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| 'Let's see those papers!' Soldiers review a young man's documents to see whether he's done the obligatory military service. |
A young man is walking across a plaza or down a street, when he is stopped by soldiers who demand his papers. If the youth cannot demonstrate that he did the obligatory military service by displaying his libreta militar, he's detained and loaded onto a truck headed to a military base. Suddenly, he's in the Army now.
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| Some of these soldiers appear to have more than recruitment on their minds. |
The military service law does have exceptions: for only sons, conscientious objectors and those with physical disabilities.
Some rights activists argue that the public batidas are illegal - an issue which has been fought over in court.
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| You're in the Army now! A truckload of young men caught in redadas are driven off to camp. |
During his successful reelection campaign, Pres. Santos, who had been minister of defense, and whose son did perform military service, promised that if the government reaches a peace treaty with the FARC guerrillas, Colombia's military draft would be ended.
Perhaps sometime soon, young men will breathe a bit easier when they go out for that walk.
By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours
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4 comments:
Hi Mike! Thanks for talking about this- these illegal detention, also known as batidas, happens all the time, especially in cities outside of Bogota, as Petro´s office is cracking down on batidas in Bogota. Batidas are actually defined as illegal, both according to international law as well as Colombian, where they are called arbitrary detentions. And while conscientious objection is defining as a right in the constitution, it is very difficult to access, as there is no legal route through which to claim such a right. Many youth that identify as COs, and that my office accompanies, are currently undergoing legal processes through the courts and face serious threats, often from the military itself. One of our current challenges is the formation of a law that creates an easy to use route that actually allows someone to define as a CO, including the possibility of alternative service. www.thellamadiaries.wordpress.com
Hi,
Thanks for the comment - and correction, as I believe that 'batida' is the correct term.
I had heard that a court ruled that the practice was illegal, but that the military simply ignored the ruling. I see batidas taking place frequently in central Bogotá. What organization do you work for?
Best,
Mike
I work for Justapaz, and organization of the Mennonite Church that works for nonviolent change and peace with social justice. Our website: http://justapaz.org/ and facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justapaz/238448092853253?fref=ts
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