BOGOTA: Eighteen Colombian troops have been kidnapped while conducting an operation against the ELN guerrilla group, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday.
The soldiers were surrounded by “nearly 200 people and forcibly transferred, against their will, to an indigenous reservation” in Choco Department in the country’s northwest, near the border with Panama, Sanchez said in a post on X.
Founded in 1964 and inspired by the Cuban revolution, the ELN, or National Liberation Army, is the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas.
The group controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia, which is grappling with its worst security crisis in a decade, fueled by criminal groups profiting from trafficking, extortion and illegal mining.
The defense minister condemned the kidnapping of the troops, saying that restricting military operation puts local communities at “serious risk.”
“These operations aim to protect the civilian population — especially indigenous communities — from threats such as the recruitment of minors, forced displacement, and other acts associated with violence,” Sanchez said.
“Peace is not built by kidnapping soldiers or weakening the state,” he added.
Sanchez said he had asked the the interior ministry, the Choco government and human rights organizations to help secure the safe return of the soldiers.
A criminal complaint has also been filed with the attorney general’s office.
Choco Governor Nubia Cordoba said that after “the detention of 18 soldiers who were carrying out their legal duties,” she called an “extraordinary security council” to seek their release.
In September, 72 soldiers were detained by hundreds of residents in the Micay Canyon, an enclave for cocaine production dominated by dissident rebels from the now-defunct FARC group.
A month earlier, 33 uniformed personnel were freed after being held for three days in the department of Guaviare.
Colombia says 18 soldiers kidnapped during anti-guerrilla raid
https://arab.news/p7y29
Colombia says 18 soldiers kidnapped during anti-guerrilla raid
- Eighteen Colombian troops have been kidnapped while conducting an operation against the ELN guerrilla group, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday
UK court throws out Freemasons challenge against London police
- “Both victims of crime and those reporting wrongdoing must have trust and confidence there is no risk that investigations are tainted by such issues,” Messinger said
- “We have prioritized this over any organization’s desire to maintain secrecy“
LONDON: A UK court on Tuesday denied a legal challenge brought by the Freemasons against a new London police policy requiring officers to declare membership of the historically secretive society.
In a 17-page judgment handed down at London’s High Court, judge Martin Chamberlain said the Metropolitan police’s policy “serves a legitimate aim, maintaining and enhancing public trust in policing, and is proportionate.”
He said the grounds of the challenge were not “reasonably arguable” and the policy was not discriminatory or “unduly stigmatising” against Freemasons.
He refused permission for the claimants to apply for a judicial review and as well as requests for an interim order suspending the disclosure requirement.
The Met, which said it had been prepared to “robustly defend” their policy through the courts, welcomed the decision.
“Both victims of crime and those reporting wrongdoing must have trust and confidence there is no risk that investigations are tainted by such issues,” Met Commander Simon Messinger said.
“We have prioritized this over any organization’s desire to maintain secrecy.”
The challenge had been brought by the United Grand Lodge of England, the Order of Women Freemasons, the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, and two serving Met police officers.
Under the new rule, introduced in December, all officers and staff must disclose whether they are, or have ever been, members of “confidential” societies, specifically naming Freemasonry.
Around 400 officers and staff have so far made declarations, the court was told.
The three Freemason groups among the claimants said they were “disappointed” by the ruling and were “considering further legal options.”
But they added they were “pleased” to have received assurances from the police about how declaration data would be gathered and held, with only a small number of select staff having access.
- ‘Blacklist’ -
At a hearing last week, lawyers for the claimants said the policy amounts to creating a discriminatory “blacklist.”
Claire Darwin, representing them, told the court the force was compiling a list that could later be cross-referenced in promotions, misconduct proceedings or vetting decisions.
“The aim of the Metropolitan Police is to create a blacklist of Freemasons that they will then use to assess risk,” she said.
Darwin noted that the Met’s own policy classifies Freemasonry membership as “low risk,” and questioned whether that was consistent with the sweeping nature of the new requirement.
She argued it had already had a “chilling effect,” with some members deterred from joining lodges.
James Berry, for the Met, said the legal challenge was “misconceived” and the suggestion of a blacklist was “plainly wrong.”
He added there was “no evidence” that those who had declared had suffered stigma or workplace discrimination.
Freemasonry is a centuries-old fraternal movement organized into local “lodges,” promoting principles such as charity, mutual support and moral self-improvement, using private rituals and a hierarchical structure.
Although Masonic groups say they are not secret but discreet, critics have long associated them with elite networks and influence within public institutions.
The declaration policy was brought in following recommendations from an independent panel, which in 2021 criticized the force’s culture and transparency after decades of failed inquiries into the 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.
While the panel did not find systemic corruption linked to Freemasonry, it highlighted public concern about undisclosed Masonic membership within police forces.
