The chief negotiator of the Colombian Government with the National Liberation Army (ELN), Otty Patiño, announced on Tuesday that eight guerrillas of this armed organization will be released for «humanitarian reasons», one day after the first round of talks ended in Caracas, Venezuela.
«There is a situation in the prisons, which not only covers ELN members, but also people suffering from illnesses, some of them terminal, who are in an inhumane situation, confined and without proper medical attention, as well as without family support», explained Patiño.
«They are almost agonizing people. It has been proposed that these people can be in their homes with home confinement. There are eight people who will be released immediately,» he said in a conversation with Blu Radio.
However, Patiño specified that these eight specific cases will be presented to the judges, who will have the last word. If they give the go-ahead, they will be monitored by Inpec, Colombia’s penitentiary institute.
«It cannot be the Government that resolves this situation but the judges. The Government is going to present these situations so that they can proceed», explained Patiño, who pointed out that it is also necessary the endorsement of the doctors so that the magistrates can certify that they can benefit from this prerogative.
This Monday, the first round of negotiations between the guerrilla and the Colombian government concluded, with the announcement, among others, that twenty people – including civilians and law enforcement officers – who had been held captive by the ELN have been released as part of the «clear commitment to peace».
The ELN leader in the negotiations, Israel Ramírez, alias ‘Pablo Beltrán’, has not specified the identity of these people, although it is known that among them are two minors who were captured in November.
In relation to the possibility of a ceasefire by the ELN during the Christmas period, ‘Pablo Beltrán’ has pointed out that although it would be desirable, he considers it difficult for it to happen, since on previous occasions it has only served for the security forces to intensify operations against the group.
Regarding a bilateral agreement for the cessation of hostilities, the leader of the ELN delegation explained that it has not been one of the points discussed during this first round.
The second meeting is scheduled to take place on Mexican soil, one of the guarantor countries of the agreement along with Venezuela and Norway.
