January 26th, 2016
On January 21st, 16 of the 30 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP) were released in the peace negotiations between the guerrillas and the national government, the members having been pardoned last December.
According to the government, these individuals have been released by virtue of the crimes for which they were condemned being political in nature, on charges of rebellion. Additionally, they were part of a group of more than 80 political prisoners whose release urgently demanded the the FARC-EP on grounds of serious illness.
According to Long Live the Butterflies Coalition (La Coalición Larga Vida a las Mariposas), which brings together different organizations that work with political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, the group of released prisoners is made up of 9 men and 7 women. Of these persons, 4 will leave for Havana (Cuba) to join the negotiating team of the FARC-EP: Carlos Antonio Ochoa, Sandra Patricia Isaza, Elky Javier Caballero Rodríguez and Gloria Álvarez Mestizo.
On behalf of those released, Ochoa recognized President Juan Manuel Santos for his “act of pardon” and emphasized that “this voluntary gesture is important”, indicating the necessity of the government to continue the release of political prisoners of the guerrillas.
Meanwhile, Isaza stressed that “it is necessary that the country recognize the difficult situation that the political prisoners in Colombia are enduring” and indicated that, following his release, they will work “to socialize the agreements reached in Havana”.
It is estimated that in Colombia there are more that 9,000 political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, which includes not only detained combatants of armed insurgent organizations but also political opponents, social leaders and persons detained by authorities in the framework of the protest.
* Traducido por: Liesl Drew
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