Morir es Vivir.
I heard a member of the Peace community say this. She further added: "I am not afraid of death, I have always known it will one day come, for me and for everybody." -June 23rd
What does death mean across the board? Dying and death, the dead and dying. The context, circumstances and conditions of this process vary; however, death is always death no matter how you put it. I do not want to dwell in a religious epilogue of the meaning of death; instead, I just had an urge to write about the recent experiences I’ve had with other’s dying. In particular as I am here in Colombia interacting with a community that has had too many experiences with death, often in the most brutal way that ends up adding more cases to the “unresolved files” that fuel the high level of impunity in the country.
Obviously there is a big difference between dying of a natural cause (i.e. old age), because of health reasons, and being killed/murdered. I understand these differences, nonetheless, I have a hard time separating the meaning of death and applying it to all scenarios. When I see the mourning process, the people that are left to tell the tale of the difunto (deceased) or when death is anticipated and people have a chance to talk about it and/or somehow prepare for it it seems like the living are left with the responsibility of explaining the meaning of so and so’s death. This April, only a month after being here in with Peace Community, I got news that my good friend Jessa had passed on to next world; she died after fighting cancer for almost a year. It was a death I was prepared for, mostly through Jessa’s own guidance as we openly spoke of her death and about how she was living with love all around during the entire process. Just a few weeks ago, I heard that my oldest aunt on my father’s side is currently battling cancer and that her treatment has been stopped as she is now facing the last stages of the illness. She is facing her death as it faces her through a chronic illness that has paved the way to deliver her to the end of her life.
But, here, I hear about another kind of death. It is bloody red and it really doesn’t have a fixed diagnosis. It blends with violence and it is paradoxically both blunt and invisible. There always seems to be more questions than answers and a murder can become the most important event to some individuals, while being rendered as insignificant by others.
On Monday, July 9th during evening hours, a policeman identified as Hernán Lopéz Cardona was killed in San José by what is believed to have been a direct attack from members of the FARC. The attack took place on the police post that was established there in 2005, resulting with the Peace Community displacing, as it was clear that it was a risk to their safety since it would make the civilians the convenient buffer zone during combat.
Four days later, on Friday the 13th, we heard about the death of a civilian. He is identified as Dairo Torres and the Peace Community states that Dairo’s murder is the most recent example of how attacks against civilian Campesino/as continue to take place. The Peace Community has identified Dairo as one of their members and leaders. He was described as a member who attended their asembleas (large periodic meetings requiring participation of all members of the Peace Community), and who had been working in their agricultural project that functions through the organizing of work-groups.
The Peace Community explains that Dairo Torres was killed around noon by two men dressed as civilians. These individuals are said to have stopped the “chivero” (jeep used as public transportation) Dairo was boarded on when it was on its way to San José. These chiveros are available on an estimated hourly basis and provide relatively cheap transportation on the only road available for folks to get to/from San José and Apartadó. Further details of the event include that the chivero was stopped shortly after passing the police check-point (it is believed to be about a two-minute drive from this check-point). There were apparently no policemen on duty at that particular time. It is believed that the two armed individuals asked Dairo to get off the chivero and after Dairo refused to do so, he was shot at once, and was then forcibly removed from the vehicle. These unidentified men are said to have ordered the chivero driver continue on his way. Dairo’s body was found on the side of the road right where the chivero was stopped.
Moreover, they say that the same end results applies to the vast majority of cases like these: the perpetrator is never caught and the justice system fails to win another battle against impunity. Member of the Peace Community stated that the two men who killed Dairo are paramilitaries and that witnesses heard them identify themselves as being members of the Aguilas Negras (Black Eagles; paramilitary group that emerged after Uribe’s demobilization process for the paramilitaries was in effect, legally known as Ley de Justicia y Paz).
Why was Dairo Torres killed ? Why was his murder executed in plain daylight and in a way that provided witnesses? Who can prove that paramilitaries might be behind his death?
The Peace Community has now added two more deaths to the toll: “We have now lost 180 members of the Peace Community” were the words uttered by one of the Community leaders.
The local media has released articles stating that Dairo Torres was not a member of the Peace Community. Does his affiliation with the Peace Community determine how extra-judicial his killing was? Or does his independence from it make the individuals responsible for it a bit less heavy on the murder scale?
What is clear is that this last week resulted with two deaths and that those responsible have contributed to the already overloaded files of cases that sooner than later become bluntly invisible under the new cases that get stacked above them.
The fact is that the Peace Community continues to find motives to stay united as an alternative to the historical and present day violence, hoping that both legal and illegal groups/individuals who bear arms can fully respect the lives of civilians. This is the reality that continues to feed deaths to the long-lasting conflicto armado (aka guerra) in Colombia.
And I sit here, pondering about all the other kinds of deaths that go unnoticed, unheard of, either because they happen clandestinely, silently, or because there are no ears to listen...
For more information on recent events in the Community, including Dairo’s Death please read the comunicado released by FOR posted on my blog or visit the Peace Community´s Webpage
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