truly been
a Seed of Hope in the midst of division and mistrust.
D. Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)59
“What would happen if Christians dedicated themselves to nonviolent peacemaking with the same discipline with which
armies dedicate themselves to war?” was the question posed after the lecture that Ronald Sider60 gave at the Mennonite
World Conference in 1984. He also challenged churches saying that Jesus’s call to take up the cross and follow Him was
a real cross (death by crucifixion) rather than a spiritual one as most churches suggest. He pointed out that the nonviolent
struggle for peace was as risky as war and that we should be prepared to give our lives for the cause. Sider envisioned a team
of 100,000 people trained in active nonviolence and ready to be sent to conflict zones and stand between armed groups and
the suffering population, helping to open a space in which the voices of the marginalized could be heard.
Two years after this call, the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) were founded by the historical peace churches (Mennonites,
Mennonite Brethren and Quakers). At first, the members of CPT and its board of directors were from the United States and
Canada, but CPT is currently made up of members from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Italy, Germany, Colombia, India and
Palestine and is supported by various churches and religious communities including the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian
and Catholic churches among others. In 1993, CPT held its first training session, in which seven people received instruction
59 Written by Christian Peacemaker Teams Colombia.

60 Ronald Sider is a Canadian theologian and Anabaptist pastor with a long bibliography covering subjects such as social action within the church, peace
and the active exercise of non-violence.
105
in different aspects of nonviolence: Bible, human rights documentation, conflict transformation, public direct action, and
nonviolent spiritual discipline, among others.
Since its founding in 1998, CPT has responded to the invitations of local groups fighting for justice by sending short-term
delegations and establishing teams in places such as Iraq, Haiti, Palestine, Bosnia, Chechnya, Washington, D.C., Richmond,
Virginia, indigenous territories in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Colombia.
CPT accompaniment programs consist of:
1. Just as Jesus called on Christians to be alongside those who suffer, CPT makes its presence felt in the midst of
suffering communities, crying, laughing and sharing with them to let them know that they are not alone.
2. An international presence documenting and denouncing human rights violations committed by armed groups has
been shown to provide a certain degree of protection for communities and their leaders.
3. We communicate existing injustices to the world, making a connection between the violence of armed conflict and
the economic and social policies of governments such as those of the United States, Canada and the European
Union, etc. We illustrate the complicity of us all in the situation and invite people to work towards creating a just
solution to the conflict.
In 2000, by invitation of the Mennonite Church of Colombia (IMCOL), CPT arrived in Colombia to assist community pro-
cesses in the Magdalena Medio region, which were being threatened by armed groups (the National Army, paramilitaries
and guerrillas) fighting for territorial control. The first CPTers in Colombia were foreigners, but thanks to the efforts of the
Colombian Mennonite Church, CPT now has members of Colombian churches participating as well.
During Easter week of 2002, a delegation of 12 members of the Colombian Mennonite Church visited CPT in order to find out
more about the project. In December of the same year, three people joined the program as interns, with the goal of evaluating
the presence of Colombian nationals in CPT. At first, CPT worked under the premise that only foreigners could accompany
Colombian communities given that it was the status of the foreign passport that provided protection. However, we quickly
learned that is not the passport that brings solidarity, but rather the warm touch of a hand on a shoulder and the wisdom of
someone else who has lived through war giving their support to the work strategy. In the ten years of presence in Colombia,
CPT has worked with five nationals as members of the team and held its first training program in Colombia in 2009, during
which time ten nationals were prepared to be a part of the team.
The communities and process are an example of the social struggles for peace and justice that CPT has had the privilege to
accompany during the past ten years. With the grace and goodness of God, we will continue to be Seeds of Hope, attentive
to the prophetic call that God provides us through his people.
106
E. Peacebuilding through Music and Art at the Christ the Center Church61
The Christ the Center Church is located in the Nueva Jerusalén neighborhood of the municipality of Caucasia, Antioquia. The
majority of the community’s residents have been victims of the internal armed conflict having received death threats, having
been forcibly displaced from their lands or homes, or facing human rights violations such as homicide, drug trafficking, the
risk of child recruitment and hostilities between the different armed groups present in the area.
The pastor’s family of the Christ the Center Church has lived in the neighborhood for three years, taking part in the commu-
nity organizing seeking legal titles for the residents of the neighborhood, access to public services, improving the standard
of living, training community leaders and providing assistance to families who have been victims of the conflict. Through
the gospel, they have worked for the good of the community, bringing hope to those families that have suffered the worst
consequences of the armed conflict in the Lower Cauca region of Antioquia.
The church began its work with a group of 12 children and young people from the area and their families (particularly female
heads of household), training them in music and art. The project’s goal is to promote an active use of free time and prevent
the youth from joining gangs and armed groups. Additionally, the program promotes a culture of peace, nonviolence and the
peaceful resolution of family and community conflicts.
In weekly meetings, boys, girls and young people learn to play different musical instruments such as guitar, keyboard, flute
and drums. Since 2011, conversations with the Mayor’s office led to the provision of institutional support for musical and
artistic training, allowing the group to expand to more than 20 young people from the community. The teachers come from
the Caucasia Municipal Cultural Center.
Along with music and art education, these young people and their families are trained in topics such as co-existence, re-
spect for life and nonviolence. Justapaz provided training for the nonviolence and conflict resolution aspects of the program
through their Building Peace through Community Transformation Project, as well as supplying teaching materials.
The church continues the training process for young people and their families, reflecting continuously on Biblical principals
such as respect for life, justice and nonviolence and preparing them to be peacebuilding leaders in their church and com-
munity. In addition to these efforts, the community has expressed a desire to link the program more intentionally with the
larger campaign for peace and coexistence being promoted not just in the neighborhood but also in the entire municipality
of Caucasia, which is known as “Peace Can Count On Me”.
61 Written by the Building Peace through Community Transformation Project of Justapaz.
107
The process of artistic, cultural and peace training carried
out by the Christ the Center Church has grown and sus-
tained itself through its own resources and talents of the
church community. The program has also helped internally
displaced children and their families maintain hope in the
face of adversity and strengthening themselves through
new experiences of community and social leadership.
This process represents a Seed of Hope because it permits

individuals, families and an entire community to overcome
the various obstacles facing them in a creative way with
their own resources by transforming conflict situations,
hopelessness and pain. Despite uncertainty about the fu-
ture, the program continues to help strengthen relation-
ships, train new leaders while protecting life, and promot-
ing justice and dignity.
F. The El Garzal Verification Commission,

December 2011
El Garzal is a rural community in the municipality of Simití

in southern Bolívar province. The community of El Garzal
is currently in the midst of a struggle to defend their terri-
tory as large landowner, Manuel Enrique Barreto, fraudu-
lently obtained titles to their property. “The rural residents
affirm that the titles […] appear in 1970 in the name of
three persons: Martín Vargas Camelo, Johel Naranjo Escobar and Manuel Enrique Barreto Díaz, who leased their rights to
Fedearroz and other entities. Barreto sold a large part of the original lots to his wife, Maritza Esguerra de Barreto’s family.
[…] the area claimed by the Barreto-Esguerra family increased, and they now claim to own a much larger area of land than
before, including almost the entire community of El Garzal.”62 The Colombian Agrarian Reform Institute – INCORA declared
the properties to be without owners in 1990 and 2004 and certified the presence of the 64 rural families living there. None-
theless, the heirs of Enrique Barreto opposed INCORA’s declaration and filed suit in court seeking to reclaim the land.
62 Molano Bravo, Alfredo. “Caso El Garzal”. Article in El Espectador. See: http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/nacional/articulo-368762-caso-el-

garzal
108
Along with the court case, the families in the community also face the landowners and illegal armed groups that have
grown coca illegally in the area, endangering the community’s food security. In response, the community created the Simití
Alternative Farmers Association – ASPROAS – in 1997 with the goal of improving the quality of life for the association’s
467 members by increasing food security and defending their land. The alternative crops project includes a rotating fund
for agriculture (corn, cassava, plantain, cacao, rice and beans) and small livestock (chickens, turkeys and pigs) as well as
training in starting small businesses in baking, making clothes and gardening.
Due to the complex situation facing the community, organizations that support the community, decided to organize a Veri-
fication Mission that visited El Garzal on December 5, 2011. National and International delegates gathered to review the
situation in El Garzal and show support for the community’s effort to defend their right to the land. The mission included
11 representatives from Global Ministries (of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ) in
the United States, the Swiss Embassy in Colombia, Justapaz, the CEDECOL Peace Commission, Swissaid, Catholic Social
Ministries, Christian Peacemaker Teams, the Swiss Program for Peace in Colombia -Suippcol, Chasquis Foundation, the
Magdalena Medio Peace and Development Program, Simití Mayor-elect Elkin Rincón, Alfredo Molano Jimeno of the El Es-
pectador newspaper, the Regional Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, delegates from the Network of Peace Initiatives and
Peace Communities: Las Pavas, and the Working Group for the Protection of Land and Territory in Córdoba.
The visit began with a welcome from the community and a brief tour before hearing the stories of community members, who
recounted how they’ve struggled to defend their land and the development of their community. Some of the members of the
Verification Mission expressed their commitment to continue supporting the community, including the Swiss government,
Simití Mayor-elect Elkin Rincón and the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office. Christian organizations expressed their sup-
port through prayers, words of support and by exchanging symbols of solidarity. The delegates from Global Ministries also
agreed to raise the case of El Garzal with the United States Embassy (with whom they met the following day), as well as the
U.S. Congress and churches in the United States.63
Although fear remains, due to the threat of violence and displacement, the community’s faith, bravery, hope and their culture
of peace and active nonviolence keep them strong. The El Garzal community recognizes that many challenges still lie before
them, including keeping up the work of improving their quality of life, and defending their right to their land. Additionally,
food security will continue to be an important challenge involving preserving local flora and fauna, preventing excessive
deforestation, and maintaining an equilibrium with nature.
63 Gonzalez, Oliva. El Garzal Leaflet. 2012
109
G. Mampuján Marches for Life and Justice64
Marching to Cartagena was not one step of faith but many for the community, including the protestant Church of the Open
Door, of Mampuján. Putting one foot in front of the other, in the midst of heat, rain and with multiple blisters, Mampuján
slowly but surely made their way down the 72 km to the capital of Bolivar and into the heart of Cartagena, demanding to
speak with the governor of Bolivar as a community.
For many, walking away from the community at four in the morning at the start of the march, carrying bags on their backs,
brought memories of the their displacement, 12 years prior, flooding back. They remembered when they were violently
ordered out of the community by a group of paramilitaries, fleeing with only what they could carry. However, leaving the
community the morning of December 12, 2011 was not forced upon them but rather a display of strength and resistance to
the daily life of being a victim in Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict.
In contrast to many of the other thousands of communities of victims, Mampuján and several surrounding communities have
received the only verdict in Colombia under the Justice and Peace Law. This verdict sentenced two of the paramilitary leaders
who ordered their displacement and also ordered various state entities to comply with a number of reparations, including
individual and community compensation. However, despite these promises, and the nation-wide celebration that followed,
64 Written by Anna Vogt. Seed Program of the Mennonite Central Committee
110
the community had not received anything and there were increasing fears that, like so many other promises, hope of change
would slowly fade away.
Community leaders gathered in the local church and with the support of Ricardo Esquivia65, decided it was time to do some-
thing dramatic, not only for themselves but for all the victims of Colombia. After all, if the promises to one small community
cannot be kept, what hope is there for the other 5 million victims? It was time to march.
Almost as important as the march itself was the way in which they marched. Nonviolence was the defining feature of the
march. It was a living demonstration that the community was not the violent group they were accused of being when they
were forcibly displaced. It was another act of reversal and resistance, proclaiming the truth about Mampuján and showing
a new way forward for change in Colombia. As the community walked, without fighting and picking up all the trash in their
path, people along the road expressed support for their message of reparations and peace in Colombia. Bystanders in the
market in Cartagena offered them candy and food, sharing stories of victimhood, a common but often unspoken experience.
On the afternoon of December 13, the community arrived at the center of Cartagena and requested to bring their demands to
the governor as a group. He appeared briefly, and the next day Mampuján had the honour of being the first community ever
to enter the Yellow Room in the Governer’s Palace in Cartagena without having to register or go through security checks.
Cheered on by members of the community, leaders demanded justice and shared personal stories of the impact of displace-
ment and massacres in their lives and the life of the community. Even the children were there, seated at the front of the room
as a reminder of the importance and need for change for the future of the community.
Mampuján is still waiting for their reparations to arrive. But things have changed, both with their relationships with the gov-
ernment and press as well as within the community. The community has gained national attention and important meetings
have been held that otherwise probably would not have taken place. Church leaders use the march as an example during
church services, people are more eager to work together and there is a strong sense of empowerment within Mampuján. No
matter what happens, no one will forget the powerful and life changing action of putting one foot in front of the other in the
walk for justice.
H. Bread and Peace Campaign66
In 2001 the United Nations General Assembly declared September 21 the International Day of Peace, Ceasefire and Non-
Violence through resolution 55/282. In Colombia, the day has been commemorated with the Bread and Peace Campaign
since 2002.
65 A Colombian Mennonite peace leader and Director of Sembrandopaz.

66 Information taken from the Bread and Peace Bulletin. 2011.
111
“Bread and Peace is a joint effort between individuals, churches and institutions who, through the gospel of Jesus, God’s
son, give testimony to the relationship between economic justice and peace in terms of respect for the dignity of men,
women, young people and children.”67 In the campaign’s nine years, various activities have been carried out including ad-
vocacy of local and regional governments, and raising awareness about peacebuilding in public opinion and public policy.
Additionally, prayer and liturgy help to unite individuals, churches and communities in support of peace.
In September 2011, 21 events were held in nine Colombian provinces: Antioquia, Arauca, Caldas, Córdoba, Cundinamarca,
Quindío, Risaralda, Tolima and Valle del Cauca. Various churches from different denominations participated, including: the
Lutheran Church, Mennonite Church, Mennonite Brethren Church, Missionary Union Church, Revival Cathedral, Adventist
Church, Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC) and independent churches. The focus in 2011 was the
cost of war in Colombia and the building bridges of peace; recognizing that churches can share the message of reconcilia-
tion in the midst of the challenges facing much of the population highlighting the importance of generating public opinion
in favor of peace.
Among the more notable activities were marches such as those organized by the Mennonite Church in the Villas de Granada
neighborhood in northwest Bogotá and the march accompanied by the CEDECOL Peace Commission in La Ceja, Antioquia.
All activities involved time for reflection, fasting, vigils or liturgies calling on churches to be agents of hope and to promote
peace, justice, nonviolence, the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the holistic wellbeing of all of humanity.
Although there was a main theme established for the 2011 campaign, each church adapted it to the most sensitive problems
facing their region. Some focused on the impact of the armed conflict in their towns, while others opted to highlight the
effects of urban violence or raise community awareness around peacebuilding and reconciliation. Despite these differences,
the churches were united in their determination to transform society to become more just and equitable.
Thanks to the Bread and Peace Campaign, churches have grown in their ability to do advocacy on behalf of their communi-
ties and to develop programs to meet their needs. Examples include the programs carried out in Soacha, Bogotá, Antioquia,
Valle del Cauca and Córdoba. Another strength can be found in the bonds established between churches, which have favored
communication and involvement each year in new faith communities and boosted the campaign’s impact in each region to
the point that mayors, representatives and councilmen and women have participated. These campaigns are carried out with
scarce economic resources, the majority of which come from local churches. Nonetheless, the most important resource has
always been human, through the involvement of leaders, young people, women and children.
67 Bread and Peace Document, 2011.
112
C h a p t e r 5
113
Chapter 5
Recommendations
B ased on the information in this report detailing violations that have been committed against members of Protestant and
evangelical churches - violating their rights to life, personal integrity, personal freedoms, dignity, religious freedom, and
freedom of movement - and based on international human rights standards and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), we
make the following recommendations:
A. Cease-fire and negotiations between warring factions
Colombian Government and Armed Groups:
• Maintain a willingness to dialogue and to seek a solution to the internal armed conflict as the essential element nec-
essary for ensuring sustainable peace in Colombia. These dialogues must involve diverse sectors of civil society,
including Protestant and evangelical churches.
B. Churches in peacebuilding
Colombian Government:
• Guarantee the right to civic participation, religious freedom and freedom of worship. Respect the actions of the
members of Protestant and evangelical churches who, in fulfilling their pastoral, humanitarian and peacebuilding
mission, engage in communication with armed groups and build bridges between groups in conflict.
115
Armed Groups:
• Respect pastors and church leaders’ right to life, movement and freedom from harm. Respect all places of worship.
United States, Canadian and European Union Governments:
• Actively support peace initiatives with political and diplomatic accompaniment. Reinforce this support with interna-
tional aid for civil society peacebuilding initiatives. Develop reconciliation projects with the help of churches.
C. Policies for peace
• Re-convene the National Peace Council and the Regional Peace Councils, which were created by Colombian Law
434 of 1998, to advise the President on issues of peace on a local, regional and national level. Guarantee the full
and effective participation of civil society in these councils.
• Consistent with Article 22 of the National Constitution, which enshrines the right of all Colombians to build and
enjoy peace, reform Article 3 of Law 1421 of 2010 to allow civil society’s participation in peace talks with illegal
armed actors as a complement to the government’s actions in pursuit of peace.
D. Respect for the civilian population in conflict zones
• Investigate crimes involving sexual violence committed in the context of the armed conflict. Punish those who are
responsible and guarantee the right to truth, justice and comprehensive reparations for all victims of sexual vio-
lence, especially women and girls.
• Comprehensively ensure the rights of populations that are most vulnerable to the effects of the armed conflict,
recognizing the effects of race, ethnicity, gender, class and other characteristics on an individual’s and group’s
vulnerability.
• Guarantee the right to conscientious objection to mandatory military service, based on Article 18 of the Colombian
Constitution, the C-728/09 ruling of the Constitutional Court as well as international standards. Conscientious
objection is a right for all people whose conscience precludes them from direct or indirect involvement in military
service, structures and activities.
• Adopt a policy to fight the impunity for the crime of forced recruitment, with concrete results in investigation and
punishment.
116
Armed Actors:
• Stop involving the civilian population in political and war strategies.

• End all forced military recruitment and the use of child soldiers.
• Respect the life and dignity of girls and women; who continue to be used as spoils of war and are victims of sexual
abuse and rape by the different armed actors.
E. Truth, justice and reparations for victims
• Adopt and implement a process to defend and promote the rights of victims of illegal armed groups and of state
crimes, in their rights to truth, justice and reparations as well as the right to non-repetition of violent acts.
• Ensure victims know their rights and understand the processes and mechanisms for accessing those rights within
the framework of the new Victims Law enacted by Congress and approved by the national government in 2011.
• Adopt measures to ensure the safety and protection of victims. Facilitate their participation in public hearings and
legal proceedings involving human rights violators.
• Ensure that people and/or communities affected by paramilitary and neo-paramilitary group violence are given the
status of victims of the armed conflict.
United States Government:
• When the United States government punishes a US transnational corporation for violating human rights in Colom-
bia, the fine should be used for reparations for the victims in Colombia.
F. Dismantle paramilitary groups
• Guarantee the civilian population’s rights including its protection from the violence perpetrated by neo-paramilitary
groups.
• Guarantee the investigation, trial and punishment of paramilitary and neo-paramilitary group members and their
civilian, military, and government accomplices.
117
• As a donor to the paramilitary demobilization process, ensure the complete and definitive dismantling of paramili-
tary groups and their financial and political support structures. Unconditionally support victims’ efforts in seeking
truth, justice and reparation and the assurance of non-repetition of violent acts.
G. Institutional strengthening of the colombian government
• Ensure the strengthening of the judicial system, and in particular, carry out the courts’ orders and respect judicial
independence.
• Expedite the restructuring of the entities responsible for implementing the Victims and Land Restitution Law.
• Prioritize assistance directed toward democracy building and strengthening of the rule of law in Colombia.
H. Military and anti-narcotics policies
• Adjust the federal budget to give priority to social investment and reduce military spending.
• Continue encouraging the international community to debate anti-narcotics policies as a step towards transforming
them.
• Redirect military aid towards socioeconomic aid and peace initiatives.

• Adjust the federal budget to give priority to social investment and reduce military spending.
118
119
Glossary of terms
VIOLATION CATEGORIES AND RELATED TERMS
An unsuccessful attempt to cause the death of a human being through a single, intentional act of
Attempted Homicide
violence.
Extrajudicial Execution Homicide of a civilian by the State outside of the armed conflict.
An extrajudicial execution reported as a death in combat. State agents often dress the civilian corpse
False Positive in guerrilla camouflage and plant a weapon on their person to create the appearance of an enemy
combatant.
Consists of an armed group, usually the paramilitary or Public Security Forces, forcing a person to
vanish. The victim is kidnapped, illegally detained, often tortured and nearly always killed. The corpse
Forced Disappearance
is disposed of so as to never be found. Fear of reprisals often keeps the family of a disappeared person
from investigating the whereabouts and fate of their loved one.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are forced to flee their homes, but unlike refugees they stay within
Forced Displacement their country’s borders. This forced migration is the result of a threat against an individual or com-
munity.
Human Shield The use of a civilian as a means of protection by one of the armed groups.
Homicide To cause the death of a person through a single, intentional act of violence.
Taking a civilian against their will and holding them with no legal authority. An individual’s freedom is
Kidnapping
deprived to force payment to finance an armed group, as a bartering chip, or to impact public opinion.
Intimidation forecasting grave harm for an individual, member of his or her family or friends, or an
Threats
entire community. Threats are designed to manipulate behavior and often lead to displacement.
121
ARMED GROUPS
AUC The Spanish acronym for the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia), the
former paramilitary umbrella group. Most AUC blocks demobilized between 2004 and 2006.
ELN The Spanish acronym for the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional), Colombia’s second
largest guerrilla group.
FARC The Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de
Colombia), the oldest guerrilla group in Latin America.
GAULA The Spanish acronym for Unified Action Groups for Personal Freedom (Grupos de Acción Unificada por la
Libertad Personal), Colombia’s Public Security Forces specialized in fighting kidnapping, hostage taking and
extortion.
Public Security Forces Colombia’s military, police and armed investigative units.
Neo-paramilitaries68 The AUC demobilization process was highly questioned by many sectors of Colombian government and civil
society, many who considered it to be an incomplete process. The demobilization has led to the creation of new
illegal armed groups, which have strengthened over the past six years into groups which act in similar ways to the
AUC and share economic interests largely related to drug trafficking, extortion and illegal mining, among others.
In reviewing documents about what the government refers to as “Criminal Bands” or BACRIM, a number of
alternative titles can be found which describe what they really are. Among the more telling examples are: Nar-
co-paramilitaries, Para-narcos, post-demobilization illegal armed groups, neo-paramilitaries, criminal bands
(BACRIM), emergent groups and heirs or successors to paramilitaries, among others.
In the case of A Prophetic Call, recognizing the dynamics of these groups implies using the term which best de-
scribes them. As such, the term neo-paramilitaries was adopted, given that they are post-demobilization illegal
armed groups, which have strengthened themselves through strategies and actions directed against the civilian
population. They are characterized by a reduction in counter-insurgency discourse and an increase in illegal
economic activity such as drug trafficking, extortion and illegal mining. This change in discourse explains their
characterization on a national level as criminal bands, as their activities are less coordinated on a national scale,
rather the majority of their violence tends to take place at the local level. Nonetheless, their local behavior is
still distinguished by an ability to control significant amounts of territory through threats and selective killings,
hostilities, the recruitment of children and adolescents and confinement.
On the other hand, the term neo-paramilitary reflects the continuity of paramilitary strategy and operations in
these new groups. The fact that many members of neo-paramilitary groups are non-demobilized paramilitary
soldiers or the recidivist demobilized soldiers provides clear evidence of this phenomenon. Also worth noting is
their involvement with politics. Economic activities allow the armed groups to finance, promote and favor local
and national political candidates with a particular interest in limiting land restitution. Furthermore, the cases
documented in A Prophetic Call illustrate the relationships that these groups maintain not just with politicians,
but also with members of the public forces and the judicial branch, thereby making it difficult to safely report
crimes and the right to due process.
68 Much of the logic behind the use of the term neo-paramilitaries is based on the text written by Angélica Arias of the Corporación Nuevo Arco Iris:
“Neoparamilitares– Bacrim: Acciones de Interferencia para las Elecciones Locales de 2011”.
OTHER TERMS
Subsistence farmers or small-scale agriculturalist. From “campo,” Spanish for countryside or field,
Campesino
the term indicates an economic status and social sector.
Action taken by illegal armed groups to hand over their weapons, withdraw from their group and submit
Demobilization to the Colombian justice system. As of 2005 those voluntarily demobilizing have access to reduced
penalties through the Justice and Peace Law. Desmobilization can be collective or individual.
Often referred to as the laws of armed conflict, it defines the conduct and responsibilities of individu-
als engaged in warfare, both in relation to each other and civilians (or protected persons). Use of the
International Humanitarian Law
term International Humanitarian Law by Justapaz and the CRVP should not be taken as tacit approval
of war making, but rather as a second language to ensure effective communication of the experiences
of civilians in the midst of Colombia’s armed conflict.
The Colombian Congress passed Law 975 in 2005 based on a bill from Colombian President Uribe
Justice and Peace Law to provide a legal framework for the process of disarmament and demobilization of active paramilitary
members. The benefits of this law are currently available for any member of an illegal armed group
who voluntarily demobilizes.
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JUSTAPAZ AND THE PEACE COMMISSION OF THE EVANGELICAL COUNCIL OF COLOMBIA, CEDECOL

RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM

A PROPHETIC CALL - EDITION 6/7

Bogotá, November 10, 2012

With the support of:

NATIONAL RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY TEAM:

ROCÍO PAOLA NEME NEIVA

Christian center for justice, peace and noNviolent action – justapaz

Colombian Context, Between Uribe and Santos A. Homicide..............................................................................60

A. United States........................................................................25 CASES PRIOR TO 2010

A. Presbyterian Accompaniment Program..............................101

International and Domestic Context Analysis1

Colombian Context, Between Uribe and Santos1

A. Keys for an Analysis of the Colombian Context

B. 2010-2011: Human Rights

International Context and International Policy Towards Colombia32

31 Ley de Ordenamiento Territorial

Religious Liberty in Colombia 1991-201140

A. Background on the Religious Liberty Law

B. The Religious Liberty Law and its Implementation

C. Problems in Exercising Religious Liberty

CASE 1: Homicide CASE 2: Homicide, Torture

Raúl* was well-regarded in his community. He had seven

Victim: Leonardo Fabio Sotelo Martínez, of the

E. FORCED DISPLACEMENT Carlos Benites García, 60, is a fisherman, farmer, forest

Isaac Cuero Valencia, 22, worked as a farmer and fisher-

Graphic 1. Violations by Age Group

Graphic 2. Violations by Sex

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Graphic 3. Violations by Denomination

Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)

Graphic 4. Violations by Province

Alleged Perpetrators and Types of Violations

Graphic 5. Violations by Alleged Perpetrator

Graphic 6. Type of Victimization

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150

Graphic 7. Violations by Age Group

Graphic 9. Violations by Denomination

Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean (AIEC)

Graphic 10. Violations by Province

Alleged Perpetrators and Types of Violations

Graphic 11. Violation by Alleged Perpetrators

Graphic 12. Type of Violation

Month Province Alleged Perpetrators Type of Violation Approximate Number of Victims

A. Presbyterian Accompaniment Program55

55 Written by Milton Mejía, Presbyterian theology professor.

B. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia’s Report to the Committee on Economic,

C. Women’s Ecumenical Peacebuilding Group58

Our goals are:

It is important to remember that relations between Catholics and non-Cath-

One of the primary challenges faced by the Women’s Ecumenical Peace-

D. Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)59

59 Written by Christian Peacemaker Teams Colombia.

CPT accompaniment programs consist of:

61 Written by the Building Peace through Community Transformation Project of Justapaz.

This process represents a Seed of Hope because it permits

F. The El Garzal Verification Commission,

El Garzal is a rural community in the municipality of Simití

62 Molano Bravo, Alfredo. “Caso El Garzal”. Article in El Espectador. See: http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/nacional/articulo-368762-caso-el-

• Stop involving the civilian population in political and war strategies.