Colombia Discovers Bodies From Alvaro Uribe’s Operation Orion in Medellin
Exhumation of bodies from La Escombrera, Medellin, Colombia, Dec. 19, 2024. X/ @condeNaranja
December 20, 2024 Hour: 1:19 pm
His state terrorism plan involved arbitrary arrests, selective detentions, and disappearances.
On Wednesday, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) and the Unit for the Search of Persons Deemed as Missing (UBPD) have announced the discovery of the first human remains of victims of enforced disappearances from Operation Orion in Colombia.
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The bodies were found in the area known as “La Escombrera” in Medellin, the capital of the Antioquia department, according to JEP Rapporteur for Precautionary Measures, Gustavo Salazar.
The discovery of bone structures at this site aligns with allegations made by victims’ organizations and human rights defenders from Comuna 13. For two decades, they have insisted that La Escombrera was the scene of numerous enforced disappearances.
Adriana Arboleda, director of the Legal Freedom Corporation, emphasized that Operation Orion was a political, ideological, military, and social strategy that enabled impunity for crimes committed by both paramilitaries and state agents.
She pointed out that former President Alvaro Uribe’s “democratic security” policy was accompanied by decrees granting special powers to the military, effectively guaranteeing their impunity in state crimes.
Despite persistent calls from victims’ families for a thorough forensic investigation, authorities showed a lack of diligence in the process for over 10 years. An excavation attempt in 2015 yielded no results, leading families of victims to hold the then-mayor and current mayor Federico Gutierrez accountable.
One of the victims of enforced disappearance, Luz Galeano, noted that the discovery of the bodies could have occurred earlier if Mayor Gutierrez had not halted the search process in 2016. “They called us crazy,” she said, recalling how authorities sought to delegitimize the families’ fight for justice.
Adrian Bedoya, a member of the organization Women Walking for Truth, expressed that the discovery offers hope that the years-long search has not been in vain. The victims demand that the site be declared a place of remembrance and that investigations and search areas be expanded.
According to the Colombian Truth Commission, Operation Orion began in Medellin’s Comuna 13 between October 16 and 17, 2002, and continued in the following months. This state terrorism plan, which was agreed upon by then-President Uribe and the Medellin Mayor’s Office, involved arbitrary arrests, selective detentions, and disappearances. However, military commanders have maintained that Operation Orion was directed against guerrillas, illegal self-defense groups, and common criminals.
teleSUR/ JF Source: JEP – Colombia Informa
