Uribe Eludes His Responsibility Regarding Extrajudicial Executions

Former president of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, evaded before the Truth Commission the responsibility of his security policy during his administration (2002-2010) regarding extrajudicial executions perpetrated by members of the Army.

In an appearance with the president of the Commission, Francisco de Roux, as well as commissioners Leyner Palacios and Lucía González, the former Colombian president claimed that he felt “deceived” by soldiers on the issue of extrajudicial executions, known as false positives.

“I visited Cajamarca (the place where Army executions were known) and I am very sad to say this, I was deceived by the soldiers, because the day I arrived there they told me that some dead people had died in a combat with the FARC-EP” (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army), Uribe Velez testifed.

In response to Father De Roux’s proposal to create spaces for reconciliation in the country, Uribe focused on avoiding his responsibility in the conflict and questioned the work of the Truth Commission.  “I listen to them more in the task of prosecuting and not of listening (…) everything that was agreed in Havana is illegal,” he said.

Uribe Vélez, who is also under investigation by the Supreme Court for alleged witness tampering, insisted that during his administration he fought hard against terrorism, despite the increase in false positives perpetrated during his term in office.

Although the former head of state alluded to the event that took place between 2006-2009 in the municipality of Soacha (department of Cundinamarca), when soldiers murdered humble youths, he did not ask for forgiveness and reiterated that he was deceived by the public forces.