'Urabeños members' arrested on charges of torture, murder .

'Urabeños members' arrested on charges of torture, murder .
Tuesday, 24 July 2012 10:56 Brandon Barrett

Two suspected members of the neo-paramilitary group "Los Urabeños" were arrested Monday in northwestern Colombia for their alleged involvement in the 2010 murder of a land rights activist. Diego Alfonso Hernandez Banquet, alias "Fidel," and Filiberto Charrasquiel Lopez, alias "Felix," were arrested in separate operations in the department of Antioquia on charges of murder, torture, forced displacement and intimidation.

The investigation into the two men began after the murder of Hernando Perez Hoyos, a land rights activist, in September 2010. Two men allegedly approached Perez on a motorcycle forcing him to leave his car and accompany them. Two hours later Perez's body was found in an isolated area, according to authorities.

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Police linked the murder to a similar incident involving Perez's friend and fellow activist, Hector Cavadia Pitalua. Two days after Perez's body was discovered, Cavadia was kidnapped by two men and taken to a remote area, where he was bound, gagged and tortured. He was left for dead before being rescued by police.

Criminal groups like the Urabeños often engage in forced displacement, stealing land from farmers to facilitate their drug trafficking operations, or by assisting corporations who gather up large swaths of land after residents are forced to leave due to intimidation and threats of violence.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/25227-urabenos-members-arrested-on-charges-of-torture-murder-.html