U.S. judge sentences Trinidad to 60 years

A federal judge here on Jan. 28 sentenced Ricardo Palmera, a peace negotiator for the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces-People’s Army (FARC-EP), to 60 years in prison without parole.

This harsh sentence came three years after Palmera, whose nom de guerre is Simón Trinidad, was illegally extradited from his homeland and charged in the U.S. with complicity in the FARC’s detention of three U.S. Pentagon contractors whose plane had crashed in the jungle.

Trinidad denied having any role in the detention of the three but proudly defended his role as a peace negotiator for the FARC who had tried to facilitate a prisoner exchange with the Colombian government.

The U.S. had also charged Trinidad with “terrorism” but failed to get a conviction on that charge, despite trying him twice. Nevertheless, Federal U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in an obviously political speech, called the detention of the contractors “an act of terrorism” and gave Trinidad the maximum sentence allowed, as requested by the prosecutor, Ken Kohl. During his long speech, Kohl had compared Trinidad to Osama bin Laden.

Bob Tucker, Trinidad’s court-appointed lawyer, spoke of his client’s negotiating work on behalf of a prisoner exchange, arguing that the U.S. government should allow “negotiations for the release of hostages,” which it vehemently refuses to do. Tucker also mentioned a letter Trinidad wrote to FARC Secretariat member Raúl Reyes, asking the guerrilla group to provide “proof of life” of the people it retained for purposes of a humanitarian exchange. Trinidad asked that he not be included in the exchange, hoping that would facilitate the process.

“How many people would do that?” asked Tucker, adding, “It was a complete pleasure to work with him.”

The packed courtroom included Colombian Sen. Piedad Córdoba, a key figure in the prisoner exchange. Trinidad spoke in his own behalf with dignity and revolutionary fervor for an hour.

In a strong voice, he started by thanking the court for allowing an earlier meeting with Córdoba and for its help with his medical problems. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals for their respect, and the translators for their work.

He explained the political raison d’être of the FARC, its fight on behalf of the most oppressed in Colombia and his reasons for joining the insurgency. He said he was satisfied that his trial had turned into a political trial where the social and economic situation in Colombia was discussed and the political nature of the FARC proven.

Below are excerpts from his speech, translated by Washington-based lawyer Paul Wolf.

“Nelson Mandela, who founded a guerrilla movement in South Africa and later rose to become president of that country, said it is the oppressor who always dictates the terms of the struggle, not the oppressed. In Colombia, the oppressor is the oligarchy and the use of force against the people is what led to the formation of the FARC.

“Latin America is a region of great economic disparity. The FARC supports the basic human rights that everyone needs to lead a dignified life, including access to nutrition, education, potable water, electricity, dignified living conditions, recreation and rest. Some 54 percent of Colombians, or 24 million people, live below the poverty line on just one to two dollars a day.

“A variety of fertile lands and climates would permit the harvesting of crops in Colombia 12 months of the year, providing enough for all Colombians as well as a surplus for export. Colombia is also rich in mineral resources, including gold, nickel, coal, salt and oil. Colombia’s biodiversity, in flora and fauna, the fish in its rivers, and a wealth in human resources make Colombia a very rich country able to provide for all of its inhabitants.

“Nevertheless, a small group of people, the petty governing class, has monopolized these resources, taken the best lands, controlled the economy, and kept the rest of Colombia in poverty. Leaders of both Liberal and Conservative parties have legalized these monopolies for the benefit of the rich, and by the same token, handed over Colombia’s resources to foreign capitalists for their own enrichment.

“The oligarchy’s policy of violence utilizes murder, torture and disappearances as tools against their opponents to keep themselves in power. Examples range from the genocide of the Gaitanista movement in the 1940s to the extermination of the Union Patriótica in the late 1980s. The three branches of power in the government have granted themselves impunity for all of their crimes, as well as those of the military and paramilitaries.”

At the end, he thanked international solidarity and the Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera in the U.S. He finished by shouting:

“Long live Manuel Marulanda! Long live the FARC! Long live Simón Bolívar, whose sword of freedom continues to advance throughout America!”

Note: The International Action Center read a statement of support during a press conference before the hearing.