US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA1092

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BOGOTA 001092 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/AND, DRL/CRA AND DRL/PHD 
LABOR FOR ILAB - BUFFO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PGOV, ELAB, KDEM, KPAO, KSEP, EAID, CO 
SUBJECT: SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY: THE U.S. 
RECORD IN COLOMBIA 2003-2004 
 
REF: 03 STATE 333935 
 
1. This is in response to reftel request. 
 
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Human Rights Strategy Report 
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2. Although Colombia is a democracy, a major internal armed 
conflict financed by drug trafficking and other criminal 
activities has created an environment in which serious 
violations of human rights, almost all of which are committed 
by guerrillas or illegal paramilitaries, are commonplace. 
The civilian judiciary is independent of the executive and 
legislative branches but confronts profound challenges from 
corruption and intimidation by guerrillas, paramilitaries, 
and other wealthy criminal organizations.  More 
significantly, the cumbersome inquisitorial judicial system 
is overworked and faces serious resource constraints. 
Impunity from prosecution, therefore, is a threat to the 
creation of a culture of respect for human rights. 
 
3. The 2003-2004 U.S. human rights and democracy strategy for 
Colombia is both proactive and responsive, tackling the root 
causes of human rights violations and social unrest while 
continuing to invest in short-term emergency humanitarian 
assistance.  Key strategic objectives include protection of 
vulnerable populations, increased access to the justice 
system, support for judicial reforms and the rule of law, 
promotion of local governance and peace initiatives, and 
provision of humanitarian assistance. 
 
4. Working with the Colombian Ministry of Interior and 
Justice, USAID has provided security protection assistance to 
3,145 people and 71 offices under threat.  The protection 
program includes threatened human rights workers, union 
leaders, journalists, members of the left wing Patriotic 
Union Party, mayors, city council members and municipal human 
rights workers.  The USAID-funded Early Warning System 
expanded to 20 regions, allowing it to respond effectively to 
170 of 220 alerts and potentially preventing massacres, 
forced displacements and other egregious human rights 
violations. 
 
5. In FY 2003, eleven additional USAID-funded Justice and 
Peace Houses -- one-stop legal assistance shops -- were 
established for a cumulative total of 33, thereby increasing 
access to the justice system for a total of 1.8 million poor 
and marginalized Colombians.  DOJ has developed and 
implemented a multi-faceted strategy to strengthen the GOC,s 
capability to investigate and prosecute human rights cases, 
providing Colombian judicial police investigators, forensic 
examiners, and prosecutors with the necessary training, 
technical assistance, and equipment to enhance and upgrade 
their individual skill levels.  The strategy employs a task 
force concept, whereby personnel from 11 satellite Human 
Rights Units in the Prosecutor General's Office train and 
work together, resulting in a more effective case flow from 
the initial criminal investigative stage through final case 
resolution.  In 2003, the Office of the Prosecutor General 
conducted major operations against guerrilla and paramilitary 
criminal organizations, bringing charges for murder, assault, 
extortion, and drug trafficking.  In 2003, DOJ trained 840 
police assigned to rural outposts with little or no previous 
police presence; trained 400 police in accusatory system/oral 
trial techniques; and trained 172 prosecutors, judicial 
police, and judges in trial advocacy.  Also in 2003, 
specialized training and state of the art equipment donations 
enabled Colombian forensic labs to investigate human rights 
violations more effectively.  This included the enhancement 
of DNA analyzers and the CODIS database; upgrading of the 
Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS); updating 
of forensic imaging and document analysis systems; upgrading 
of the automated fingerprint identification system; and the 
design and installation of a wireless network providing 
inter-agency connectivity and information sharing.  Enhanced 
IBIS testing was used in an investigation in the department 
of Casanare to link nine separate homicides to the same 
weapon, resulting in the arrest of one suspect for four of 
the homicides. 
 
6. USAID's Peace Program underwent significant change and 
growth in 2003.  While it continued to support civil society 
initiatives to promote peace and conflict resolution, the 
program also developed a working relationship with Colombia's 
new High Commissioner for Peace to design and implement 
initiatives to support peace negotiations with illegal armed 
groups.  As negotiations began between the Colombian 
government and paramilitary groups, USAID provided advice 
regarding policy and programmatic parameters for a possible 
demobilization initiative.  Also in conjunction with the High 
Commissioner and Ministry of Interior and Justice, USAID 
established Peaceful Co-Existence Centers in three of the 
most conflict-ridden municipalities in Colombia.  These 
centers provided communities with a neutral space for 
dialogue, conflict resolution and social services. 
 
7. USAID's Local Governance Program, which works to improve 
the capacity of municipal governments to involve citizens in 
local decision-making, provide services, and manage resources 
effectively and transparently, supported the establishment of 
117 social infrastructure projects in 64 municipalities. 
These projects were administered through local citizen 
oversight committees that established project priorities and 
oversaw their management and financing.  In addition, USAID 
successfully completed a nationwide public awareness 
anti-corruption campaign that reached six million citizens 
through radio, newspaper, and television messages, and 
standardized internal control units in nineteen government 
agencies. 
 
8. DOJ and USAID worked to help reform Colombia's criminal 
justice system in an effort to accelerate the legal process. 
DOJ assisted the GOC in drafting a new criminal procedure 
code to move the system towards an accusatorial system.  The 
draft code is currently under consideration in the Colombian 
Congress.  DOJ and USAID organized joint accusatory trial 
technique courses for judges, prosecutors, police, defense 
attorneys and investigators.  DOJ funded visits for judges 
and legislators to observe the accusatory system in practice 
in Puerto Rico.  DOJ also implemented an instructors' course 
at the Prosecutor General's training facility, which trained 
instructors to conduct their own courses in forensic 
specialties, basic investigative skills, trial techniques, 
interview techniques, and crime scene management.  Over the 
next three years, DOJ and USAID will assist the GOC in 
providing training to approximately 3,000 prosecutors, 1,000 
judges, 10,000 police investigators, and 1,500 defense 
attorneys.  In cooperation with the Colombian Justice Sector 
High Level Commission, USAID has built 27 trial courtrooms to 
complement the shift towards an accusatorial system. 
 
9. Although NGO statistics indicate kidnappings have dropped 
approximately 30 percent in 2003, kidnapping remains a 
significant problem in Colombia.  DOJ assisted the Government 
of Colombia in developing and implementing a comprehensive 
program to investigate and prosecute kidnapping and extortion 
offenses.  Six courses in the areas of Human Resources 
Intelligence Management, Racketeering Enterprise 
Investigations, Kidnapping Investigations and Ransom 
Investigations and Interviewing and Interrogation were held 
for 180 law enforcement, prosecutorial, and military 
personnel.  The intimidation of witnesses and judicial sector 
personnel is also a serious problem.  DOJ provided training 
and equipment for GOC protective force personnel in both the 
witness and dignitary protection areas, including personnel 
from the Bogota mayoral and other GOC ministerial security 
details. 
 
10. The ongoing armed conflict in Colombia has displaced 
approximately 2.2 million people since 1995.  The State 
Department,s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration is 
funding seven international organizations (IOs) and NGOs in 
Colombia that provide emergency humanitarian assistance such 
as food, temporary shelter, hygiene & household kits, 
psycho-social attention and health care to newly displaced 
persons.   USAID is also providing mid- to long-term 
assistance to displaced persons through seven IOs and NGOs, 
focused on economic reintegration of displaced persons where 
they reside, and a smaller but significant returnee 
component.  Program activities include productive projects, 
micro-credit programs, vocational training and job placement, 
health care, shelter, income generation, improved education 
and basic community infrastructure. 
 
11. Although labor union-related homicides and kidnappings 
dropped significantly in 2003, violence against labor union 
leaders and activists continues to be a serious problem. 
Through a grant from DOL, the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center 
provided U.S.-based training and technical education to 
nearly 40 Colombian trade union leaders who were under 
threat.  DOL also funded an International Labor Organization 
(ILO) project designed to improve labor relations and 
generate quality employment for women.  A second DOL grant 
provided funding to the ILO's International Program for the 
Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC).  In 2003, almost 3,000 
children left their work in low-tech open-pit mines under an 
IPEC-funded pilot project. 
 
12. Addendum: USG-Funded Human Rights and Democracy Programs 
in Colombia (in U.S. Dollars) 
 
A. USAID Programs (FY 2003) 
 
Administration of Justice 
-- Development and Strengthening of Criminal Justice System: 
2,271,460 
-- Institutional Strengthening and ADR Mechanisms: 4,852,626 
-- Improved Capacity of Criminal Justice Sector: 323,547 
-- Monitoring and Evaluation: 109,508 
 
Human Rights 
-- Prevention: 534,036 
-- Protection: 1,509,227 
-- Response: 3,130,496 
 
Local Governance 
-- Grants and Subcontracts: 1,663,000 
-- Social Infrastructure Projects: 3,488,000 
-- Technical Assistance and Training: 1,740,000 
 
Transparency 
-- Improve Internal Controls: 600,000 
-- Strengthen Citizen Participation: 1,000,000 
-- Promote Civic Responsibility and Ethnic Groups: 1,200,000 
 
Peace Initiatives 
-- Co-Existence Centers: 2,000,000 
-- Grants: 1,000,000 
 
Displaced Persons Programs (grantees) 
-- PADF (5 years): 34,200,000 
-- IOM (5 years): 43,400,000 
-- UNICEF (3.5 years): 2,750,000 
-- UNHCR (2 years): 156,000 
-- Profamilia (5 years): 10,750,000 
-- World Food Program (3 years): 5,100,000 
-- Cooperative Housing Foundation, Int,l (3 years): 
16,700,000 
 
B. Department of Justice Programs (Total Obligations through 
9/30/03) 
 
-- Establish Human Rights Units in Colombian National Police 
and Prosecutor General's Office: 22,445,480 
-- Criminal Code Reform: 999,398 
-- Prosecutor Training: 3,497,729 
-- Anti-Kidnapping Strategy: 755,095 
-- Judicial Police Training: 2,773,587 
-- Witness Protection and Judicial Security: 8,262,805 
-- Multilateral Case Initiative: 2,777,348 
 
C. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (grantees) 
 
-- International Committee of the Red Cross:  7,920,000 
-- UN High Commissioner for Refugees:  1,400,000 
-- World Food Program:  1,500,000 
-- Pan American Health Organization:  500,000 
-- UNICEF:  700,000 
-- Cooperative Housing Foundation, Int,l:  5,800,000 
-- American Red Cross:  2,000,000 
 
D. USDOL Programs (grantees) 
 
-- AFL-CIO Solidarity Center Training and Technical Education 
Program:  1,700,000 
-- ILO Labor Relations Project: 2,000,000 
-- ILO-IPEC Project: 220,000 
 
 
WOOD