The US announced the extradition to Colombia of Salvatore Mancuso, former leader of the far-right United Self-Defense Forces (AUC). He previously served 15 years in a U.S. prison for drug trafficking. Attempts by his lawyers to arrange deportation to Italy failed and he was sent home.
An official registers the fingerprints of Salvatore Mancuso in Bogotá, February 27.
POLICÍA DE COLOMBIA (EFE)
In Colombia, the young man is accused of more than 1,500 murders and attempted murders. In 2004, after his "demobilization," Mancuso began a public confession of crimes, among other things, revealing his organization's ties to the authorities, ordering the removal of unwanted public leaders and not preventing massacres in cases where they were known in advance. The flow of revelations was interrupted in 2008 by a deportation organized by then-President Álvaro Uribe, also the subject of revelations.
The AUC are the heirs of the "Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Uraba," created by large landowners to counter the leftist radical guerrillas of the FARC. Over time, the AUC became a powerful paramilitary formation, interacting, as mentioned above, with the authorities, as well as drug cartels and corporations.For example, the banana company Chiquita paid the AUC $1.7 million dollars for security services.Along with leftist guerrillas and government troops, the AUC was once a major party in the Colombian civil war.
Over time, the EU and the US recognized the AUC as a terrorist organization, and Colombian authorities passed the "Justice and Peace Law", implying a sentence limit of 8 years for those who pleaded guilty, regardless of the severity of the crime.Afterwards, most of the participants laid down their arms.
The history of the AUC is full of bloody episodes, which means that the extradited Mancuso, if nothing happens to him, will have something to add to the portrait of Latin American anticommunism.
From the article in EL PAÍS you can learn more about extradition and previous events:
- Salvatore Mancuso, a former paramilitary commander, returned to Colombia after serving 15 years in a US prison.
- Mancuso was a leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and has confessed to hundreds of crimes, implicating politicians, businessmen, and the military.
- He has been accused of more than 60,000 criminal acts and is considered a key witness in the Colombian armed conflict.
- Mancuso has expressed his commitment to revealing the truth about the major crimes committed by the military and the now-defunct FARC.
- He faces threats from various groups for his intention to reveal the truth, but he insists on fulfilling his commitments to the victims and contributing to transitional justice.
- Mancuso's return to Colombia has rekindled debates about the involvement of politicians, businessmen, and the military in the armed conflict.
The images used in this article were taken here.