Supreme Court of Justice Calls José Vicente Carreño Castro Inquiry for Forced Disappearance

On March 28, it became known that the Instruction Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice called for inquiry the representative of the House for Arauca of the Democratic Center and newly elected senator, José Vicente Carreño Castro, for inquiry after opening criminal proceedings against him for the crime of enforced disappearance.

According to El Espectador, Carreño came to Congress in 2018 after inheriting the seat left by Luis Emilio Tovar, who left after the Council of State overthrew his election for campaigning with members of Radical Change

The elected senator must submit an inquiry to Judge Cristina Lombana, according to El Tiempo. The date on which the proceedings will take place against the member of the Democratic Center is unknown at this time.

The formal investigation has to do with the forced disappearance of Alejandro Santiesteban Alarcón, which took place on February 6, 2003 in Tame (Arauca). According to the newspaper, in the file of the investigation it can be read that the paramilitaries operating in that area detained and kidnapped Alarcón, who to date remains missing.

The investigation by the Attorney General's Office - which certified copies to the high court of justice - indicates that the paramilitaries of the Vencedores de Arauca Block of the Self-Defenses collaborated with members of the municipality's National Police to frighten and reach the La Unión neighborhood, where the disappearance of Alarcon.

The investigation against Carreño Castro is due to the fact that, at the time of the young man's disappearance, the representative to the House for the Governing Party was a police officer in Tame and has been mentioned on several occasions by various witnesses as one of the policemen who helped carry out the paramilitary incursion into the most poor Tame.

The newspaper indicates that the most complex testimony against Carreño Castro is that of Julio César Contreras, alias Chapulín, a member of the bloody paramilitary group of the Vencedores de Arauca Bloc, who in 2019 told Justice and Peace that while the Congressman was wearing the uniform of the National Police, he allowed criminals to enter Tame between 2002 and 2003.

“The postulate Julio César Contreras indicates that they had cooperation with the Police in that raid. He refers to the postulated details of the incursion into the La Unión neighborhood, in the city of Tame. He reports that for that operation there were among 25 fighters. He reports that a policeman named Carreño, who is now a politician in Arauca, collaborated with the organization”, the testimony of alias Chapulín can be read in an indictment.

Forced disappearance in colombia

According to the Historical Memory Center, the main actors in this type of scourge are paramilitary groups with 46.1% of the cases recorded between 1970 and 2015 (a total of 13,562); guerrillas, 19.9% (5,849); post-demobilization groups, 8.8% (2,598) and State agents, 8% (2,368). “We know that this phenomenon has occurred in 1,010 municipalities out of 1,115 of the country, and that the most affected regions are the Middle Magdalena, eastern Antioquia and the Aburrá Valley,” says an investigation.

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