Colombia: Information on violent acts attributed to the M-19 guerrilla group, 1993-94
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL17568.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Information on violent acts attributed to the M-19 guerrilla group, 1993-94, 1 July 1994, COL17568.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2060.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Reports attributing violent acts to the M-19 for the period 1993-94 could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB.
Various sources indicate that the M-19 has renounced violence and become a legal political group since the new constitutional assembly was established in 1991. A researcher at the Colombian Section of the Andean Commission of Jurists explained that the M-19 has not been held responsible for violent actions since then, although an M-19 faction called Frente Jaime Bateman Cayón did not renounce violence (30 June 1994; 28 June 1994). The dissident rebels who have continued to commit violent actions are not considered part of the M-19; rather, they are believed to have affiliated with the Coordinadora Guerrillera Simón Bolivar (often simply referred to as the Coordinadora Guerrillera) (ibid.) Frente Jaime Bateman Cayón involvement has been identified in four armed confrontations in the period 1993 to June 1994, three against the army and one against a guerrilla group of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) (ibid. 30 June 1994).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Comisión Andina de Juristas, Seccional Colombiana, Bogot . 30 June 1994. Fax received by DIRB.
. 28 June 1994. Telephone interview with researcher.
Additional sources consulted
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. U.S. Department of State. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
Human Rights Watch. Yearly. Human Rights Watch World Report. New York: Human Rights Watch.
News From Americas Watch [New York]. Monthly.
Andean Newsletter [Lima]. Weekly.
Latin America Press [Lima]. Weekly.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. Weekly.
Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. Monthly.
Material from the Indexed Media Review (IMR) or country files containing articles and reports from diverse sources (primarily dailies and periodicals) from the Weekly Media Review.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Reports. Daily.
Newspapers and periodicals pertaining to the appropriate region.
On-line searches of news articles.
Note on oral sources:
Oral sources are usually contacted when documentary sources have been exhausted. However, oral sources must agree to be quoted in a publicly available Response to Information Request. If they refuse, the Response will read "no information currently available." Contacting oral sources is also subject to time constraints; for example, there are periods of the year when academics are unavailable.
Note:
This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific books available in the Resource Centre are not included.