On 25 October 1997, paramilitary groups attacked the Colombian town of El Aro, resulting in 17 deaths and widespread violence. Attorney Jesus Maria Valle had warned Governor Alvaro Uribe about the paramilitary's actions, but was dismissed and killed shortly after requesting an investigation into the military's collusion. Uribe, who became president in 2002, was recently sentenced to house arrest for bribing a witness connected to these paramilitary groups. Despite a legacy of violence, this conviction marks a significant shift in accountability in Colombia.
On 25 October 1997, paramilitary groups descended upon the remote 300-person farming town of El Aro, in the Colombian state of Antioquia. Over the next five days, the drug-running paramilitaries slaughtered 17 people, raped multiple women and burned the town down, forcing the remaining townspeople to flee.
The attorney Jesus Maria Valle had been pleading with the state governor, Alvaro Uribe, for over a year to stop the paramilitaries' brutal takeover of the countryside and collusion with the military.
On 1 August, Uribe, who went on to become Colombia's president in 2002, was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest after a Colombian court convicted him of bribing a witness who had linked him to the paramilitaries.
For decades, Uribe seemed almost untouchable. As president, he gained domestic and international acclaim including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W Bush because of his successes.
Collection
[
|
...
]