Colombia bans jailed militia chiefs from politics (3rd largest US foreign aid recipient)

Source: Reuters

Colombia bans jailed militia chiefs from politics
02 Apr 2007 18:26:35 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Hugh Bronstein

BOGOTA, April 2 (Reuters) - Colombia on Monday denied a request from jailed right-wing militia leaders to campaign for candidates in local elections, saying the once-feared warlords are barred from politics and must stay in prison.

Fourteen of about 60 paramilitary bosses jailed near the city of Medellin had asked permission to campaign in their cental and northern hometowns on behalf of gubernatorial and mayoral candidates in October's elections.

"The president does not think it would be viable for them to leave jail," Colombian Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo told local radio.

The decision comes amid a scandal in which eight of President Alvaro Uribe's congressional allies were jailed on suspicion of colluding with paramilitaries guilty of some of the worst atrocities of the Andean country's four-decade guerrilla war.

Uribe remains highly popular in Colombia but revelations of paramilitary influence in his government risk damaging his standing abroad.

Read more: http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02439636.htm