13
public notary (supra para. 33), in accordance with the decision of the President
contained in the Order of April 22, 2003 (supra para. 29).11 The Court will now
summarize the relevant parts of these statements:
a)
Testimony of Carmen Rosa Barrera Sánchez, sister of the
alleged victim, Ángel María Barrera Sánchez
The witness was 25 years of age when her brother Ángel María disappeared. She
lived in Ocaña with her parents, Delfina Sánchez and Ramón Barrera, and with her
two brothers, Jesús Barrera and Ángel María Barrera Sánchez, and her cousin, José
Erasmo Barrera.
Ángel María Barrera Sánchez was 26 years of age at the time of his disappearance
and worked as a tradesman. He owned a truck, together with Alvaro Lobo Pacheco;
he transported household appliances to Medellín and traded them. He was a
generous person, ambitious, and a hard worker. From the age of 17, he had been
responsible for his family, because his father had bone cancer, which made it
impossible for the latter to work. The alleged victim supported the household, paying
for clothing, food, daily expenses, his brother’s schooling, and his parents’
medication. Consequently, the witness presumed that he earned about “a million
pesos each month” at the current exchange rate, because he was lavish with the
household.
About 12 days after Ángel María’s disappearance, his cousin José Erasmo went with
next of kin of the other alleged victims to look for them, but they were not given any
relevant information. They did not renew the search, because they were told that it
was very dangerous; also, they did not have money to pay for the expenses that the
search entailed. Accordingly, they requested the help of the Association of Next of
Kin of Detained and Disappeared (hereinafter “ASFADDES”).
The disappearance of Ángel María profoundly affected all aspects of the lives of the
entire family. Since then, they had endured significant difficulties.
Since Ángel María’s disappearance, his father began to smoke much more than
before. Each night he went outside to wait for him; this went on for a long time,
almost until he was unable to do so, owing to the cancer from which he suffered. His
family could not pay for him to consult a doctor, so he was obliged to take “natural
remedies,” and the witness believes that these led to a rapid deterioration in his
health. Ramón Barrera died on July 5, 1995.
Her mother had “attacks,” sudden fainting bouts, she became confused; at times she
mumbled incoherently, she cried each afternoon, she lost her appetite, and
developed cirrhosis owing to malnutrition; she even had to go to a psychologist.
These crises lasted from three to four years. The family could not pay for her to
consult a doctor either, so Mrs. Sánchez also had to take “natural remedies.” Delfina
Sánchez died on June 29, 1998.
Her brother Jesús lost all motivation and said that life was not worth living; he had to
suspend his studies for two years, because he had to work in order to shoulder the
11
Cf. folios 254 to 285 of tome I and 313 to 350 of tome II of the files on merits and possible
reparations and costs.