From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 15 Aug 92 09:11 PDT
Subject: IPS:Colombia: Gaviria Confirms
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800267:000:3339
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Aug 15 09:11:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS:Colombia: Gaviria Confirms

/* Written 12:05 am  Aug 15, 1992 by newsdesk in
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: COLOMBIA: GAVIRIA CONFIRMS HAVING SEEN PHOTOS OF ESCOBAR'S
PRISON

santa fe de bogota, aug 12 (ips) -- colombian president cesar
gaviria has confirmed having seen over 120 photos of the prison
from where drug lord pablo escobar escaped last month, amid
conflicting versions of how much he knew of the penitentiary.

in a statement released tuesday, gaviria said he had seen the
pictures which had been presented to him in january by colombian
attorney general carlos gustavo arrieta after an inspection of the
''la catedral'' prison.

based on arrieta's report, gaviria had asked the justice ministry
to make the necessary security adjustments and had agreed with the
minister on the replacement of prison director jorge pataquiva and
the director general of prisons, manuel caceres.

pataquita and caceres were relieved of their duties after
escobar's escape pending an investigation of their alleged
complicity in the jailbreak. they have been replaced by army
colonels homero rodriguez and hernando navas, respectively.

the report sought to put an end to speculations that gaviria had
been aware of the luxurious accommodations of escobar and 14 of
his close associates who surrendered to authorities june 1991 in
exchange for guarantees of non-extradition and lighter sentences.

for the first time since the escobar surrender last year, the
press was able to visit the supposed ''maximum-security prison'',
which had become a ''summer residence'', located in escobar's
hometown of envigado, some 10 kms from medellin.

the prison grounds cover a 700 sq metre area on a hillside and can
only be reached by a steep and narrow road.

the visiting journalists found refrigerators, washing machines,
television sets and video recorders which the prisoners had been
able to use in exchange for monthly payments of less than five
dollars, according to a poster at the prison entrance.

the government said prison officials would be investigated for
having allowed escobar to build three luxuriously furnished cabins
within the prison grounds.

the attorney general's office is also pushing for an inquiry into
alleged executions ordered or executed by escobar himself in the
prison, according to testimonies from escobar's former
associates.

the presidential communique also confirmed that the government was
providing resources to the attorney general's office to speed up
investigation of the entire affair, including the luxurious
condition of escobar's jail. (more/ips)

colombia: gaviria confirms having seen photos of escobar's
prison(2-e)

colombia: gaviria (2)

the appointment of police colonel gustavo socha as new director of
prisons and the creation of an official position to deal with drug
trafficking shows that the government has decided to disregard the
conditions which had accompanied escobar's surrender.

before escobar gave himself up to authorities last year, his
lawyers had imposed the condition that the national police would
not have any control over la catedral prison.
(end/ips/trd/mig/er/cir/92).