-21Euclides Manuel Calle Álvarez heard about what happened in Pueblo Bello by radio. When “he heard his son’s name […] [he] felt an enormous anguish that [his] son had been disappeared in this way[, because] he was never a bad person.” The following day, he traveled to Pueblo Bello and, met up with the other next of kin of the alleged disappeared in Turbo. He was there for about a month trying to discover their whereabouts, but “they were unable to find out anything.” During the month he spent in Turbo, the witness had to beg in order to feed himself, “something that […] he had never done before.” The people said that the disappearances had occurred because the guerrilla had stolen livestock from Fidel Castaño and “he had said that the 42 head of cattle would be paid for by 42 people.” The witness considers that “the [State] was responsible for this because the trucks passed through a military base established in San Pedro.” The witness stated that, subsequently, the next of kin of the alleged disappeared were advised by radio to go to the Montería hospital, because they were going to take the bodies recovered from “Las Tangas” there. He spent about three days in Montería waiting for the arrival of the bodies. He did not find his son’s body, because he would have recognized it, since no one in Pueblo Bello had similar clothes. However, he saw that “the bodies were destroyed, […] dismembered. There were bodies with their hands tied; others with holes in their skulls.” Other next of kin “recognized their loved ones because of what they were wearing or their possessions; for example, a comb.” Mr. Calle Álvarez said that he has never been contacted by the authorities and he has never been asked for information about his son in order to find him. However, he is aware of what is happening in the case, through the people from ASFADDES, who “[t]ell him what the human rights lawyers are doing.” The witness and his wife live with their grandson, Jorge Fermín’s son, who is now 16 years of age and studying for his school leaving certificate. The child is like “an old man. People say he is very quiet.” With the disappearance of Jorge Fermín, “a great deal has changed, the improvement in their living conditions was greatly delayed; [his] wife is now very fearful of everything; she does not have the will to do anything. [... I]t is very painful for [them both] now. […] Herminia[, the alleged victim’s sister,] was very close to [him, so that] she was greatly affected and cried a great deal […] after the facts occurred.” Mr. Calle Álvarez wants to find his son, even though he knows that his son is not alive, but he wants to have his remains in order to bury them. He asks that the remains of his son as well as those of the other alleged disappeared should be found. However, he is “very afraid that the bodies buried on the banks of the river will never be found.” Finally, he said that he wants the Court’s judgment to ensure that his grandson can study and that he and his wife can “end their lives peacefully.” h) Genaro Benito Calderón Ruiz, father of Genaro Benito Calderón Ramos The day of the facts, Mr. Calderón Ruiz left to visit a family member in the village of Pica-Pica and his son, Genaro Benito, went to visit his girl friend in Pueblo Bello. The following day, he was advised by telephone that, the previous evening, “a group of Castaño’s men had taken away men from Pueblo Bello, including [his] son.” He said the people from the village commented that “Fidel Castaño did this because he had sent some cattle to Medellín and the guerrilla had stolen them.”

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents