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The Genealogy of the Rupture 1997–2005

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Chocolate, Politics and Peace-Building

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Abstract

Drawing on Community members’ testimonies, and documents from the personal archives of Jesuit priest Javier Giraldo, this chapter describes the Community’s ‘rupture’ with the state and their development of four demands they require before resuming dialogue with it. This history includes ruptures with the military and the justice system, massacres in La Unión (2000), Mulatos and La Resbalosa (2005), interventions by the Inter-American Human Rights System, and the intrusive building of the San José police station causing the Community to abandon their town. Drawing on anthropology of the state, it shows that via encounters with state actors, which include direct violence and bureaucratic inefficiency, the ‘radical narrative’ is constituted: a historically-produced interpretative framework according to which the Community perceives the Colombian state.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    All citations by Gildardo in this chapter from his speech on 3 July 2015 at the public event ‘Rupture and Reconciliation in Colombia’, hosted by Doughty Street Chambers and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales.

  2. 2.

    Letter from CIJP to Military Criminal Judge 114, 13 September 2015. JGA 1999/120–121. Letter from CIJP to Procurador General de la Nación, 24 September 1999. JGA 1999/141–142. Letter from CIJP to Procurador General de la Nación, 13 September 1999. JGA 1999/122–123.

  3. 3.

    Minutes from meeting in the Seventeenth Brigade, 10 January 2000. JGA 2000/1–2. Minutes from meeting in the Seventeenth Brigade, 5 February 2000. JGA 2000/15–16.

  4. 4.

    Gómez took the term originally from Spanish military dictator Primo de Rivera, who used it to refer to Cataluña in the Spanish Civil War (Molano 2016: 13).

  5. 5.

    Letter from the General Command of the Military Forces of Colombia to the Ministry of Defence, 19 June 2000. JGA 2000/286.

  6. 6.

    Letter from the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defence to the General Command of the Military Forces of Colombia, date unclear on copy, possibly November 2000. JGA 2000/518.

  7. 7.

    I have heard many times members from CIJP and Father Javier Giraldo argue that an antecedent contrary to this position refutes the claim. In 1997, there were a series of agreements between the national government and representatives of the communities displaced in Pavarandó . One of the government’s commitments for the return of the displaced communities about their security was, “The national army will not maintain a permanent presence within the settlements of the communities that return, so long as there is no altercation of public order which merits an intervention” (UNDP 2003: 134).

  8. 8.

    CIJP communiqué 8 July 2015. JGA 2000/300–304.

  9. 9.

    Ibid.

  10. 10.

    Letter from the Community to the Vice-Presidency, 27 April 2001. JGA 2001A/139–141.

  11. 11.

    Community, ‘Un Caminar en Dignidad: Documento entregado al Señor Vicepresidente de la República de Colombia, en reunión del día 23 September 2002’. JGA 2002/268–275.

  12. 12.

    Community, ‘Documento Constancia Segunda Visita Comisión Especial de Investigación’, 6 November 2000. JGA 2000/506–509.

  13. 13.

    Community, ‘Un Caminar en Dignidad: Documento entregado al Señor Vicepresidente de la República de Colombia, en reunión del día 23 September 2002’. JGA 2002/268–275.

  14. 14.

    Ibid.

  15. 15.

    Community, ‘Contexto, estigmatización y ataques hacia la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó – documento para la Comisión de Investigación’, undated. JGA 2000/541–544.

  16. 16.

    CJL communiqué, 28 May 2004. JGA 2004/65–67.

  17. 17.

    Letter from the Community to the Vice-Presidency, 29 September 2000. JGA 2000/421.

  18. 18.

    Community, ‘Documento Constancia Segunda Visita Comisión Especial de Investigación’, 6 November 2000. JGA 2000/506–509.

  19. 19.

    Community, Report from meeting in Vice-Presidency, 9 March 2001. JGA 2001A/75–80.

  20. 20.

    Official state minutes, ‘Acta reunión Comunidad de Paz-Organismos del Estado’, San José de Apartadó, 22 March 2001. JGA 2001A/86–89.

  21. 21.

    Community, ‘Un Caminar en Dignidad: Documento entregado al Señor Vicepresidente de la República de Colombia’, submitted 23 September 2002. JGA 2002/268–275.

  22. 22.

    Community communiqué, ‘No tenemos otra opción más que ser coherentes: Constancia pública de rompimiento de Justicia de la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó’, 19 November 2003. JGA 2003/98–103.

  23. 23.

    Various communities and organisations were present at the meeting, including the Asociación del Valle del Río Cimitarra (ACVC), San José de Apartadó, Fedeagromisbol—Sur de Bolívar, the U’Was, the Asociación Campesina Indígena del Norte de Cauca—ACIN, Proceso de Comunidades Negras, Asociación Campesina de Arauca (ACA), Dabeiba, Consejo Comunitario La Nupa—Río Caunapí, and Consejo Comunitario del río Naya, and the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective (CCAJAR) was also there. Not all these communities continued to participate in posterior meetings.

  24. 24.

    See Recorre (Red de Comunidades en Ruptura y Resistencia 2003). ‘¿Qué es la Red de Comunidades en Ruptura y Resistencia?’ and ‘Comunidades campesinas declaran ruptura con el sistema judicial colombiano’ in Prensa Rural. http://www.prensarural.org/recorre/quesomos.htm and http://www.prensarural.org/recorre/recorre20031204.htm respectively [accessed 13 May 2014].

  25. 25.

    The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requested the adoption of precautionary measures in favour of the members of the Peace Community on 17 December 1997 (1997 measures: http://www.cidh.org/medidas/1997.sp.htm); the IACHR ordered the Colombian state to adopt interim measures for the members of the Peace Community in the President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ Resolution of 9 October 2000 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_01.pdf); the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Resolution of 18 June 2002 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_03.pdf); of 18 November 2004 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_04.pdf); of 15 March 2005 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_05.pdf); of 2 February 2006 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_06.pdf); of 17 December 2007 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_07.pdf); of 6 February 2008 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_08.pdf); and of 30 August 2010 (http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/apartado_se_09.pdf). All online documents referenced in this footnote were accessed 25 July 2015.

  26. 26.

    Official state minutes, ‘Minutes of the meeting on 15 May 2003, precautionary measures decreed in favour of the Community of San José de Apartadó’. JGA 2003/55–63.

  27. 27.

    Community proposal, ‘Comunidad de Paz, propuesta para la conformación de la comisión de evaluación’, 27 February 2004. JGA 2004/15–18.

  28. 28.

    Giraldo, Javier (2005). ‘San José de Apartadó en el nudo de la “seguridad democrática”’, in Magazine Noche y Niebla No. 30, http://www.nocheyniebla.org/files/u1/30/pdf/03NudoSeguridad.pdf [accessed 12 October 2015].

  29. 29.

    Community proposal, ‘San José de Apartadó: Zonas Humanitarias’. JGA 2005A/1–3.

  30. 30.

    E.g. in the case of the forced disappearance of the campesino Buenaventura Hoyos Hernández, inhabitant of the San José township, in 2013. The Community and Javier Giraldo advocated on his behalf, and sent information about his case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights , which requested the Colombian state adopt precautionary measures to protect Hoyos. Resolution 4/2013, Precautionary measure 301-13, 4 October 2013, http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/pdf/MC301-13Resolucion%204-13esp.pdf [accessed 25 July 2015].

  31. 31.

    Letter from the Community to the Vice-Presidency, 2 July 2004. JGA 2004/90–92.

  32. 32.

    This was a meeting in Bogotá with several leaders, including Luis Eduardo Guerra and accompanied by Father Javier, with the then Vice-President Francisco Santos and representatives of other institutions, 13 December 2004. Letter from CJL to National Police, 1 April 2005. JGA 2005C/55–57.

  33. 33.

    Community communiqué, 1 March 2005, ‘El Camino del Terror’. JGA 2005A/20–23.

  34. 34.

    Luis Eduardo Guerra’s last interview, 15 January 2005, by the Coordinación Valenciana de Solidaridad con Colombia, a platform made up of NGOs, and Valencian parliamentarians Ramón Cardona and Isaura Navarro, during a visit to Colombia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnCD3ksF0ZQ [accessed 27 July 2015].

  35. 35.

    Community communiqué, 1 March 2005, ‘El Camino del Terror’. JGA 2005A/20–23.

  36. 36.

    CJL communiqué, ‘Lentitud y negligencia en la práctica de las diligencias judiciales para la investigación de la masacre ocurrida en la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó’, 27 February 2005. JGA 2005A/15–17.

  37. 37.

    Community communiqué, 1 March 2005, ‘El Camino del Terror’. JGA 2005A/20–23.

  38. 38.

    Testimony taken by Javier Giraldo in the region on 27 February 2005. JGA 2005A/18–19.

  39. 39.

    Community communiqué, 1 March 2005, ‘El Camino del Terror’. JGA 2005A/20–23.

  40. 40.

    Ibid.

  41. 41.

    Abad Colorado, Jesús, 27 March 2005, ‘Cuatro días en busca de los cadáveres de la masacre en la comunidad de paz de San José de Apartadó’, Special for El Tiempo. JGA 2005A/43–49.

  42. 42.

    CJL communiqué, 27 February 2005, ‘Lentitud y negligencia en la práctica de las diligencias judiciales para la investigación de la masacre ocurrida en la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó’. JGA 2005A/15–17.

  43. 43.

    Ibid.

  44. 44.

    Ibid.

  45. 45.

    Abad Colorado , Jesús, 27 March 2005, ‘Cuatro días en busca de los cadáveres de la masacre en la comunidad de paz de San José de Apartadó’, Special for El Tiempo, JGA 2005A/43–49.

  46. 46.

    Community communiqué, 1 March 2005, ‘El Camino del Terror’. JGA 2005A/20–23.

  47. 47.

    For example, the mayor of Apartadó in 2001, Mario Agudelo Vásquez, asked the Community “to re-evaluate its norms, in order to accept the presence of legally constituted authorities”, saying that the army and police “want to help, but feel that the Community doesn’t let them”. El Colombiano, 7 March 2001, ‘El alcalde de Apartadó pide replantear Comunidad de Paz’, JGA 2001A/104. These counter-narratives even circulated in the diplomatic corps, despite the relationship between the Community and the international community ; one US ambassador recommended a US citizen not go to work with one of the NGOs that accompany the Community, FOR, in a letter in which he argued the lack of security and doubts about the Community’s method of non-violence. Letter 2 April 2003. JGA 2003/47–48.

  48. 48.

    El Tiempo, 5 March 2005. ‘La polémica comunidad de San José’ http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1636940 [accessed 29 July 2015].

  49. 49.

    Written text of Uribe’s speech, 27 May 2004. JGA 2005C/202–206.

  50. 50.

    Agencia de Prensa IPC, 23 October 2009. ‘Defensores de derechos humanos: bajo el estigma del presidente Uribe’. http://www.ipc.org.co/agenciadeprensa/index.php/2009/10/23/defensores-de-derechos-humanos-bajo-el-estigma-del-presidente-uribe/ [accessed 14 July 2017].

  51. 51.

    The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders emphasised the ‘systematic’ nature of stigmatisation by public officials during Uribe’s government, which was often accompanied by stigmatisation campaigns by paramilitary groups, and which usually resulted in great risk to the defenders implicated. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya. 4 March 2010. Mission to Colombia 7–18 September 2009. A/HRC/13/22/Add.3. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/678641/files/A_HRC_13_22_Add.3-EN.pdf [accessed 14 July 2017].

  52. 52.

    Community communiqué, 24 March 2005. JGA 2005A/10–11.

  53. 53.

    Letter from the Presidential program for human rights and IHL to Father Javier Giraldo, 28 June 2005. JGA 2005C/193–201.

  54. 54.

    This argument is found for example in the army manual, ‘Comunidades de Paz’, Ministry of Defence; JGA 2005A/251–273 (see below).

  55. 55.

    El Tiempo, 16 August 2016, ‘Ejército participó en masacre de San José de Apartadó’. http://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/cortes/masacre-de-san-jose-de-apartado-37338 [accessed 19 June 2017].

  56. 56.

    El Tiempo, 4 March 2005, ‘Comunidad se niega a colaborar: Public Prosecutor’s Office’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1639580 [accessed 31 July 2015].

  57. 57.

    El Tiempo, 3 March 2005, ‘Emboscada comisión investigadora de la matanza’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1642298 [accessed 30 July 2015].

  58. 58.

    El Tiempo, 14 March 2005, ‘Comisión volverá a San José de Apartadó’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1690855 [accessed 30 July 2015].

  59. 59.

    El Tiempo, 4 March 2005, ‘Comunidad se niega a colaborar: Fiscalía’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1639580 [accessed 31 July 2015].

  60. 60.

    El Tiempo, 5 March 2005, ‘La polémica comunidad de San José’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1636940 [acessed 31 July 2015].

  61. 61.

    Londoño, Fernando, El Colombiano 8 March 2005, ‘San José de Apartadó’. JGA 2005B/41.

  62. 62.

    Londoño, Fernando, El Tiempo, 14 March 2005, ‘San José de Apartadó’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1692825 [accessed 1 June 2014].

  63. 63.

    Fajardo, Jaime, El Colombiano, 23 March 2005, ‘La Comunidad de Paz debe replantear su proceso’. JGA 2005B/75.

  64. 64.

    El Tiempo, 9 March 2005, ‘A prueba, neutralidad de ocho comunidades de paz en el Urabá’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1626851 [accessed 31 July 2015].

  65. 65.

    El Tiempo, 13 June 2005, ‘Gobierno busca alinear lenguaje diplomático’. http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1688352 [accessed 31 July 2015].

  66. 66.

    Ministry of Defence, Manual ‘Comunidades de Paz’; undated, probably 2005. It is reasonable to believe that it was due to public attention on the massacre that the Ministry of Defence decided to train soldiers to maintain an official position. I have personally witnessed how these counter-narratives continued to circulate in the military up to the time I did my research. JGA 2005A/251–273.

  67. 67.

    N.B. this quote comes directly from an official communiqué by the Ministry of Defence of 5 March, cited also in El Colombiano, 9 March 2005, ‘Si llega la Policía habrá un desplazamiento en San José’. JGA 2005B/44.

  68. 68.

    Proposition No. 082 of the Chamber of Representatives, approved 5 April 2005, ‘Debate público al gobierno nacional sobre la masacre en la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó’, JGA 2005C/146–149; Proposition No. 097 of the Chamber of Representatives, approved 18 May 2005, JGA 2005C/157–158.

  69. 69.

    Account of the hearing in the Second Constitutional Commission of the Chamber on 25 May 2005, written by Father Javier Giraldo. JGA 2005A/137–139.

  70. 70.

    Letter from the Chamber of Representatives to the then General Attorney of the ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo, referenced, ‘Denuncia y remisión de documentos y pruebas sobre Crímenes de Lesa Humanidad y Actos de Genocidio en contra de la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó’, 25 May 2005. JGA 2005A/146–150.

  71. 71.

    Interview on Caracol Radio, cited in El Colombiano, 9 March 2005, ‘Si llega la policía habrá un desplazamiento en San José’. JGA 2005B/44.

  72. 72.

    El Colombiano, 10 March 2005, ‘La neutralidad: una apuesta de riesgo’, JGA 2005B/47.

  73. 73.

    El Colombiano, 12 May 2005, ‘En San José iban a aceptar la policía’, JGA 2005B/137.

  74. 74.

    Giraldo, Javier (2005) ‘San José de Apartadó en el nudo de la “seguridad democrática”’. Magazine Noche y Niebla. JGA 2005A/117–132.

  75. 75.

    A multi-coloured open-air bus, traditional in rural Colombia.

  76. 76.

    Community communiqué, 1 April 2005, ‘Hemos empezado a desplazarnos ante la presencia de la policía’. JGA 2005A/82.

  77. 77.

    Giraldo, Javier (2005) ‘San José de Apartadó en el nudo de la “seguridad democrática”’. Magazine Noche y Niebla. JGA 2005A/117–132.

  78. 78.

    According to an interview given to a journalist by an inhabitant of San José cited in El Colombiano, 27 March 2005, ‘San José construye nueva historia’. JGA 2005B/96–97.

  79. 79.

    Joint communiqué following a verification visit from the Red Juvenil, the Asociación Nacional de Empleados de la Rama Judicial y Corporación Jurídica Libertad, 11 April 2005. JGA 2005A/89–90.

  80. 80.

    Community communiqué, 4 April 2005, ‘La policía invade nuestro terreno’. JGA 2005A/85–86.

  81. 81.

    Community communiqué, 1 April 2005, ‘Hemos empezado a desplazarnos ante la presencia de la policía’. JGA 2005A/82.

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    Gwen Burnyeat

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Burnyeat, G. (2018). The Genealogy of the Rupture 1997–2005. In: Chocolate, Politics and Peace-Building. Studies of the Americas. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51478-9_5

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