Jorge Noguera, former DAS director and the president’s right hand, has been called to trial for the homicides of trade unionists, human rights defenders, and politicians who denounced the pact between paramilitarism and the political class in Colombia.

Impunity has begun to fracture. Now we must hope the impending trial against Jorge Aurelio Noguera Cotes, former director of the DAS, [1] is surrounded with the proper guarantees for due process and respect for the victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparation.

Colombian Attorney General Mario Iguarán Arana has just recognized the criminal responsibility of Mr. Noguera for the homicides of trade unionists, human rights defenders, and politicians who denounced the pact between paramilitarism and the political class in Colombia. The Attorney General also recognized that during his administration the DAS [2] was put to the service of paramilitarism in Colombia, as had been expressly requested by the representatives of the civil party, attorneys from the Corporación Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo, José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective.

Unfortunately, the representative of the Procurator General’s Office requested the investigations on the homicides be closed, that is it did not examine the abundant evidence of the prosecution against Mr. Noguera with respect to his responsibility for the homicides of trade unionists, human rights defenders and politicians who denounced the pact between paramilitarism and the political class in Colombia.

www.colectivodeabogados.org/spip.php

Footnotes

[1] The Administrative Department of Security (DAS) depends directly on the Office of the President of the Republic. It is the principal Colombian intelligence agency and has criminal investigation powers. The DAS also undertakes the “protection” of senior public servants and persons under threat, as for example trade unionists, leaders from indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, human rights defenders, journalists, and persons from the political opposition, among others.

[2] The Administrative Department of Security (DAS) depends directly on the Office of the President of the Republic. It is the principal Colombian intelligence agency and has criminal investigation powers. The DAS also undertakes the “protection” of senior public servants and persons under threat, as for example trade unionists, leaders from indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, human rights defenders, journalists, and persons from the political opposition, among others.