“Another shame and mourning for our human rights story”: Juanes referred to victims of violence in Colombia

On the morning of this Tuesday, April 12, Juanes released a message related to victims of violence in Colombia. Through his Twitter account, the musician described the mourning that is now being experienced in the country as a shame. The interpreter of 'the black shirt' questioned the continuity of negative events committed against the community. Although he did not refer exactly to a particular event, these days, Colombians have their eyes on what happened in Putumayo, where it was alleged that the most recent operation by the military forces allegedly left civilians as victims.

“To revictimize victims is infamous, even more so to kill them. Another shame and mourning for our human rights story. Until when does HP?” , wrote on the already referenced social network. The comments on what Juanes said were divided between several sides, between those who accuse him of being a 'repentant uribist' and between those who invite him to vote for a candidate who does not belong to the right of the country.

“But, dear Juan, if you continue to vote for Uribism, then what do you expect?” ; “Until when? Until they put their hands on the consider and understand that war cannot be perpetuated through politicians who carry the flag of the unspeakable, until they stop turning a blind eye to inequality, until dignity becomes a habit”, some of the comments of citizens who answered the triune of musician.

Juanes has not referred to the subject anymore, however, in trino it continues to generate reactions from citizens. Several of them, in addition to attacking him, have been detailing figures and testimonies that have the National Army and the Minister of Defense, Diego Molano, in the talks of human rights movements.

“Every military operation is based on international humanitarian law. Our mission in that operation was very clear: to neutralize the criminal system of one armed commission, self-described border command, and not another,” said Army Commander General Eduardo Zapateiro. According to their figures, 11 persons belonging to illegal armed groups were killed, however, according to the community, none of those killed was a criminal, in fact, among the deceased persons were a minor and a pregnant woman.

“The operation was a joint action, planned within military doctrine and the norms of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Therefore, I reiterate that it is a legitimate action, intelligence reports with a guiding criterion are part of the operational process, every operation is part of this. Our mission in that operation was very clear to neutralize the subsystem of an armed commission of GaOr 48, called “Border Command”, said the uniformed.

“It was an operation that had planning, it had intelligence information, it had precise information about the presence of leaders and members of terrorist cells and drug traffickers in that part of the territory. We then proceeded with clear information,” added Colombian President Iván Duque,

Indigenous governor Pablo Panduro Coquinche, Didier Hernández Rojas, president of the Community Action Board, and Ana María Sarrias, the pregnant woman who was the wife of Hernández Rojas, died in the operation. The minor was 16 years old.

“This is not the first operation where pregnant women and minors who are combatants fall (...) criminals from these structures who continue to recruit minors and who continue to put them as cannon fodder,” Zapateiro argued while being questioned in an interview with the RCN Channel news program. The violent events took place on March 28.

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