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REVOLUTIONARY SOCIAL CHANGE IN COLOMBIA
Table 7.2 A comparative review of politically motivated assassinations in selected Latin American countries Country
Period of analysis
Estimated number of political assassinations
Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia
1976–1983 1964–1979 1973–1990 1986–2006
9,000 125 2,666 62,833*
*
This figure is actually below that of other scholars and human rights groups that suggest the number of politically motivated assassinations over the past two decades hovers around 70,000 (Torres and Torres, 2005). Sources: Adapted from Dudley, 2004, front flap; Livingstone, 2003: 30; Stokes, 2003b; Giraldo, 1996: 18; with additional data from Chernick, 2007: 54; Petras, 2003: 25; Leech, 2002a: 53.
Revisiting the slaughter of the Unión Patriótica (UP) On paper, Colombia is proclaimed to be one of the longest-running democracies in the Western hemisphere. Since independence, it has held presidential and congressional elections through an electoral college system, coupled with a constitution to ensure ethical, political, and civil matters (Bushnell, 1993; Randall, 1992). However, it should be questioned whether this makes the country a democracy, as a minority has historically placed restrictions on those eligible to engage in politics through requirements of property ownership (the Congress of Cúcuta, 1821), bipartisan alliances as “codified in the restrictive Constitution of 1886” (see Bergquist, 2007: 671), and the direct implementation of political genocide against leftists, as recognized in the case of the Unión Patriótica (UP).50 With a firm place in the hearts of many, the UP has a significant role in Colombian political culture as one of the most important examples of civil society coming together for change through non-violent means (Aldana, 2002). It is argued that the unique ideology, support, and broad spectrum of those who came to form the UP were, in part, the reasons it was subjected to violence, repression, and extermination. Numerous statements, comments, and quotes from renowned scholars of Colombian social and political history provide the basis for the analysis that follows. Those cited do not share a homogeneous perspective on the Colombian civil war, or support a single political philosophy or faction. Nevertheless, there is one common denominator: they all take the informed position that the UP was a legitimate political party in Colombia, which sought, through peaceful means, an end to the civil war and an opening to democratic representation. Historically speaking, the UP, much like the PCC, had indirect associations with the FARC-EP, as did many political institutions and organizations. Following peace negotiations with the Conservative government of Belisario Betancur (1982–86), “many guerrillas laid down their arms and integrated themselves into the orthodox political system, with a good number of them forming a new political party Unión Patriótica” (Crandall, 2002: 33). Hence, in some ways the party was constructed of “former guerrilla members, who in
