HRW denounces that the Army would be threatening the inhabitants of Alto Remanso, Putumayo

On April 20, Human Right Watch assured that in the Alto Remanso village, in Puerto Leguizamo (Putumayo), members of the security forces have dedicated themselves to threatening and intimidating peasants and indigenous people.

These alleged intimidations come 23 days after the release of the operation in which several civilians, including a minor, an indigenous authority and a pregnant woman, were allegedly killed by soldiers looking for alias Bruno, a member of the FARC dissidents.

According to Human Right Watch, a report will be presented in the coming days that will feature testimonies from the people of the territory and from official sources.

The human rights organization also criticized the report submitted by the Office of the Ombudsman, since it assures that the document does not present clear conclusions about the events in that community.

It should be recalled that on the conduct of the operation carried out on 28 March, the Office of the Ombudsman warned of the obligation to respect the rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with regard to the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality.

Among other things, the Office of the Ombudsman said that during the clashes there was damage to civilian property essential to the community, and that there is widespread fear of reprisals by armed groups that are present in the area.

At the time, Human Rights Watch managed to confirm that at least four civilians died during the operation: Pablo Panduro Coquinche, 48, indigenous governor of the Bajo Remanso council, as well as Ana María Sarrias, 24, the wife of the president of the Community Action Board of the Alto Remanso village. On the other hand, they confirmed that Oscar Oliva, 40, and Divier Hernández, 35, also died during the operation.

The IACHR recently called on the Colombian State to investigate what happened in the Alto Remanso village.

He also recalled that in the event of complaints of human rights violations, it is up to the ordinary courts to hear investigations, in accordance with the relevant standards, and underlines the obligation of the State to provide clear information, especially on the number of persons killed, injured, captured and disappeared during the above-mentioned military operation.

In this regard, the international organization urged the relevant authorities to continue to carry out investigations under protocols that prevent the stigmatization of victims and to take the necessary measures to “repair this damage by incorporating an intercultural approach that considers the impacts on victims, their families and their families” communities”.

Finally, he called on Colombia to strengthen its integral presence in the territory and to ensure a dialogue with the organizations of the country's ethnic-racial groups, tribal and peasant communities in order to agree on actions that guarantee the right to life and physical integrity of ethnic peoples and communities peasants of the country.

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