Paramilitary to testify Drummond paid to kill unionists:Victims' lawyer (Alabama-based coal company)
Source: Colombia Reports
Paramilitary to testify Drummond paid to kill unionists: Victims' lawyer .
Monday, 05 March 2012 18:15
Seth Robbins
A former AUC paramilitary member will testify before a U.S. court that Alabama-based coal giant Drummond Ltd. ordered his group to kill union organizers at its mine in Colombia, the victims' defense said Monday.
The member, who uses the alias "Samirio," will testify Tuesday during a hearing in a northern Colombian courtroom, according to attorney Terry Collingsworth.
Samirio is one of three paramilitary members whom an Alabama judge allowed to testify against the coal giant.
Collingsworth, representing more than 600 victims in the civilian case against Drummond, said in a press release that Samirio, whose real name is Alcides Manuel Mattos Tabares, will testify that the U.S. coal company made payments of millions of dollars to the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). He also said he would testify about how Drummond operatives directed the AUC to kill union leaders.
Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22626-paramilitary-to-testify-drummond-paid-to-kill-unionists-victims-lawyer.html
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Former ministers to be tried for Uribe re-election bribery scandal .
Tuesday, 06 March 2012 10:59
Mary Cecelia Bittner
Two former Colombian ministers will be tried for the alleged bribery of congressmen to allow the 2006 re-election of former President Alvaro Uribe, announced the Prosecutor General Tuesday.
The former Interior and Justice Minister Sabas Pretelt De La Vega and former Social Welfare Minister Diego Palacio Betancourt have been indicted for their participation in the 2004 Yidispolitica scandal.
The scandal was dubbed Yidispolitica after ex-congresswoman Yidis Medina, who was convicted by the Supreme Court for accepting favors in exchange for a 2004 vote in support of a constitutional change allowing the 2006 reelection of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
A number of other officials have also been found guilty of receiving bribes in exchange for voting in favor of a constitutional amendment and drafting of legislation that allowed for the re-election.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22636-former-ministers-in-court-for-the-yidispolitics-bribery-scandal.html
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Bush's baffling choice of heroes
Published: 18 January, 2009, 07:48
Despite extra-judicial killings, paramilitaries and murdered unionists; Colombia's President Uribe has won the USA highest honor for human rights.
On Tuesday January 13, in one of George Bush's last acts in power, he bestowed the USA's highest civilian honor on Colombian President Álvaro Uribe. The Medal of Freedom recognizes the promotion of democracy, freedom and human rights. The decision to bestow it on President Uribe has been met with scorn by human rights bodies.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuse the Colombian government of preferring to attack them with “false and dangerous accusations” rather than to address the South American country's human rights problems.
President Uribe even called José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at HRW, an “accomplice” of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
More:
http://rt.com/usa/news/bushs-baffling-choice-of-heroes/
