Colombia: Information on the murder (death) of Salamon Samaniego, who was apparently an investigator for the Attorney-General's Office in Colombia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 23 October 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL37986.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Information on the murder (death) of Salamon Samaniego, who was apparently an investigator for the Attorney-General's Office in Colombia, 23 October 2001, COL37986.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be2314.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. |
No information on Salamon Samaniego or his death could be found among sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, investigators from the Attorney-General's Office have been threatened, attacked or murdered while working on cases that implicate paramilitary leaders (HRW 2001). In September 2000, Juan Manuel Corzo, director of the Attorney-General's investigative unit in Cucuta, was himself killed while investigating the murders of several of his colleagues (ibid.). Officials from the Human Rights Unit of the Attorney-General's Office are "particularly vulnerable to attack" (Amnesty-USA 2000). As of 11 September 2001, "[A]t least 10 judges, prosecutors and investigators have been gunned down in Colombia this year and scores have received death threats." (Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2001).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Amnesty USA. 2000. Annual Report 1999: Colombia.
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 2001. Fact Sheet: Crisis in Colombia.
Washington Post. 11 September 2001. "Murders Follow a Colombia Massacre".
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases.
Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. 2000-2001.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 2000-2001.
LEXIS-NEXIS.
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International.
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Cronología Andina [Lima]. "Colombia." Aug. 2000-July 2001.
El Espectador [Bogota]. 2000-2001.
El Pais [Cali].
El Tiempo [Bogota/Cali].
Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Apr. 2001. Colombia Assessment.
Intelligence Online.
International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)
Reporters sans frontières (RSF)
Revista Cambio [Bogota]. Dec. 2000-Aug. 2001.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bogota.
World News Connection (WNC)
Search engines including:
MetaCrawler