Colombia might sacrifice justice in search of peace

May 21, 2005, 10:00PM

Colombia might sacrifice justice in search of peace

Residents of San Onofre in northern Colombia accuse paramilitary forces of murdering hundreds and burying the bodies on a farm outside their town. But a propsed bill would ensure that the paramilitaries, even if they confess, would only receive mild priso
By JOHN OTIS
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle South America Bureau

SAN ONOFRE, COLOMBIA - Wielding a trowel and crouched inside a 4-foot-long grave, a forensic dentist scraped dirt from the jawbone of an unidentified person believed to have been executed by paramilitaries.

Noting that the foot bones lay next to the skull, the investigator said that 15 of the 16 bodies uncovered on this cattle ranch in recent weeks had been hacked to pieces, a time-saving tactic that allowed the killers to dig smaller graves.

"This guy was cut in half," declared the dentist, who, like other government experts here, insisted on anonymity for security reasons.

Residents of San Onofre, a farming town of 10,000 people, think that hundreds of bodies are buried on El Palmar ranch, which served as a regional paramilitary headquarters. Driven out of the area by Colombian marines earlier this year, the illegal forces stand accused of widespread atrocities against civilians in their battle against Marxist guerrilla groups.
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/world/3191898
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Carlos Castano, paramilitary leader

I believe that is S.O.P in Colombia...

Colombia sacrificed justice long ago.