Colombian Journey – the Massacre
On the morning of August 5, Fray told me “We’ve got company.” When I stepped outside of the social organizations’ building here in Saravena, a tank and an armored personnel carrier were parked across the street. The cannon of the personnel carrier was pointed towards the building and the machine gun was pointed towards the corner of the building. It was an intimidating display of our tax dollars at work – $3.8 billion in military aid to Colombia since 2000.
August 5 was the second anniversary of the massacre by the Colombian military of three social leaders here in the state of Arauca – Alirio Martinez, Jorge Prieto, and Leonel Goyeneche. Alirio was the president of the Departmental Peasant Association, Jorge was the president of the Arauca section of the health care workers union, and Leonel was a teacher and the treasurer of the Arauca section of the United Workers Federation.
On August 4, 2004, leaders of the Arauca social movement met in the community of Caño Seco. Alirio and Leonel spent that night in Jorge’s house. The military came into the community early the following morning. A civilian informant led three soldiers to Jorge’s house. The soldiers dragged the three men out of their beds, made them kneel down, and executed them. Later that day, vice president Santos and defense minister Uribe said that the three men were guerrillas who had fired on the soldiers, and the soldiers then fired back killing them.
The soldiers were members of the Revéiz Pizarro military brigade based in Saravena. Colonel Francisco Medina was the brigade commander. I met Medina in July 2004 and he told me he had just returned from
Scott Nicholson serves as a Short-term Volunteer with the Social Organizations of Arauca, Colombia. As a part of the process of accompaniment, Scott works as an advisor/consultant in the administration of productive projects in the rural communities
On the morning of August 5, Fray told me “We’ve got company.” When I stepped outside of the social organizations’ building here in Saravena, a tank and an armored personnel carrier were parked across the street. The cannon of the personnel carrier was pointed towards the building and the machine gun was pointed towards the corner of the building. It was an intimidating display of our tax dollars at work – $3.8 billion in military aid to Colombia since 2000.
August 5 was the second anniversary of the massacre by the Colombian military of three social leaders here in the state of Arauca – Alirio Martinez, Jorge Prieto, and Leonel Goyeneche. Alirio was the president of the Departmental Peasant Association, Jorge was the president of the Arauca section of the health care workers union, and Leonel was a teacher and the treasurer of the Arauca section of the United Workers Federation.
On August 4, 2004, leaders of the Arauca social movement met in the community of Caño Seco. Alirio and Leonel spent that night in Jorge’s house. The military came into the community early the following morning. A civilian informant led three soldiers to Jorge’s house. The soldiers dragged the three men out of their beds, made them kneel down, and executed them. Later that day, vice president Santos and defense minister Uribe said that the three men were guerrillas who had fired on the soldiers, and the soldiers then fired back killing them.
The soldiers were members of the Revéiz Pizarro military brigade based in Saravena. Colonel Francisco Medina was the brigade commander. I met Medina in July 2004 and he told me he had just returned from a year of training at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
Two other social leaders were eyewitnesses to the killings in Caño Seco. Samuel Morales is a teacher and the president of the Arauca section of the Unified Workers Federation, and Raquel Castro is a teacher and leader of the teachers union. Samuel and Raquel were detained by the military and flown to the Saravena military base. When Colonel Medina saw Samuel he said, “You’re lucky that you saved yourself because the plan was not to bring you here.” Samuel and Raquel were imprisoned in Bogotá on the charge of “rebellion.” They’ve now spent two years in prison even though they haven’t been convicted of any crime.
There was a national and international outcry in response to the killings. The three soldiers and the informant, along with the lieutenant in charge of the operation, have been charged with murder. The Procurator’s office is also investigating Col. Medina who is suspected of having ordered the massacre.
Hundreds of people traveled to Caño Seco to commemorate the second anniversary of the murder of Alirio, Jorge, and Leonel. Aide, one of Alirio’s daughters, gave the most moving remarks of the ceremony. She told us, with tears in her eyes and a tremble in her voice, “If my father was a criminal for working to benefit the community, then we’re all criminals!”
The last time she saw Alirio was in March 2003 when she left for medical school in Cuba. “My father had asked me before what I wanted to do, and I had told him that I wanted to serve our community as a doctor.”
Samuel wrote a letter that was read during the commemoration. “We feel proud of your legacy. With even greater commitment, we pledge to continue implementing our alternative plan for development – created with the wisdom of the indigenous people, the experience of the peasants, the tenderness of the women, the tenacity of the workers, and the energy of the students and youth.”
“Alirio, Jorge, and Leonel – Presente! Presente! Presente!” (They’re here with us!)
In love and solidarity,
Scott