Protests have erupted in Colombia over the Supreme Court’s decision to detain former President Álvaro Uribe and place him on house arrest, with both supporters and opposers of the politician taking to the streets. Uribe is being investigated for witness tampering and fraud in cases linked to his ties with paramilitary groups who fought a brutal US-backed war against leftist guerillas, led by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), during his time in office from 2002 to 2010. The state was complicit in kidnapping and extortion and numerous human rights violations against Colombian citizens, during a period when thousands of civilians were killed.
Residents of a downtown Bogota neighbourhood celebrate the Supreme Court order to detain ex-president @AlvaroUribeVel by house arrest while his trail for witness tampering and fraud continues. Supreme Court based decision on “potential for obstruction of justice to take place.” pic.twitter.com/vo1tH7KbrT
— Steven Grattan (@sjgrattan) August 5, 2020
Uribe has been placed on house arrest due to the purported risk of ‘obstruction of justice’ in a case that is ironically investigating how his administration bribed potential witnesses against the president. While some credit him with weakening the resolve of the leftist rebels in a decades-long conflict, others contend that his stern approach went too far and excused the actions of drug cartels and paramilitaries, who often acted with impunity.
Pro-democracy cacerolazo (protest of banging pots and pans) across homes in Bogotá, Colombia, after former President Álvaro Uribe is placed under house arrest related to bribery and witness tampering charges. https://t.co/eqHNPAGAEo
— Brett Heinz (@brtthnz) August 5, 2020
The current case has its origins in a 2012 incident, when Uribe first filed legal action against the Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA) leader Iván Cepeda, who was searching for evidence linking Uribe to paramilitary troops. Uribe said that Cepeda had bribed ex-paramilitaries to testify against him. However, this move backfired on him as, in 2018, Supreme Court judge José Luis Barceló instead closed the case against Cepeda and opened an investigation into Uribe for manipulating witnesses.
Among Uribe’s supporters are current President Iván Duque, who described Uribe as an “exemplary public servant” and described the trial as politically motivated. On the other hand, politicians like Mayor Claudia López have welcomed the trial, saying, “Nobody is above the law.” Nevertheless, rallies in support of Uribe have been held in Bogotá and Medellin. The former president himself has spoken of his “profound sadness” at being maligned for “doing something good for the country”.
La privación de mi libertad me causa profunda tristeza por mi señora, por mi familia y por los colombianos que todavía creen que algo bueno he hecho por la Patria
— Álvaro Uribe Vélez (@AlvaroUribeVel) August 4, 2020
He continues to hold significant influence over the country’s politics and while his bid to change the constitution to allow him to run for a third term was unsuccessful, he did win a senate seat in 2018 and was then re-elected in 2018 with an overwhelming number of votes. The current president Duque is also said to be one of his protégés.
This case marks the first time in Colombia’s history that a former president has been served with a home detention. Uribe has now reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus.