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Newsbrief:
Washington
Says
Colombian
Military
Meets
Human
Rights
Conditions,
Frees
More
Money
5/3/02
Secretary of State Colin
Powell certified Wednesday that the Colombian military has met human rights
conditions mandated by Congress. The move frees up $62 million in
US military assistance and comes in the face of harsh denunciations by
human rights groups, who said that the Colombian military had failed to
take "even minimal steps to meet the conditions."
The human rights conditions
imposed by Congress had centered on ending impunity for military human
rights abuses and breaking links between the military and the rightist
paramilitaries of the AUC, which is officially designated as a terrorist
organization by the State Department. "The decision to certify Colombia
on human rights misrepresents the facts in order to keep the aid spigot
open," Bill Spencer, executive director of the Washington Office on Latin
America, told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Human Rights Watch/Americas
Director Jose Miguel Vivanco told AP that ties between the Colombian military
and the AUC remain. "The administration is proposing millions in
counterterrorism aid to Colombia even as the Colombian military refuses
to break ties with a designated terrorist group," he said.
The Colombian military, on
the other hand, was crowing in delight and counting its new money.
"This is a recognition of the (military's) upright behavior," said Defense
Minister Gustavo Bell.
US officials were unable
to cite significant progress in reducing human rights abuses by the military.
One official pointed to the case of the highest ranking officer in the
Colombian Marines, who was accused of numerous human rights violations.
He has been restricted to administrative duties as punishment.
-- END --
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Issue #235, 5/3/02
Editorial: Return of the Drug Czars | Former British Drug Policy Head Says Legalize it All | Thai Police Death Squads Accused of Killing Drug Dealers | South Dakota Amendment Would Give Criminal Defendants Right to Argue Merits, Applicability and Validity of Laws | Summer Concert Bust Season Gets Early Start in Alabama -- Rockers Can Take Steps to Protect Themselves, Say Advocates | It's National Drug Court Month -- Do You Know What You're Getting for Your Money? The Government Doesn't, Says GAO | Newsbrief: Washington Says Colombian Military Meets Human Rights Conditions, Frees More Money | Newsbrief: Japan to Outlaw Magic Mushrooms, Loophole Slams Shut | Newsbrief: China Faces Plague of Yuppie Dopers as Disposable Income in Cities Rises | Newsbrief: Prospects Dimming For Vermont Medical Marijuana Bill | Newsbrief: Italian Legislative Body Asks for Medical Marijuana | Newsbrief: BC Marijuana Party Head to Run for Vancouver Mayor | Newsbrief: Eleven House Pages Fired for Marijuana Use -- NORML Offers Them Jobs | Newsbrief: Connecticut Carpenters Strike Over Wages, Drug Testing | Web Scan: De Greiff, Blumenson, Weitzel, GAO, Canada | Errata: Drug War Race | The Reformer's Calendar
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