Colombian cases

Past Cases

Killed (2004-2008) (2)

Bonilla was shot dead by two unidentified men, in Cali, western Colombia, on 12 October 2006. The Metropolitan Police Commander stated that Bonilla's death occurred when he tried to prevent a robbery, however it was also reported that one of the killers identified Bonilla before shooting, saying "it's him".

Colombia - Javier Darío ARROYAVEArroyave (41) was stabbed to death at his home in Cartago in the south-western department of Valle del Cauca on 4 September 2007. Police said that although Arroyave's laptop was missing there was no sign of a forced entry. They later ruled out the possibility that the murder had been related to his journalistic work. However, Arroyave had suffered harassment in the past for his reporting on local corruption, particularly by a former mayor of Cartago. This had forced him to cancel his news program temporarily, but he had not reported any recent threats.

 

Imprisoned: investigation case (1)

 COLOMBIA - Miguel Ángel Beltran Villegas.jpg

Year of birth: c. 1965. Date of arrest: 22 May 2009. Place of detention: Modelo prison, Bogotá, Colombia. Charges: Terrorism - alleged membership of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).

[$1<Details of arrest: Beltrán was arrested at the headquarters of the immigration authorities (INM) in Mexico City, Mexico, on 22 May 2009, after being informed that the visa for which he had applied in August 2008 had been denied. A few hours later he was flown to Colombia in an aeroplane belonging to the Mexican state. On arrival in Bogotá, Colombia, Beltrán was detained on the orders of the Colombian Public Prosecutor (Fiscalía General) and taken into the custody of the judicial and intelligence police (Dirrección General de la Policía Judicial e Inteligencia, DIJIN).

Charges: Beltrán was charged with being a member of the FARC guerrilla group, which the Colombian government considers to be an international terrorist group. He denied the charges at an initial hearing on 23 May, which ruled that he should be jailed pending trial.

Prosecution evidence: The Colombian authorities say there is substantial evidence that Beltrán is a key member of the FARC known as ‘Jaime Cienfuegos' supposedly responsible for writing ‘ideological material and articles' for the FARC and other publications that allegedly support Colombian guerrilla groups. Beltrán is reportedly also accused of using his research at UNAM as a façade to recruit students and fundraise for the FARC. According to press reports, much of the evidence against Beltrán comes from documents and emails found on a laptop computer which allegedly belonged to the deceased FARC leader Rául Reyes, who was killed in March 2008.

Defence: Beltrán has admitted meeting Raúl Reyes and other known members of the FARC during peace talks hosted in Mexico and later interviewing Reyes as part of his research into the Colombian conflict. However, he has denied that he is ‘Jaime Cienfuegos' or having any connection with the alleged emails between ‘Jaime Cienfuegos' and Reyes, and maintains that he was in Mexico to undertake legitimate academic research. Beltrán says that he believes that he is being persecuted as part of a wider strategy employed by the Colombian government to criminalise dissent, including individuals associated with public universities. His colleagues in Colombia and Mexico have been vocal in their support, insisting that Beltrán is an established academic, not a terrorist, and suggesting that he is being persecuted for his leftwing political views.

Concerns: Despite Beltrán's denial of the charges against him, President Álvaro Uribe has publicly stated, including on the Colombian Presidency's official website, that Beltrán is the FARC member known as ‘Jaime Cienfuegos' and therefore a terrorist. The same assumption has been consistently repeated in the Colombian and international media.

Background: Beltrán has taught in several public universities in Colombia, including the Universidad de Antioquia and the Universidad Nacional in Bogotá, as well as in Mexico. He has won a number of awards for his teaching and has published widely in national and international journals. His academic interests include the analysis of social conflict and the political history of Colombia and Latin America. From August 2008 to May 2009, Beltrán was granted a sabbatical from the Universidad Nacional, where he has been an associate professor since 2005, to undertake postdoctoral research at the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City.

PEN Position: PEN holds no position on Beltrán's guilt or innocence. It has raised concerns with the Colombian authorities about irregularities that may affect the fairness of the trial, including President Uribe's statement. It has also called for assurances that Beltrán is not detained solely for his political views.>1$]

 

Top of page