16 were alive.” After the Antonio’s “disappearance,” the witness spoke to the San Gil 16th Investigating Judge for criminal matters and he showed her a document issued by the Police of Puerto Araujo that said “I, Antonio Flórez Contreras, was detained at the Police Station; I declare that I was well treated.” However, the witness alleges that the signature on the document was not that of her husband, but that “it was signed by the Senior Officer of the Puerto Araujo Police Station.” The alleged victim had previously told her that this person was always “causing him problems.” The witness kept in contact with the San Gil judge, who told her that the investigation was going well, that they already had evidence about those who were responsible, and that “members of the Police and the Army of Puerto Boyacá or Puerto Araujo were involved.” The judge warned the witness that “she should not tell anyone because [both] their lives were in danger.” The sudden “disappearance” of the alleged victim ended household harmony. Her standard of living was drastically reduced. Food began to be scarce; the witness had to pawn her things and sell the house to pay off debts and for her children's schooling. While she worked as a teacher, the witness had to leave her youngest children in childcare centers, where they were mistreated. In 1989, she agreed to live with a person much older than herself, Cristóbal Navarro, out of necessity, in exchange for financial but not affective support. In 1994, Mr. Navarro was attacked and became a paraplegic for life, which increased the family's emotional and financial crisis. As a result of Antonio’s “disappearance,” the witness began to work for ASFADDES in 1989. Since then, she has been threatened by a group called “Mano Negra” [Black Hand]. Also, she began to work for MINGA, the coordinating team for the defense and promotion of human rights and, in 1990, was attacked “at home.” She later found out that the person who had carried out the attack belonged to the “selfdefense” groups, who “worked closely with the Police.” As a result of the threats from this group, the witness had to move to Cúcuta and then to Bogotá. The personal consequences for the witness are a deep and irreversible change in her personality and her expectations. She feels very bitter, impotent and sad. Neither she nor her children will ever recover from what happened. Her children suffer greatly because of what happened to their father. They cried, they called for him, they waited for him, then they became rebellious; they became sad and bitter and had to grow up prematurely. The witness hopes that justice will be done, that those responsible for the events that occurred in this case will be identified, that the remains of the alleged victim will be delivered to them so that they can bury them, and that his name is cleared, because an attempt has been made to link it with the guerrilla. d) Testimony of Miryam Mantilla Sánchez, sister of the alleged victim, Víctor Manuel Ayala Sánchez The witness was 46 years of age when her brother, Víctor Manuel, disappeared. Víctor Manuel Ayala Sánchez was 32 years of age at the time of his disappearance; he lived in Bucaramanga with his wife, Sandra Montero, and their two children, Caterine and Juan Manuel. Víctor Manuel also had another child, Víctor Hugo Ayala.