The following is excerpted from the letter sent by Carlos Castaño, Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, to the IPC, shortly after the January 29 kidnapping of four IPC staff by Castaño's forces.
... The guerrillas have demanded that the national government pursue and punish our active and passive sympathizers. But who judges and punished the guerrilla sympathizers? Should we not demand this? They too operate legally and like cysts in both governmental and non-governmental organizations. We have respected the great majority, knowing who and where they are. But enough is enough!
The holding of the IPC members, three parasubversives and one guerrilla, marks the beginning of a peace process without delay.
You stated publicly that these victims were "currently working for the peace process." Don't lie to the country. You and we all know perfectly well that they were working for a guerrilla organization, which we have already contacted to settle the matter.
We recognize the good will that motivates the IPC in the search for civilized solutions to the conflict and for respect for human rights, but the IPC, like other NGOs, has not escaped penetration by subversive individuals with base interests.
We do not seek, nor do we desire, to create panic within the NGOs, but we do make an appeal for the guerrillas to be purged from these organizations, an appeal that extends to the Human Rights Unit of the Attorney General's Office....
