VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #3573/01 1112243
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 212243Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4356
INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 7597
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ APR 7911
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 3643
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 4287
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS BOGOTA 003573 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PJUS MARR CO
SUBJECT: COLMIL: ABUSE CASES UNDER REVIEW; JUSTICE REFORM 
IN PROGRESS 
 
REF: A. 05 BOGOTA 1705 
     ¶B. BOGOTA 1850 
     ¶C. BOGOTA 1981 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) By late April the military justice system expects to 
complete investigations of ten soldiers charged with abusing 
21 recruits in January at a military base in Tolima.  Final 
rulings are not expected until mid-summer at the earliest, 
with further delays possible at multiple stages in the 
process.  The lengthy procedures underline the need for 
military justice reform, which is underway albeit slowly.  A 
first phase of reform already approved by Congress will 
reduce case backlogs by fast-tracking minor cases.  A second 
phase to overhaul military justice more fundamentally is 
targeted for passage this summer.  Separately, the civilian 
justice system is proceeding with its own investigations of 
the Tolima cases, for charges over which it has jurisdiction. 
 Torture could be among them. 
 
 
--------------- 
The Allegations 
--------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On January 25, in an apparent hazing ritual, 21 new 
army recruits were allegedly subjected to beating, branding, 
and sodomy at a military base in Tolima Department.  Ten 
soldiers were implicated in the events, including the 
battalion commander, four lieutenants, four corporals, and a 
'career soldier' (of unknown rank).  The charges were split 
between military and civil judicial authorities, according to 
their respective jurisdictions.  The COLMIL retains authority 
over charges deemed to be specific to the armed forces -- 
attacks on inferiors (by corporals and the career soldier), 
prevarication by omission (by the lieutenants), and abuse of 
authority via omission of reporting (by the battalion 
commander).  The Fiscalia (civilian Attorney General) will 
rule on offenses of a human rights nature, specifically 
infliction of physical abuse and violent sexual acts.  The 
Fiscalia is also said to be weighing possible charges of 
torture.  Of the accused, the corporals and career soldier 
are in custody, while the lieutenants and commander have been 
released. 
 
 
-------------------------- 
The Military Investigation 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) According to the Executive Director of Military Penal 
Justice, Brigadier General Luis Fernando Puentes, the COLMIL 
began an internal investigation on January 27, two days after 
the alleged events.  The General says a formal investigation 
is essentially complete, awaiting only a psychiatric 
evaluation requested by the defense counsel that he hopes 
will be finished by the end of April.  However, there is a 
lengthy process ahead, comprising half a dozen stages of 
scrutiny from charging to judging to sentencing.  In the 
best-case scenario, according to General Puentes, final 
rulings may emerge by July or August, but objections or 
requests at any stage by the defense counsel could cause 
delays. 
 
 
------------------- 
The Need for Reform 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) The cases' slow progress underlines the necessity of 
military justice reforms now underway led by General 
Puentes, Military Penal Justice unit.  The reforms' first 
phase will cut case backlogs by enabling simpler cases to 
follow a shortcut process of fewer steps.  According to 
Puentes, this phase was recently passed by Congress and 
awaits the President's signature.  Moreover, local 
authorities from around the country have participated in 
training workshops and are ready to implement the new 
procedures as soon as they become law.  The second phase, 
transforming Colombia's military justice from an 
investigative to an accusatory model and thereby accelerating 
case turnaround times, will likely be enacted this summer 
(Refs A and B).  For cases as serious as the alleged abuses 
 
at Tolima, the reforms should reduce turnaround time from 6-7 
months to 2-3 months, says Puentes, while more minor offenses 
could be settled even more quickly. 
 
 
-------------------------- 
The Fiscalia Investigation 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) The Fiscalia's separate investigations began on March 
¶6.  Puentes said the COLMIL supplied 1132 pages of 
documentary evidence to the Fiscalia on March 8.  A Fiscalia 
source is unable to estimate a target date for completion of 
its investigations.  By law, investigations of more than 
three persons cannot extend beyond 360 days, but sources 
indicate that those time limits are often not observed in 
practice.  Included in the Fiscalia's interrogations of the 
accused are questions pertaining to charges of torture. 
(Note: General Puentes claimed that torture would not be 
applicable to these cases, because the actions were not 
performed in a systematic way, but evidently the Fiscalia 
regards possible torture charges as worth investigating.) 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Comment: Opportunity to Demonstrate Changes 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The Tolima abuse cases received ample coverage in the 
press, causing President Uribe to fire the COLAR's top 
commander (Ref C).  Inherent in this high-profile mess, 
however, is an opportunity for the COLMIL to begin to 
demonstrate that the military justice system can work better 
-- first by administering the cases quickly and efficiently, 
secondly by meting out suitable sentences to overcome a 
civilian perception of military impunity, and finally by 
instituting strict ethics and controls with respect to humane 
treatment of soldiers and civilians alike to ensure abuses 
will not recur. 
WOOD