“The UP was not exterminated by self-defense groups, its great author is the Colombian State”: Mancuso before the Truth Commission

This Wednesday in the intervention of Rodrigo Londoño (Tymoshenko) and Salvatore Mancuso, the latter referred to what happened between the 80s and 90s during the extermination of the Patriotic Union (UP), a party made up of former FARC guerrillas after a peace agreement with the government of Belisario Betancur.

The former head of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), has detached himself from the responsibility that has historically also been attributed to the paramilitary group.

“The UP was not exterminated by self-defense groups, its great author is the Colombian state and those who were accused of having a link with the armed wing of the guerrilla and were opposed to the UP, started, from the UP. State, to execute actions against them

Among the main reasons for doing so are the victories won by the party in the late 1980s in city halls and governorates, Mancuso stressed, generating fear by contradicting politicians and even in economic sectors. This led the state to take violent and murderous actions, preventing the achievement of a communist program like Cuba. The former paramilitary leader claimed that the Sijín and the late DAS were involved.

Although he did not shake off his guilt and responsibility for the murder of UP members, he clarified that the big determinant was the state and added that This was joined by some armed members of the Farc themselves who did not agree with the separation of the armed group from the political party.

“Many people in the UP did not agree with the armed struggle and wanted to disengage, but in the ranks of subversion they took action against them, according to Commander Castaño,” Mancuso said.

Salvatore said the stigma, which has also fallen on the UP, has clearly been used to target certain members. “They accuse us of having the responsibility to exterminate the UP, no. The army and the police [lo hicieron]”.

Despite these words from Mancuso, the Colombian state has not fully accepted its responsibility for the genocide. On February 12, the director of the State Legal Defense Agency, Camilo Gómez, acknowledged the international responsibility of the Colombian State for the violation of the rights of 219 members of the left political party Unión Patriótica (UP) before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

During the fifth day of the public hearing held by the IACHR for the extermination of the UP, which was carried out in the country during the 1980s, the State of Colombia has partly acknowledged its responsibility for these events.

“El Estado rechaza enfáticamente los actos de violencia cometidos a las víctimas, survivors, militants and familiares of the UP, que no solo causaron un inmenso dolor a los afectados, sino que generaron un daño invaluable a la democracia colombiana”, puntualiónizó en su intervencenco the representative.

Likewise, Camilo Gómez assured that these facts They should not have happened under any circumstances, nor can they be repeated in a rule of law whose fundamental objective is the protection of the life and integrity of its citizens.

For this reason, he pointed out that Colombia recognizes its responsibility for violations committed by State agents and by omission, for not having taken measures to prevent violence against them, therefore, he requested a minute’s silence at the close of the hearing.

KEEP READING