The most recent proposal of the Colombian government on this matter implies the linking of university students to a network of whistleblowers at the service of the armed forces is analyzed by a professor and a university student.

The initiative of openly buying information takes place in a country in electoral campaign for the upcoming Parliamentary elections in March, and where the reelection of Alvaro Uribe for a third consecutive term remains uncertain.

“This goes to show the absolute failure of the security policies” says professor Gerardo Velez, who also said that “there is a political decision of linking the civilians with the internal armed conflict. That is like declaring war by the civil society against the civil society”.

Meanwhile, a student of the Universidad Nacional questions this proposal, since the Armed Forces of Colombia are involved in human rights abuses.

“We cannot consider legitimate an armed force that goes against the very people, which is killing the peasants and making them look as guerrilla men”.

Some of the foreseeable outcomes of this policy are disappearances, crimes, threats against students, says the student, whose identity was kept secret for security reasons.

Meanwhile, professor Gerardo Velez reflects on the real effect of this information purchase program, saying that it will be in force “as long as there is no new scandal to conceal it”.

The student, just like Velez, agreed on highlighting the need for an international watch group to attest to the incidents that take place every day in Colombia.