VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #4329/01 1662205
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152205Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6208
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7592
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 9078
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN LIMA 5141
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 0373
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5756
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3984
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEAWJC/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS BOGOTA 004329 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: GOC EFFORTS TO WORK WITH JUSTICE AND PEACE VICTIMS 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  The Prosecutor General's Office (Fiscalia), Inspector 
General's Office (Procuraduria), Ombudsman (Defensoria), and 
National Reconciliation and Reparations Commission have to 
date helped over 80,000 victims of violence to come forward 
with information on crimes allegedly committed by former 
paramilitaries.  The GOC is preparing a Victims Protection 
Plan that would strengthen protection for participants in the 
Justice and Peace Law process.  End summary. 
 
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Fiscalia's JPL Unit Support for Victims 
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¶2.  Justice and Peace Law Unit Director Luis Gonzalez told 
poloff on June 7 that his office in the Prosecutor General's 
Office (Fiscalia) has gathered information on alleged former 
paramilitary crimes from over 60,000 victims of violence. 
The Unit is expanding its call center for victims and is 
hiring personnel to assist them in filing claims against the 
demobilized.  The Unit is organizing the televised 
transmission of former paramilitaries' voluntary confessions 
(versions libres) so victims do not have to travel too far 
and to protect them from being targeted.  For example, in 
Medellin, victims will not sit in a viewing room at the 
Justice Building were the version libres take place, but 
instead will be provided with a closed-circuit broadcast of 
the proceedings at the city's Exhibition and Convention 
Center.  In addition, the JPL Unit in Barranquilla is 
implementing a pilot project to provide psychological 
counseling to victims and witnesses present during the 
version libre process. 
 
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Ombudsman Creates New JPL/Victims Unit 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  The Ombudsman (Defensoria), through its regional and 
sectional offices, has to date assisted more than 5,000 
victims and registered their cases with the Fiscalia.  The 
Defensoria's Victims Unit primarily consists of public 
defenders charged with providing legal representation to 
victims.  In the next two months, the Defensoria will train 
150 of its officials nationwide in legal and other procedures 
to assist victims and in international reparations standards. 
 It also plans to produce and distribute brochures on victim 
assistance as part of a publicity campaign it is developing 
jointly with the Procuraduria.  The Defensoria will receive 
USD 450,000 from the USG to help finance its operations 
through 2008. 
 
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CNRR Seeking and Working with Victims 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The National Reconciliation and Reparations Commission 
(CNRR) has so far assisted close to 11,000 JPL victims in 
nine regions of the country.  Through public meetings and 
community work, the CNRR has identified groups, foundations, 
and other private sector entities willing to participate in 
the CNRR's Victims Attention Network of civil society actors, 
as well as to provide training in the judicial component or 
"ruta juridical" of the JPL process.  Five CNNR regional 
offices have opened in Medellin, Sincelejo, Bogota, 
Bucaramanga and Barranquilla, and two additional offices in 
Putumayo and Neiva will be open by the end of the year. 
These offices function as information centers, as well as 
referral centers for the Victims' Attention Network.  The 
CNRR also has a website that is updated daily with relevant 
information on JPL and victims' participation in the process. 
 
¶5.  On reparations, the CNRR is consulting with ten targeted 
communities for pilot reparations projects.  It is also 
working with the Reparations Fund Database, administered by 
Accion Social.  The database helps track assets seized 
through the JPL process, as well as other forfeited assets 
turned over for reparations, funds provided from the national 
budget, international donor funds, etc.  USG support to the 
CNRR is USD 2.5 million through 2007. 
 
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Procuraduria Training 
--------------------- 
 
¶6.  The Inspector General's Office (Procuraduria) is training 
its regional personnel on their role in implementing the JPL. 
 The training focuses on international standards related to 
the victims' rights to truth, justice and reparations; due 
process guarantees; and the role of public defenders in the 
JPL process.  Other Procuraduria initiatives include: (1) a 
study to evaluate all public policies pertaining to the 
protection of victims of the internal armed conflict, 
including but not limited to those involved in the JPL 
process; (2) a guide to reparations, both individual and 
collective, which has been distributed to Procuraduria 
officials and to JPL judges for their consideration; and (3) 
the launch of a publicity campaign to inform victims of their 
rights under JPL.  The Procuraduria will receive a total of 
USD 540,000 from the USG through 2008. 
 
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Civil Society Groups Request USG Assistance 
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¶7.  Sixteen civil society groups in eight main cities have 
requested USG support to provide legal and psycho-social 
assistance to victims of human rights abuses committed by 
demobilized paramilitary groups.  Projects include an 
agreement with Fundacion Pais Libre to provide legal and 
psycho-social assistance to victims, including more than 400 
internally displaced persons, in Monteria, Cordoba 
department, and training courses on the JPL, international 
criminal law, and transitional justice issues for attorneys 
and other victims' representatives.  Two hundred attorneys 
and advisors will participate in these events.  Total USG 
support for victims groups through 2008 is USD 530,000. 
 
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National Victims' Protection Plan 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  Vice Minister of Justice Guillermo Reyes told poloff on 
June 5 the Inter-Institutional Committee on the Justice and 
Peace Law, which consists of high-level representatives from 
every GOC entity involved the JPL process, is working on a 
proposal for a National Victims' Protection Plan.  The 
Committee is designing protocols to improve the overall GOC 
victim protection programs and eliminate bureaucratic gaps. 
The National Police have been assigned to provide "first 
responder" protection to victims in JPL cases who have 
received threats or who are at high risk for cooperating with 
the authorities.  The Ministry of Interior and Justice is 
working to offer medium-term protective measures for victims 
in JPL cases and provide protection for leaders of victims' 
organizations who have been threatened.  The Prosecutor 
General's Office will protect JPL witnesses.  The Committee 
has also decided to immediately increase security to victims 
attending version libres given by demobilized paramilitary 
leaders, and the next couple of months it will set up a 
Victims' Information System to enable the different GOC 
agencies involved in the JPL process to monitor cases and 
obtain information about victims. 
Drucker