Santrich: another thorn in the path of peace in Colombia – Juventud Rebelde

The road traveled by the peace process in Colombia is facing the worst obstacle of its few years of existence.

The reconstruction of the former guerrilla commander, Jesús Santrich, during the execution of the order for release by the Special Court of Peace (PEC), shows not only an extreme spirit of revenge on the part peaceful coexistence; moreover, it virtually demoralizes and buries this judicial body, the cornerstone of the implementation of the agreements.

The extradition of Santrich to the United States – against which the JEP was pronounced – again becomes a threat after a "release" Friday that lasted only three minutes, at the same door of La Picota Prison where he was imprisoned more than a year later, the former guerrilla was arrested again by order of the prosecutor's office, which now claims that the evidence has not yet been submitted to the special court , even though the special court had solicited them and, failing that, had pronounced in favor of immediate release.

A video showing Santrich in conversation with strangers, who would speak of "hectares" and "millions", is the only evidence available to accuse the accused of having negotiated the introduction of l & # 39; EE. UU of ten tons of cocaine after the signing of the peace agreement.

The shoot was described as a montage and a failure. Although the alleged attempt to smuggle drugs was not proven, it was essential to specify the date of the alleged appointment because, in accordance with the agreement, the CEP will only judge crimes committed before the signing of the agreements. But the moment when the alleged meeting took place could not be verified.

The tests carried out on the detainee at the hospital where he was transferred immediately after the "recovery" and in which he had been badigned to intensive care – had led to an "organic mental syndrome or delirium", according to the certificate issued by a rightist journalist. although he stated that it was necessary to exclude "possible exogenous intoxication", he notably ordered a "complete toxicological examination". Santrich was also wounded with a knife in his forearms, probably in his cell.

This event provoked an understandable political shake-up in a country where, a few hours earlier, peace advocates had applauded the CEP's decision and considered it a step forward in favor of Colombian agreements and sovereignty. Now, the enemies of the process are proud, among them the authorities who had put forward the will to prevent the verdict from being executed.

The former Attorney General, Néstor H. Martínez, must be counted among them. He resigned after hearing the JEP decision and described it as "a challenge to the Constitution and the legal order" while urging citizens to mobilize; President Ivan Duque himself, who is in power the expression of animosity provoked by the agreement, and the exmandatario Álvaro Uribe, who has always opted for a conclusion of the war by military means likely to bend and humiliate the insurgency.

And he must also have found applause at the American Embbady. UU in Bogotá, who had expressed his disgust for liberation. Not to mention what they will think about now in Washington.

The meeting which, at the time of the writing of these lines, was organized by the leaders of the now common alternative revolutionary force of the Common (where are the members of the ex-FARC-EP guerrilla), was announced by its leader, Rodrigo Londoño, aka Timoshenko, and has the seriousness of the moment.

"The stab wounds do not stop at peace, hatred they break what has been agreed … With dignity and hope, we will recompose and build the country of the future; what belongs to reconciliation and the generation of peace, "wrote Tymoshenko on his Twitter account.

The events fit into an environment that was already in crisis the credibility and health of the implementation of the peace agreements signed in Havana in August 2016, then ratified by the Cartiania of Cartagena, Colombia, at the end of the mandate of the former president Juan Manuel Santos.

The threat of other former guerrilla leaders being claimed and sent without further evidence to the United States. UU., Generated an inevitable feeling of insecurity among the demobilized and frustrated among all those who believed that both parties would abide by the gentlemen pact, which should further be a commitment of the state. Meanwhile, killings continue among the 7,000 guerrillas who have surrendered their weapons with confidence and of whom they have killed 115 people to date.

There were insurmountable breaks, like the one that moved away from the political scenario and left his seat as senator (it was one of the points of the agreements) to Iván Márquez, head of the FARC-EP negotiating delegation during the discussions in Havana. , who has spoken severely against Santrich's arrest and whose whereabouts are still unknown.

The extradition to the United States of former Commander Simón Trinidad in 2004, after his capture in Ecuador, as he explored the possibility of a prisoner exchange and a means to negotiate peace, is a worrying precedent. : Ricardo Palmero, his real name, he is in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

The authorities will now seek to legitimize their actions. Admittedly, the JEP said that national courts should put an end to the US indictment against Santrich. But the defense attorney said that the new alleged evidence emanating from the prosecution was also illegal, and accused the DEA (US Department of Counter Narcotics) of being behind these mountains.

Analysts in the field also claim other intentions of the executive, which has been trying for weeks to get Congress that it approves reforms of the CEP law to reduce its powers and to make the revision and the change signed and ineligible.

According to these observers, the former Attorney General wanted to create the conditions for declaring a national emergency that would allow Santrich to extradite and, more importantly, to convene a national constituent badembly whose postulates would once and for all impede peace process. Some are already making the death box.