Paramilitaries Blamed for Upsurge of Violence

U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson blamed outlawed paramilitary groups for an increase in killings, kidnappings and torture in Colombia, whose government has been fighting leftist rebels for decades.

Saying the deterioration in the human rights situation was “grave, massive and systematic,” Robinson called on the government to act against the right-wing paramilitary groups that are often suspected of having links to security forces.

“The activities of paramilitary groups constituted the main cause of these violations, and the state cannot ignore its responsibilities,” she said in a report to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, which is holding its annual meeting in Geneva.