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The Uribe and Bush administrations have come to an agreement under which paramilitary leaders are being extradited to the United States to stand trial for drug-trafficking. Many of these paramilitaries have caused hundreds, and even thousands, of deaths through massacres of civilians
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Colombia: Help preserve evidence of paramilitary ties
By Colombia Support Network
The Uribe and Bush administrations have come to an agreement under
which paramilitary leaders are being extradited to the United States
to stand trial for drug-trafficking. Many of these paramilitaries have
caused hundreds, and even thousands, of deaths through massacres of
civilians. The Uribe administration seems particularly interested in
expelling the paramilitary leaders to the US, where some of them have
already come to agreements with the US Government under which they are
sentenced to prison terms for their drug-trafficking and no evidence
is presenting concerning their human rights abuses. Information
concerning ties between the paramilitaries and military officers and
politicians, especially those of parties which have supported
President Uribe and close associates of his administration, may not be
collected or preserved as not relevant to drug-trafficking
prosecutions in the US .
Now a veteran paramilitary leader, Ever Veloza, also known as "H.H.",
who was leader of the Bloques Calima and Bananeros, has begun to talk
about the ties between paramilitaries and army officers, businessmen
and politicians. In response, Polo Democratico Senator Gustavo Petro
has urged President Uribe to withold extradition of "H.H.", until he
has told his story. CSN invites you to write to President Uribe, US
Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Colombia's Attorney General Mario
Iguaran urging them to place a hold on extradition until the human
rights violation stories can be told. Urge Mr. Mukasey to collect and
preserve any evidence and testimonies provided by the paramilitaries
in the US so that justice can be done and the truth learned by the
families of victims of paramilitary violence
Action: Please write to:
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
Tel ( 202) 514 -2001
Please go to our website and send messages to your members of
Congress: see CSN's Action Center: http://www.colombiasupport.net
Presidencia de la República
Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Presidente de la República
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co
Or check his website www.presidencia.gov.co
Fiscalía General de la Nación
Dr. Mario Hernán Iguarán Arana.
E-mail: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co; denuncias@fiscalia.gov.co
By Colombia Support Network http://www.colombiasupport.net/
Original: Colombia: Help preserve evidence of paramilitary ties