Colombia to compensate victims of armed conflict

The GuardianMay 31--Historic law to financially redress up to four million victims of decades-long internal conflict including those of the state.

May 31, 2011

early four million victims of Colombia's long-running internal conflict could receive compensation and see their stolen lands returned under a new law.

Government and opposition figures as well as human rights activists have all hailed the legislation, which passed in the Senate last week, as "historic" and "transcendental".

The law aims to give financial compensation – equivalent to about £6,600 – for every victim reported murdered or forcibly disappeared. Colombia has one of the highest numbers of disappearances in Latin America, with more than 57,200 people still missing, at least 15,600 of which were forcibly disappeared, according to the UN high commissioner for human rights. More than 100,000 murders during the last three decades are attributed to rightwing paramilitary groups.

Days after passage of the victims' law, the government announced it had identified the remains of nearly 10,000 people buried in unmarked graves over the past 40 years by matching morgue reports with fingerprint records. Another 12,000 people, whose records were incomplete, remain unidentified. Many are presumed to be victims of the conflict although only 445 were on the official list of the disappeared.

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ACTIVITY

1.     IDEA PRINCIPAL DEL TEXTO.

COLOMBIA INDEMNIZA A LAS VICTIMAS DE LOS CONFLICTOS ARMADOS.

Primeros cuatro millones de víctimas de Colombia de largo conflicto interno podrían recibir indemnización y ver sus tierras arrebatadas devueltas bajo una nueva ley. La ley tiene por objeto dar una compensación financiera, equivalente a unos 6.600 - para cada una de las víctimas asesinados o desaparecidos por la fuerza. Colombia tiene uno de los más altos números de casos de desapariciones en América Latina, con más de 57.200 personas que siguen desaparecidas, por lo menos 15.600 de los cuales fueron objeto de desaparición forzada. Más de 100.000 asesinatos durante las  tres últimas décadas son atribuidos a grupos paramilitares derechistas.

2.    

FRASE NOMINAL

Government and opposition    figures

Pre- modificador                          núcleo

Another 12,000 people,  whose records were incomplete,

Núcleo                              post-modificador

FRASE VERBAL

                            FRASE VERBAL

             The law   aims to give   financial compensation

               FN                  V                      FRASE NOMINAL

3.     TIEMPO VERBAL

TIEMPO PRESENTE SIMPLE

Colombia has one of the highest numbers of disappearances in Latin America

TIEMPIO PRESENTE PERFECTO

Human rights activists have all hailed the legislation.