Colombian Army Temporarily Detains Two International Peace Observatory Members and Illegally Registers their Personal Information

2.08.10

by International Peace Observatory

International Peace Observatory (IPO) is an organization offering international accompaniment and working to promote the respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Colombia. IPO would like to denounce that on July 22, the Colombian Army detained two IPO members for an hour and illegally registered their personal information. The Thirtieth Brigade’s “Number 10 Energy and Highway” Battalion detained the two volunteers at the Military Base La Esmeralda, in the Municipality of Convención, located in Norte de Santander.

The two volunteers were in the region accompanying a delegation organized by the Catatumbo Farmers’ Association (ASCAMCAT) to attend the event in Bogotá titled: The Patriotic March for the Second Independence of Colombia.

− The IPO volunteers passed the Military Base with four buses of farmers from the Catatumbo region on their way home from the Patriotic March. The soldiers at the checkpoint, commanded at the time by First Corporal Collazos, allowed the buses to pass without problem.

− The two IPO members asked the soldiers to inform army checkpoints further ahead that the four buses would be coming through, since the volunteers were unable to continue accompanying the buses, and planned to spend the night in the town of Convención.

− When First Corporal Collazos consulted with the Colonel in charge of the base by walkie-talkie, the Colonel insisted that the Corporal should ask for the volunteers’ identification and register their information. The volunteers had previously identified themselves, but had refused to allow the soldiers to copy down their personal information, explaining that this kind of list-making would be illegal.

− First Corporal Collazos asked the IPO members to enter the military base to speak with the Colonel. The volunteers declined to enter the base, considering it unnecessary. Finally, First Corporal Collazos asked the volunteers to wait for the Colonel, who would come down to speak to them.

− A few minutes later, the Colonel arrived at the checkpoint with a defiant and aggressive attitude. After hearing the IPO members’ explanation, the Colonel asked them for not just their Colombian I.D. cards (cédula), but also for their passports. The volunteers explained that they did not have their passports with them as their Colombian I.D. cards were sufficient legal identification. The Colonel responded, “I am the authority here, and I can ask you to do whatever I want.”

− The IPO members finally realized that the Colonel would not accept their arguments to avoid an illegal registry of their personal information. The volunteers had to turn over their Colombian I.D. cards and allow their I.D. information to be illegally registered.

− The volunteers had to ask Colonel José Bustamante to identify himself several times. Colonel Bustamente repeated several times that the IPO members were not familiar with Colombian law. The colonel argued that they were in a Public Security Area, and that because there was no presence of investigative police in this area, the army was authorized to register the personal information of whoever it wanted.

− At 7:15 PM the IPO members were allowed to leave the military base and continue on to Convención, where they spent the night.

As international observers, IPO members are fully aware of their rights. IPO is aware that only members of the investigative police are authorized to make lists of personal information. The establishment of a Public Security Area does not authorize the army to carry out this kind of actions. In 2004, the Rehabilitation and Consolidation Areas, which had authorized this type of function for the army, were declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court. (Court sentences: C. 8 16/2004, C. 8 17/2004 y C. 8 18/2004).

IPO thus demands:

− An explanation from the Colombian authorities as to why this kind of incident continues to take place.

− Compliance with Colombian law and respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law throughout Colombia. If two international human rights observers, conscious of their legal rights and in posession of all the relevant identification documents required by law, are confronted with this type of situation, we can only imagine what happens to those living in the area. Residents of the Catatumbo have repeatedly reported that their Colombian I.D. cards have been checked, their names written down on lists, and their faces photographed at the Esmeralda Military Base.

Read more Denuncias

International Peace Observatory  |  Observatorio Internacional de la Paz  |  Bogotá, Colombia  |  NIT: 900.013.419-3

www.peaceobservatory.org  |  info@peaceobservatory.org  |  Telefax: (+57) 1 232 10 06   |  Móvil: (+57) 314 296 47 69