« Thoughts on Colombia and Ecuador's Arrest Warrant Dispute | Main | A Big Relief and More Paramilitaries »
July 08, 2009
News from Colombia: The Business of Violence During a Recession (also: Corruption and False Positives)
Colombia is officially in recession, according to recent reports. Nevertheless, the private security business is booming. Private security is visible throughout Colombia. Nearly every bank, fancy restaurant, private school, expensive store and every other establishment that could ever be the target of crime has at least one heavily armed guard. In upscale restaurant areas, the streets are lined with bulletproof cars and bodyguards waiting for their clients to finish their meals.
This year, private security firms earned about double what hotels earned. This is especially ironic given the fact that Colombia's improving reputation in terms of security has recently contributed to a boom in tourism, both domestic and international. Apparently, however, the number of people who feel the need for armed protection greatly exceeds the number of people who have risked traveling in Colombia. Private security was bigger business than even the traditional banana and flower sectors. (If you look at a Valentine's Day rose package, it is likely to come from Colombia)
Meanwhile, morgues in Antioquia (the department where Medellin is located) are also struggling to keep up with demand. The rise in violence not only in Medellin but also in other regions of Antioquia where drug mafias operate has made it difficult for hospitals to perform timely autopsies. Fourteen people were murdered in Medellin this past Sunday alone. According to analysts, other forms of violence such as death threats and forced displacement are on the rise in the area.
In other news, the former head of Colombia's Notary and Registry system has said that notary jobs were given to Congressmen who voted in favor of the 2006 constitutional amendment which allowed Uribe to run for a second term. Notary jobs are infamous in Colombia because they are relatively easy and very lucrative, which historically has made them useful for clientelism and political corruption.
The scandal surrounding corruption in the 2006 referendum vote is growing. President Uribe himself, who is accused of fully knowing about the operation, has yet to comment on the latest accusations.
Finally, an investigation by the prosecution in a prominent false positives case appears to prove that higher ranking members of the army knew about and facilitated the killings of civilians to present them as guerrillas killed in combat. In fact, it argues that there was even coordination with other army units and that the extrajudicial executions could not have been carried out without significant support from colonels in various different battalions.
Posted by Pablo Rojas at July 8, 2009 03:17 PM
