Colombian authorities are investigating the disappearance and dismemberment of at least 100 people whose butchered bodies were discovered in a sewer that runs beneath a notorious prison in Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá.
Advertisement
Relatives of inmates walk past La Modelo prison in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.
The bodies found are from a series of attacks and murders dating back to 1999 up until 2001, according to Spanish daily ABC.
“Towards the end of a year ago we began investigating the possible disappearance and dismemberment of an undetermined number of people at La Modelo prison in Bogota”, Heyck said.
Gen. Jorge Ramirez, the head of Colombia’s prison system, said Thursday he has no information about the alleged disappearances, but noted that controls 15 years ago weren’t as strict as they are now.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, prisons such as Modelo were commonly divided into three wings, one for guerrilla groups, one for their paramilitary enemies, and one for common criminals. The two former paramilitary leaders face torture, kidnapping, and rape charges in connection with violence against journalist Jineth Bedoya. “Although several perpetrators have been identified and apprehended, no convictions have been made, and the judiciary has mishandled the case on several occasions”.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the investigation into the dead bodies found in the sewer have turned up other major issues.
“The horrors of what happened in this prison will be analyzed by the prosecution, but it also requires a deep reflection by Colombian society”.
An investigator at the attorney general’s office, Caterina Heyck, spoke to reporters in Bogota following the discovery.
Advertisement
Currently, Colombian prisons remain a hotbed of corruption, crime and appalling conditions. It is unclear if there is a clear plan for rectifying these problems at La Modelo prison. If additional bodies are found at other prisons, the investigation will undoubtedly be broadened.
