12 civilian attire claimed to be from the Attorney General’s Office, they did not show any identification. After the men searched the property without finding anything that would constitute a crime, they attacked Mr. Oscar Hoyos and threatened him. They then forced him to dig a hole in the floor of the house, claiming that weapons were buried them. When they did not find anything, they left. 51. The petitioners state that later, on March 6, 2003, a group of armed civilians returned and dug holes in the back of the house. On March 11, 2003, a group of men identified by the armbands of the National Police’s Special Counter-terrorism Command surrounded the house and started digging holes, claiming to be looking for weapons. The petitioners state that when this happened Mr. Hoyos and his children decided to abandon the property and rent it. By agreement with the tenants, they left their belongings in a closed room in order to protect them. 52. The petitioners report that thereafter, on June 26, 2003, a group of armed men arrived at the house and threatened the tenant that they would force down the door if she refused to let them in. It is alleged that once inside the house, the men asked for Ms. Ospina and her family and proceeded to take the furniture. The following day they returned to complete the looting. The armed men threatened the tenant, telling her that if she filed a complaint with the Attorney’s Office, they “would cut off” her head. They told her that the house needed to be vacated and gave her a message for Ms. Ospina and her husband that they needed to speak with them. The petitioners allege that anyone who agreed to “speak” with the paramilitary commanders was never seen alive again. They contend that as a result of this, the tenant vacated the house and on July 8, 2003 the paramilitary took over the property. The petitioners state that the property was virtually dismantled: the windows, doors, toilets, kitchen and bricks were hauled away. 53. The petitioners allege that in August 2003 Luz Dary Ospina and her family moved to Bogotá. In October 2003, they applied to the Solidarity Network to be listed in the Single Register of Displaced Persons. Their application was denied on December 2, 2003. This decision was subsequently reversed by a February 13, 2004 order to enter their names in the Displaced Persons Register. 54. The Hoyos Ospina family lived in Bogotá for one year, where they endured the difficult economic and security situation. However, thanks to the generosity of a program to protect community leaders, run by the Social Ministry of Bogotá, Mrs. Ospina and her family left the country bound for Montevideo, Uruguay, where they lived in 2004. Luz Dary Ospina left the country with her husband and their two children who were minors; their eldest daughter stayed in Medellín, as the humanitarian aid they received was only sufficient to cover the expenses of the two younger children. The petitioners assert that this undoubtedly took a toll on the family unit. In 2005, the family returned to Colombia, and, beset by an emotional and economic instability they have still not been able to overcome, are living in Medellín in a neighborhood outside Comuna 13. 55. The petitioners indicate that Ms. Ospina filed a complaint with the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Department of Antioquia, with the Ombudsperson’s Office and with the National Government. They point out that the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Department of Antioquia started an investigation into the matter and referred the complaint to the Office of the ProsecutorDelegate for Human Rights in Bogotá. They claim to have no knowledge of any public official being sanctioned as a result of that investigation. The petitioners contend that Ms. Ospina and her family were afraid to go directly to the Medellin Sectional Attorney’s Office to report what happened and the Departmental Prosecutor’s Office failed to bring the facts to the attention of the Medellin Sectional

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