​               The Palace of Justice Siege​

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The 6th and 7th November 1985 at Bogotá - Colombia, was the Palace of Justice´s Siege.  Strangely but that day, the security of the Palace was removed even that there were threats 4 days before the Siege.  The guerrilla Movement M-19, funded by the biggest drug-lords of the country Pablo Escobar and "Los Extraditables" group, started the Siege of the Palace of Justice, taking as hostages magistrates and the  Supreme Court of Justice´s President, José Reyes Echandía.  During the Siege there was a radio communication between the then president, Belisario Betancourt Cuartas and the President of The supreme Court of Justice, asking to accept a cease of fire. The president denied the hostages petition and there was a confrontation between the Army and the guerrilla group, leaving as result 96 persons deceased, the murder of the President of the Supreme Court of Justice and other 11 persons disappeared.  The combat took more than 48 hours and the edification was totally destroyed by the Army Tanks.

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Nowadays there is no answer about the eleven missing persons.  From some of these there are proofs and testimonies that corroborate that the missing persons exit the Palace alive in hands of the Army and were took to Military garrisons were they were tortured, murdered and then disappeared.  Since 2006, the investigations were reopened as the process against  Military members.  Currently there are 2 sentences for Crimes Against Humanity to the the ex- Colonel Alfonso Plazas Vega and the General  Jesus Armando Arias Cabrales.  This case has more than two decades and still the truth is not recognized.  The impunity rules.  Because of this, the case has been brought to International Organizations as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the International Supreme Court of Justice and the final sentence should be in the first trimester of the 2013.. 

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The respect for the victims have been violated due to the political intrusion in which members of the government and head of states, the current president Juan Manuel Santos and the ex-President Alvaro Uribe, have manifested in favor of the sentenced militants tempting against the independence of the Judicial System.  The case is most seen as a political battle that does not respect the life of the innocents killed, emphasizing in the culpability of the M19 guerrilla for the Siege and confusing society in the reasons for the sentences about the missing persons.  There are videos and testimonies that corroborate that these persons exited the Palace alive in hands of the Army and that thenm they were took to Military Garrisons in which they were tortured, murdered and disappeared. 

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Instep, the sentenced ones are so powerful that manipulate society making them believe that this witness and testimonies are not real when the competent National Institutions have already ratified the veracity of these. Several family members affected by this Event are already dead, they left this world,  without having a concrete answer of the whereabouts of their loved-ones disappeared. Government Institutions have left this case without justice, Truth or Reparation to the victims, instep, the sentenced ones enjoy of privileges ignoring the judicial decisions of imprisonment  and taking the National Justice as if it is a Joke.

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