JEP accused the director of the Dijin of contempt for interfering with Otoniel's statement

Last Tuesday, March 22 at 9:00 a.m. the hearing of Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias Otoniel before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), was scheduled, however, it had to be suspended by Judge Nadiezhda Henríquez, as she considered that the conditions were not in place to attend the statements of the former leader of the Gulf Clan and who was called as a witness in the investigation into the armed conflict in Urabá.

The hearing was scheduled at the Dijin headquarters in the Colombian capital, the same place where he has been detained since his capture. At the time of commencement, the defense of alias Otoniel and the JEP asked the magistrate to take place in conditions of complete privacy, as they hoped that Úsuga would be able to make some broader and more detailed statements of some facts.

It is for this reason that the National Police were asked not to be part of the guard and not be present at the hearing, a condition that was not complied with by the authorities as they considered that the security conditions were not being met, so they broke into the compound twice, this being the reason why Judge Nadiezhda Henríquez suspended the proceedings.

You can also read: Otoniel responded to the ordinary courts for the first time for crimes committed in Chocó and Antioquia

For the second time in a row, the presence of the authorities prevented the hearing from taking place normally. On this last occasion, despite warnings to the direct of the Dijin Police, the officers refused to leave the scene for reasons of national security. A police major, in the face of the magistrate's questioning, assured her that the door should always be open.

It is important to note that Úsuga was part of the People's Liberation Army (EPL) and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) which committed crimes in the Urabá area, so he was called to declare in case 04, that he refers to the territorial situation of the Urabá region during the armed conflict that took place there by many years. At first alias Otoniel refused to testify, but after receiving several letters from the victims recognized by the JEP, he decided to give his version of several facts.

This may interest you: Otoniel's hearing suspended before the JEP due to the presence of police officers in the courtroom

It was for this reason that the JEP called for consideration of precautionary measures to guarantee and protect the testimony and information provided by Dairo Antonio Úsuga. “The contributions to the truth that - eventually - it makes, will allow the processes currently being carried out or opened by the JEP and the decisions resulting from them, to be more effective (...), the victims' right to truth has a fundamental character,” said the magistrate.

The Absence of Truth Recognition Section issued precautionary measures to instruct the National Police to guarantee the reservation and privacy of the interrogation, the director of the Police Dijin, Major General Fernando Murillo, was asked to report on the security reasons that the police said to interrupt the audience. However, according to Blu Radio, which consulted some JEP sources, there will be an incident of contempt against Murillo and the police who broke in twice during the stage.

KEEP READING: