the Armed Forces and the paramilitaries. Lastly, some expert opinions presented in these proceedings,501 and in other proceedings before the Court 502 (incorporated into the documentary evidence of this case) reveal these connections. 252. The Fourth Report of the Ombudsman’s Office to the Colombian Congress in 1997 is illustrative in this regard. It indicated that the paramilitary groups had “become the illegal arm of the Armed Forces and the Police, for whom they carried out the dirty work that the Armed Forces and Police cannot do as authorities subject to the rule of law.” Thus, according to the Ombudsman, the paramilitary activities represented “a new form of exercising illegal repression with no strings attached.”503 253. In addition, the case file contains evidence that specifically indicates that the Army’s 17th Brigade, which operated in the region of the Cacarica river valley and surrounding areas, had been accused in several cases of having connections with paramilitary groups. 504 During the proceedings before this Court, evidence was presented indicating that senior Army commanders could have had connections with paramilitary groups in the Urabá region and in other regions. This is supported by: (a) testimony and denunciations of soldiers and of former members of the Armed Forces;505 (b) information from the Prosecutor General’s Office;506 (c) confessions and statement of demobilized paramilitaries,507 and (d) an expert opinion presented in the hearing in the instant case.508 (evidence file, folios 744, 751 and 762). See also, United Nations, Human Rights Committee, Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant. Concluding observations of 5 May 1997, para. 17; 4 August 2010, para. 8, and 26 May 2004, para. 12. 500 Cf. ILO, Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR), individual observation, 2009, pp. 78 and 79. 501 Cf. Expert opinion provided by Javier Ciurlizza, expert witness proposed by the Commission, before the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights during the public hearing on February 12, 2013: “[…] The existence of connections between paramilitary groups and some local economic or political agents is public knowledge […].” Anthropological appraisal provided by Jesús A. Flores López, proposed by the representatives, before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on February 12, 2013. 502 Cf. Sworn statement by Federico Andreu Guzmán. Case of the Mapiripán Massacre and the La Rochela Massacre v. Colombia. In different parts of his statement, Mr. Andreu referred to the existence of connections between paramilitary groups and soldiers. 503 Cf. Ombudsman’s Office, Fourth Report to the Colombian Congress, Santafé de Bogota, 1997, pp. 59 and 60, cited by the United Nations, Commission on Human Rights, Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons submitted in accordance with Commission resolution 1999/47, E/CN.4/2000/83/Add.1, para. 25 (evidence file, folio 1571). 504 Cf. Statements by G.I.C.M., Mayoress of Apartadó, before the Prosecutor General’s Office, National Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Unit, on October 21, 1998, and April 24, 1997 (evidence file, folios 39585 and 38813); Statements made by Colonel C.A.V.R., before the Prosecutor General’s Office, National Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Unit, on May 8, 1998, September 11 and 13, 2002 (evidence file, folios 38794, 34795, 38796, 41284 and 41335); Statement made by M.M.C. in proceeding 426, and before the Prosecutor General’s Office, National Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Unit, on July 28, 1999 (evidence file, folios 39613 and 39614). Regarding this testimony, it should be explained that the Prosecutor considered it impossible that a person who had just entered the Army had obtained the trust of the senior military commanders, as in the case of M.M.C. Regarding the episode when he had apparently heard Rito Alejo talk in English, no evidence was offered to prove his knowledge of that language. The testimony is suspected of being false because it does not explain how the author knows the exact location of paramilitary bases, the weapons they had, and the exact numbers of the vehicle license plates used by paramilitary leaders (evidence file, folios 41564 to 41566). 505 Cf. Testimony of C.A.V.R. of May 8, 1998, September 11 and 13, 2002, before the Prosecutor General’s Office, National Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Unit (and testimony of C.A.F. of May 11, 201, before the Eighth Criminal Court of the Bogota Special Circuit (evidence file, video, minute 29:10 etc., folio 8745). 506 Cf. Prosecutor General’s Office, Document and Powerpoint presentation “Operation Cacarica” (evidence file, folios 19258 and 1926), and Prosecutor General’s Office, Justice and Peace Unit, Dossier on the Elmer Cárdenas Bloc, structures described by Fredy Rendón (evidence file, folio 45295). 507 Cf. Voluntary confessions of Fredy Rendón Herrera and Julio César Arce Graciano, in Collective voluntary confessions of the candidates of the Elmer Cárdenas Bloc concerning Operation Genesis – Cacarica before the 48th 89