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There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia
The bloody story of the rise of paramilitaries in Colombia, told through three characters -- a fearless activist, a dogged journalist, and a relentless investigator -- whose lives intersected in the midst of unspeakable terror. Colombia's drug-fueled cycle of terror, corruption, and tragedy did not end with Pablo Escobar's death in 1993. Just when Colombians were ready to move past the murderous legacy of the country's cartels, a new, bloody chapter unfolded. In the late 1990s, right-wing paramilitary groups with close ties to the cocaine business carried out a violent expansion campaign, massacring, raping, and torturing thousands.There Are No Dead Here is the harrowing story of three ordinary Colombians who risked everything to reveal the collusion between the new mafia and much of the country's military and political JesúrÃValle, a human rights activist who was murdered for exposing a dark secret; IváVeláuez, a quiet prosecutor who took up Valle's cause and became an unlikely hero; and Ricardo Calderóa dogged journalist who is still being targeted for his revelations. Their groundbreaking investigations landed a third of the country's Congress in prison and fed new demands for justice and peace that Colombia's leaders could not ignore. Taking readers from the sweltering MedellÃstreets where criminal investigators were hunted by assassins, through the countryside where paramilitaries wiped out entire towns, and into the corridors of the presidential palace in BogotáThere Are No Dead Here is an unforgettable portrait of the valiant men and women who dared to stand up to the tide of greed, rage, and bloodlust that threatened to engulf their country.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2018
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About the author
Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno
2 books13 followersMaria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno is the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Previously, she held several positions at Human Rights Watch, including as the organization’s senior Americas researcher, covering Colombia and Peru, and as the codirector of its US program. She grew up in Lima, Peru, and now lives in Brooklyn.
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August 18, 2019
La ventaja que tiene llamarse Maria McFarland y ser extranjera, es que permite escribir un libro sobre la violencia en Colombia y, lo que es más virtuoso aún, sobre los crímenes paramilitares y de estado, dándose el lujo de nombrar con nombre propio al colombiano número 1, al padre refundador, al innombrable sempiterno presidente de la república de Colombia.
En Aquí no ha habido muertos: una historia de asesinato y negación en Colombia, María McFarland, quien trabajó en Colombia como investigadora de Human Rights Watch, da cuenta de la historia de la violencia reciente en Colombia a manos de los paramilitares y el ejercito colombiano. Ella, toma como nicho a Antioquia, puntualizando en la masacre del Aro perpetrada por las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) el 22 de octubre de 1997, con el favor de las fuerzas armadas del país y de entes del gobierno y la sociedad antioqueña (lo dejo así para no señalar con el dedo), y de ahí avanza hacia adelante por medio de las narraciones de tres voces que se levantaron para hacer frente a la situación: la del concejal y activista por los derechos humanos Jesús María Valle, quien fue asesinado por sus denuncias; la del fiscal Iván Velásquez (actualmente Comisionado Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala) y la del periodista Ricardo Calderón. Este libro es un homenaje a Jesús María Valle, quien fue la persona que comenzó a investigar y revelar la conexión entre paramilitares y fuerzas del estado.
“Veinte años después sabemos que los comandantes militares de alto rango -lejos de intentar detener la incursión paramilitar- los asistieron y ayudaron a planear la masacre” …
"...También dijo que un helicóptero militar había pasado durante la masacre y les había arrojado más municiones y medicamentos. De hecho, dijo Villalba respondiendo a una pregunta, ni siquiera se había dado cuenta de que su pertenencia al grupo paramilitar fuera un crimen - dijo que como él siempre los vio trabajando con la policía y el ejército pensó que era legal..."
Aquí no ha habido muertos es producto de una profunda y exhaustiva labor de investigación de la autora, quien sustenta al final del libro las fuentes de sus afirmaciones. Maria McFarland no solo recorre la historia de Colombia desde 1997 hasta nuestros tiempos, también descubre el huevo de la serpiente, retratando y contextualizando los tiempos previos a la ascensión del paramilitarismo en Colombia por medio de un recuento concreto, rápido, ágil y lucido de los hechos históricos; haciendo de su libro una narración incluyente, permitiendo tanto a nacionales como extranjeros contextualizarse y entender el conflicto.
…”Para mediados de la década de 1980 el grupo paramilitar conocido como la Asociación Campesina de Ganaderos y Agricultores del Magdalena medio o ACDEGAM también trabajaba en llave con narcotraficantes -Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, alias “El Mejicano”, miembro poderoso del cartel de Medellín, los respaldaba”…
En medio de la polarización del país, este es un libro que por definición no gusta ni va a gustar a muchos. Para mí, ha sido recapitular muchas de las noticias del pasado, muchas las escuché, otras no me acuerdo, de otras no me enteré, pero en todo caso eran tantas todos los días, que ya les perdía conexión, y esta lectura ha sido de gran provecho porque me permitió encajar los eslabones de esta historia que seguimos viviendo hasta hoy. Porque por más que estemos hablando de noticias de hace mas de 20 años, o que como escribí arriba, … “recapitular muchas de las noticias del pasado…”, la verdad es que no estamos hablando de un tiempo lejano porque nuestra actualidad es la vertiente de ese pasado, la misma historia que no termina. Y es así como, durante la lectura y una vez finalizada, no puedo dejar de sentir más angustia, porque pese a las investigaciones a parapolíticos, pese a las denuncias, pese a los muertos, a los acuerdos de paz que se hayan firmado con uno y otro actor, seguimos en la misma corrupción, continúan las masacres, el desplazamiento forzado, la muerte de líderes sociales e indígenas va en aumento. ¡Que tristeza y que miedo!
Termino el libro y me veo obligada a sentirme o no esperanzada. Es difícil. Aún cuando la autora remata el libro en nuestros tiempos con una especie de ending con el proceso de paz (sin hacerle publicidad), los paras hablando, las investigaciones y que todo el libro fue el testimonio de los valientes que buscaron verdad y justicia a su manera y desde su lugar, es difícil sentir esperanza cuando hay noticias de corrupción descarada todos los días, o cuando no hay reivindicación de los derechos de muchas comunidades, cuando asesinan lideres sociales e indígenas, cuando con la bandera del desarrollo se arrasa con los recursos y la plata se la roban no solo los políticos sino también las empresas y las multinacionales, o cuando a las minorías las quieren minimizar mostrando censos poblaciones donde son menos, o cuando posesionan a un negacionista del conflicto como director del Centro de Memoria Histórica. Sé que lo políticamente correcto es que escriba que el libro es desgarrador y esperanzador, pero no puedo. Sin embargo, pensar que este tipo de documentos están siendo leídos, que como sociedad civil nos estamos pronunciando en las calles, es creer que nos interesa construir historia, eso me da ilusión.
Este libro debe ser leído porque es un buen documento de historia contemporánea de Colombia, finamente y ágilmente contextualizada para nacionales y extranjeros. Porque tiene datos inéditos o destapa sucesos que han estado ocultos. Porque nos descubre la parte de la historia que les tocó vivir a muchos compatriotas. Porque la historia y la realidad de Colombia supera la imaginación de cualquiera, y Colombia es un lugar donde la realidad compite con la ficción.
En Aquí no ha habido muertos: una historia de asesinato y negación en Colombia, María McFarland, quien trabajó en Colombia como investigadora de Human Rights Watch, da cuenta de la historia de la violencia reciente en Colombia a manos de los paramilitares y el ejercito colombiano. Ella, toma como nicho a Antioquia, puntualizando en la masacre del Aro perpetrada por las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) el 22 de octubre de 1997, con el favor de las fuerzas armadas del país y de entes del gobierno y la sociedad antioqueña (lo dejo así para no señalar con el dedo), y de ahí avanza hacia adelante por medio de las narraciones de tres voces que se levantaron para hacer frente a la situación: la del concejal y activista por los derechos humanos Jesús María Valle, quien fue asesinado por sus denuncias; la del fiscal Iván Velásquez (actualmente Comisionado Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala) y la del periodista Ricardo Calderón. Este libro es un homenaje a Jesús María Valle, quien fue la persona que comenzó a investigar y revelar la conexión entre paramilitares y fuerzas del estado.
“Veinte años después sabemos que los comandantes militares de alto rango -lejos de intentar detener la incursión paramilitar- los asistieron y ayudaron a planear la masacre” …
"...También dijo que un helicóptero militar había pasado durante la masacre y les había arrojado más municiones y medicamentos. De hecho, dijo Villalba respondiendo a una pregunta, ni siquiera se había dado cuenta de que su pertenencia al grupo paramilitar fuera un crimen - dijo que como él siempre los vio trabajando con la policía y el ejército pensó que era legal..."
Aquí no ha habido muertos es producto de una profunda y exhaustiva labor de investigación de la autora, quien sustenta al final del libro las fuentes de sus afirmaciones. Maria McFarland no solo recorre la historia de Colombia desde 1997 hasta nuestros tiempos, también descubre el huevo de la serpiente, retratando y contextualizando los tiempos previos a la ascensión del paramilitarismo en Colombia por medio de un recuento concreto, rápido, ágil y lucido de los hechos históricos; haciendo de su libro una narración incluyente, permitiendo tanto a nacionales como extranjeros contextualizarse y entender el conflicto.
…”Para mediados de la década de 1980 el grupo paramilitar conocido como la Asociación Campesina de Ganaderos y Agricultores del Magdalena medio o ACDEGAM también trabajaba en llave con narcotraficantes -Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, alias “El Mejicano”, miembro poderoso del cartel de Medellín, los respaldaba”…
En medio de la polarización del país, este es un libro que por definición no gusta ni va a gustar a muchos. Para mí, ha sido recapitular muchas de las noticias del pasado, muchas las escuché, otras no me acuerdo, de otras no me enteré, pero en todo caso eran tantas todos los días, que ya les perdía conexión, y esta lectura ha sido de gran provecho porque me permitió encajar los eslabones de esta historia que seguimos viviendo hasta hoy. Porque por más que estemos hablando de noticias de hace mas de 20 años, o que como escribí arriba, … “recapitular muchas de las noticias del pasado…”, la verdad es que no estamos hablando de un tiempo lejano porque nuestra actualidad es la vertiente de ese pasado, la misma historia que no termina. Y es así como, durante la lectura y una vez finalizada, no puedo dejar de sentir más angustia, porque pese a las investigaciones a parapolíticos, pese a las denuncias, pese a los muertos, a los acuerdos de paz que se hayan firmado con uno y otro actor, seguimos en la misma corrupción, continúan las masacres, el desplazamiento forzado, la muerte de líderes sociales e indígenas va en aumento. ¡Que tristeza y que miedo!
Termino el libro y me veo obligada a sentirme o no esperanzada. Es difícil. Aún cuando la autora remata el libro en nuestros tiempos con una especie de ending con el proceso de paz (sin hacerle publicidad), los paras hablando, las investigaciones y que todo el libro fue el testimonio de los valientes que buscaron verdad y justicia a su manera y desde su lugar, es difícil sentir esperanza cuando hay noticias de corrupción descarada todos los días, o cuando no hay reivindicación de los derechos de muchas comunidades, cuando asesinan lideres sociales e indígenas, cuando con la bandera del desarrollo se arrasa con los recursos y la plata se la roban no solo los políticos sino también las empresas y las multinacionales, o cuando a las minorías las quieren minimizar mostrando censos poblaciones donde son menos, o cuando posesionan a un negacionista del conflicto como director del Centro de Memoria Histórica. Sé que lo políticamente correcto es que escriba que el libro es desgarrador y esperanzador, pero no puedo. Sin embargo, pensar que este tipo de documentos están siendo leídos, que como sociedad civil nos estamos pronunciando en las calles, es creer que nos interesa construir historia, eso me da ilusión.
Este libro debe ser leído porque es un buen documento de historia contemporánea de Colombia, finamente y ágilmente contextualizada para nacionales y extranjeros. Porque tiene datos inéditos o destapa sucesos que han estado ocultos. Porque nos descubre la parte de la historia que les tocó vivir a muchos compatriotas. Porque la historia y la realidad de Colombia supera la imaginación de cualquiera, y Colombia es un lugar donde la realidad compite con la ficción.
February 11, 2020
Pablo Escobar’s legacy includes the corrupt economic and political infrastructure that supported him. Upon his death factions inside and outside the cartels branched out into other areas of large scale crime. In the name of anti-communism private armies plundered and terrorized a mainly rural population and in the cities fought the institutions of political and legal control with terror and assassination. This book is a testament to 3 heroes in Colombia who stood for the rule of law against tremendous odds.
Jesus Maria Valle, a human rights advocate, did not live long enough to make his mark. He was shot in his own office as assassins waited for someone to open its locked door.
Ivan Velasquez a chief prosecutor suffered through harassment, physical threats to himself and his family and false accusations. Despite his successful record and world-wide recognition, with much of the paramilitary power structure still in place, he is still not a hero in his own country.
Ricardo Calderon, a committed reporter with a wide network of contacts worked against dangerous odds to get the story out. Calderon briefly took refuge in Canada, but could not let his country and the truth down and returned.
Notable takeaways
-The brutality of the paramilitaries. They did not just kill people, they dismembered them, burned them bit by bit and tortured them in ways normal people would never conceive of. What was it about their leadership made them so sadistic?
-The infrastructure. Colombia has a decent framework for the rule of law. Although some institutions have been co-opted by powerful unlawful elements, there is a free press and a Constitutional Court. Despite bullying and undermining by corrupt but popular politicians the underlying systems seem sturdy.
-The role of women. There are more women than I expected (still a minority, but I guess my expectations were low) in career positions, mostly as human rights or rule of law advocates. The three profiled heroes have good marriages to strong women.
-The role of the US. The US was a factor in change by denying Colombia much desired trade agreements due to the war on drugs and the concerns of many Democrats about the murders of 2000 or so union leaders and supporters.
Justice is far from complete and actual reconciliation may not be possible in this generation. Bits of truth are still coming out as participants age in jail, but powerful forces prefer to leave things in place. The last chapter shows the uneasy balance of the many forces.
There is a list of Acronyms and Main Characters. There is a good index. While I used the internet, a map would have been helpful. Although this is a complex story, it is written so that those without a background can understand it, but this is not a book you would read unless you were interested in the topic.
Jesus Maria Valle, a human rights advocate, did not live long enough to make his mark. He was shot in his own office as assassins waited for someone to open its locked door.
Ivan Velasquez a chief prosecutor suffered through harassment, physical threats to himself and his family and false accusations. Despite his successful record and world-wide recognition, with much of the paramilitary power structure still in place, he is still not a hero in his own country.
Ricardo Calderon, a committed reporter with a wide network of contacts worked against dangerous odds to get the story out. Calderon briefly took refuge in Canada, but could not let his country and the truth down and returned.
Notable takeaways
-The brutality of the paramilitaries. They did not just kill people, they dismembered them, burned them bit by bit and tortured them in ways normal people would never conceive of. What was it about their leadership made them so sadistic?
-The infrastructure. Colombia has a decent framework for the rule of law. Although some institutions have been co-opted by powerful unlawful elements, there is a free press and a Constitutional Court. Despite bullying and undermining by corrupt but popular politicians the underlying systems seem sturdy.
-The role of women. There are more women than I expected (still a minority, but I guess my expectations were low) in career positions, mostly as human rights or rule of law advocates. The three profiled heroes have good marriages to strong women.
-The role of the US. The US was a factor in change by denying Colombia much desired trade agreements due to the war on drugs and the concerns of many Democrats about the murders of 2000 or so union leaders and supporters.
Justice is far from complete and actual reconciliation may not be possible in this generation. Bits of truth are still coming out as participants age in jail, but powerful forces prefer to leave things in place. The last chapter shows the uneasy balance of the many forces.
There is a list of Acronyms and Main Characters. There is a good index. While I used the internet, a map would have been helpful. Although this is a complex story, it is written so that those without a background can understand it, but this is not a book you would read unless you were interested in the topic.
October 25, 2018
I live in a region of Colombia that was severely impacted by paramilitary violence and continues to be characterized by normalized corruption, distrust in institutions, and divisiveness - I work with many internally displaced individuals and the mayor of my town recently returned to office after a year-long stint in jail. Despite this, as I go about my daily life, it's easy to forget about the scope and profundity of "la violencia" and the years of civil war and unrest. I learned so much from this book and it was a fascinating but also jarring reminder of how widespread and intertwined the issues of corruption, guerrillas, paramilitaries, and drug trafficking have been over the past 50 years. The negative effects on not just the national government, but local governments and institutions like public schools, will take decades to rectify. This book helped me recognize that though it sometimes feels minimal, some progress has been made here on the coast of Colombia and there is hope!
October 25, 2018
I was eager to read this book after reading a review in the New Yorker by Alma Guillermoprieto recommending it. It certainly tells part of the story from the perspective of (primarily) a former controversial member of the Colombian Supreme Court, Ivan Velazquez and perhaps more objectively from Ricardo Calderon, a journalist from Revista Semana. However, my feeling at the end of the book was that it was biased, heavily reliant on the point of view of Velazquez, extremely critical of Uribe and that it fails to capture the complexity of the conflict. I think the prism is very American, it attempts to narrow the Colombian conflict in right vs left, but fails to narrate the atrocities of the leftist guerrillas. I think McFarland’s intention is laudable, but read by a Colombian, it is too simplistic and biased.
December 13, 2018
I am probably somewhat biased about McFarland's book. Having done similar research for Human Rights Watch (and written More Terrible Than Death: Drugs, Violence, and America's War in Colombia, and UY with the "dead" in the titles) and having known not only Jesus Valle but others like Ivan Velasquez and the slain CTI agents, this is one of the cases that literally broke my heart (I preceded McFarland at HRW). These are such good people and their tenacity and commitment to justice shines through these pages. Figuring out these twists and turns absolutely exhausts me, but it took someone with real doggedness to follow every link. Colombia is often portrayed as a place where violence is endemic and unstoppable, but this riveting story shows that the truth is much more complex. Again and again, Colombians step up to fight for justice even though they face daunting odds. Their story is well told.
September 5, 2017
There are No Dead Here is a very grim portrait of paramilitaries, drug cartels, governments, and the few brave souls who dared stand up against them. Death and brutality often go hand in hand for thousands of Colombians over the last several decades. This death and brutality is both targeted and random. If they want to kill you, they will. That’s what makes the three people profiled in this book so intriguing: they stood up, knowing the likely consequences.
There are No Dead Here is also an tangled look at the interconnected ties between paramilitaries, governments, and drug cartels where the line between where one ends and the other begins. In Columbia, the divide between good and evil is blurred and no one may be who they seem to be. This is the toxic soup that the drug war in Columbia has bred. Even moments of optimism are met with skepticism.
A sobering portrayal of a country awash in drugs, blood, and corruption.
There are No Dead Here is also an tangled look at the interconnected ties between paramilitaries, governments, and drug cartels where the line between where one ends and the other begins. In Columbia, the divide between good and evil is blurred and no one may be who they seem to be. This is the toxic soup that the drug war in Columbia has bred. Even moments of optimism are met with skepticism.
A sobering portrayal of a country awash in drugs, blood, and corruption.
December 7, 2020
As a Colombian who indirectly experienced the consequences of this war and saw the urban middle class become more indifferent and untrusting of each other during the 90s and early 2000s, this is no easy book to read. While reading I kept going back to moments of my childhood and teenage years where I remember some of these events happening and the scandals of the political influence of the paramilitary groups being reported on the news. After finishing I have a clearer picture of how the events of those years are connected.
Maria FcFarland manages to put all the facts and names together in a very rigorous manner while keeping the narrative interesting. All Colombians should read this!
Maria FcFarland manages to put all the facts and names together in a very rigorous manner while keeping the narrative interesting. All Colombians should read this!
July 7, 2021
Decent history of the paramilitaries, including very gruesome descriptions of their crimes which made me want to put the book down. But feels very NGO ish. Beyond the public knowledge of political backing and some arming of the paramilitaries in Colombia, not much of an exploration as to where they actually came from. Gets way into the weeds into the political scandal. Is also very biased/just totally ignores the left. It seems like a decent overview of the conflict, but I didn't feel like I got any real hard hitting journalism or analysis as much as just a summary of already public info. Let's just say when I found out the author was a director at HRW I wasn't remotely surprised.
December 28, 2018
3.5 stars. Good to very good, depending on your interest in the subject matter and your ability to keep names and acronyms straight. There's a list of names and descriptions at the end of the book but that works better on a physical book than a kindle.
The beginning of the book seemed a bit muddled but it got better and better as it went along. The author presents a good case to say the paramilitaries enjoyed significant mutual support from the Colombian government, military, police and from drug traffickers. The honest Colombians who worked, at great risk to their safety, to seek and expose the truth receive well-deserved recognition here.
A large part of the later story relates to the then Colombian president (Álvaro Uribe) and his public battles to discredit a prosecutor (Iván Velásquez) investigating corruption at the highest levels of government. It has a familiar ring to the headlines in America in late 2018.
The beginning of the book seemed a bit muddled but it got better and better as it went along. The author presents a good case to say the paramilitaries enjoyed significant mutual support from the Colombian government, military, police and from drug traffickers. The honest Colombians who worked, at great risk to their safety, to seek and expose the truth receive well-deserved recognition here.
A large part of the later story relates to the then Colombian president (Álvaro Uribe) and his public battles to discredit a prosecutor (Iván Velásquez) investigating corruption at the highest levels of government. It has a familiar ring to the headlines in America in late 2018.
September 8, 2022
I knew of the violence that brought Columbia to its knees in the final decades of the 20th century: drug lords, left wing guerrilla groups, right wing paramilitary organizations. I did not know of the heroic work of journalists, human rights workers, lawyers to bring the perpetrators of that violence to justice. This book chronicles the work of dedicated and courageous people who did the dangerous work to uncover the link between the atrocities of the paramilitary groups with government officials, including the police, courts and military. Responsibility involved those at the highest levels of government. Many of these heroic investigators were assassinated. Others continued their work despite threats to their families, kidnappings and bodily injury, sabotage by members of the paramilitary groups and roadblocks by the courts. In the end, they were able to reveal the truth and bring some level of justice.
June 1, 2018
This fascinating account of three extraordinary people and the sacrifices they make to uncover the corruption of para politics and FARC should be required reading for anyone interested in modern history or the tv show Narcos. It covers, in depth, the violence of the kidnappings by FARC as well as the influence of the far right paramilitaries that cover the entirety of this poor war torn country. Oftentimes this book can be quite bleak but so is the situation it chronicles. My only grievance is the chronological incongruity and all the acronyms made for frustrating reading occasionally.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this arc through netgalley.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this arc through netgalley.
November 23, 2024
I started reading this after seeing it on the shelf of Museo Casa de Memorias in the 2nd floor library. I've read a few novels about the paracos and the violence of the late 90s-2010s (Missionaries, Short Walks from Bogota, The Sound of Things Falling), but it's intriguing to hear detailed accounts of what happened and how hopeless everything felt (and how some people had enough conviction in spite of all of that fatalism to seek out the truth), especially from the eyes of investigative journalists/agents working on the paracos problem at the time.
As I'm typing this from barrio Estadio, Calderón's predictions have come true. The demobilized paracos and ex-FARC have increasingly created the new incantation of the "self defense"/paramilitary forces, literally Armed Bandits.
As I'm typing this from barrio Estadio, Calderón's predictions have come true. The demobilized paracos and ex-FARC have increasingly created the new incantation of the "self defense"/paramilitary forces, literally Armed Bandits.
Read
April 14, 2025Unfortunately giving up on this. Absolutely not the book’s fault, it is my own for being unable to read non fiction. I’m going to pawn this one off to a Weech so they can give me the sparknotes on it.
October 2, 2022
I started this book months ago and had to stop due to its gruesome account of the horrific massacre in El Aro - I didn’t feel like my stomach was strong enough to handle more details.
I’m so glad I returned to it and persevered. Although the violence in Colombia has been more frightening than my imagination can even grasp, I think understanding this context is essential to having a clue about the politics and people here in the present day. Definitely seeing the country in a whole new light now, alongside all of its shadows.
Frustrated and helpless aren’t strong enough words to describe how I felt reading about the brave people who stood up for the truth and were immediately murdered, the investigations and campaigns for justice that were intentionally thwarted, and the murderous criminals both in and out of government who continue to enjoy impunity.
This was written with a great depth of detail, and anyone who says it’s unjustly critical of Uribe clearly has their own biases to examine. If anything, I really understood after reading it how people came to support him so unconditionally. It gave him dimensions and helped me see how he too came to be the person that he is now.
Velásquez is the HERO of this tale, as well as Valle. I’m blown away by the way ordinary people can be so courageous and risk their lives motivated purely by a desire for a better Colombia. I feel immensely grateful to them and those like them for the progress that has been made in the country, even if there’s so very far left to go.
By the way, shout-out now-President Petro for being the first politician to call out paramilitary infiltration of the senate all those years ago! He’s been fighting the good fight for time… and remains on the correct side of history.
I’m so glad I returned to it and persevered. Although the violence in Colombia has been more frightening than my imagination can even grasp, I think understanding this context is essential to having a clue about the politics and people here in the present day. Definitely seeing the country in a whole new light now, alongside all of its shadows.
Frustrated and helpless aren’t strong enough words to describe how I felt reading about the brave people who stood up for the truth and were immediately murdered, the investigations and campaigns for justice that were intentionally thwarted, and the murderous criminals both in and out of government who continue to enjoy impunity.
This was written with a great depth of detail, and anyone who says it’s unjustly critical of Uribe clearly has their own biases to examine. If anything, I really understood after reading it how people came to support him so unconditionally. It gave him dimensions and helped me see how he too came to be the person that he is now.
Velásquez is the HERO of this tale, as well as Valle. I’m blown away by the way ordinary people can be so courageous and risk their lives motivated purely by a desire for a better Colombia. I feel immensely grateful to them and those like them for the progress that has been made in the country, even if there’s so very far left to go.
By the way, shout-out now-President Petro for being the first politician to call out paramilitary infiltration of the senate all those years ago! He’s been fighting the good fight for time… and remains on the correct side of history.
February 9, 2019
An astonishing, and thoroughly researched history of a country, elaborated through the stories of three intrepid Colombians exposing and addressing in their own powerful ways—through activism, journalism, and the judiciary-widespread corruption, crime, and institutional mayhem in Colombia from the 80s up through the past decade (and in many ways, still today, although polite company presently refers to the country and its ostensibly reduced political and drug-related violence as a “miracle”). This is a story of all that you haven’t read or heard about the broken institutions in the country, and the human toll that resulted, all of which is way beyond the sensational headlines about Pablo Escobar and other drug lords, and well beyond the feel-good political stories about Colombia’s resurgence as an exotic travel destination and respected economic partner in trade to the U.S.
I found this to be a mesmerizing if deeply vexing introduction to the country’s toxic brew of paramilitarism, with groups fashioning themselves as counterinsurgents to the country’s Marxist rebels (the FARC) who would, with tacit if not overt support from government officials (including most prominently, the country’s now former President), routinely terrorize everyday Colombians. The result: tens of millions of displaced rural Colombians, atrocities perpetrated against peasants (spurred often by requests from local governors—in one case the brother of the future president), and extrajudicial killings of activists, prosecutors, and investigators.
So many horrors. Yet, remarkably, the story reads well because of the personal and compelling framing. It is a story in other words of epic scale (I think it probably tells us a lot about what’s currently happening right here in the U.S., politically, culturally—fabulism supplanting truth and other breakdowns of democratic norms, strongman leadership, demonizing of political opponents, and interference by political leaders with the judiciary) that also feels intensely personal. On the one hand it showcases the epic history of Colombia’s parapolitical scandals (paramilitary plus political, i.e., government working hand-in-hand with paramilitary leaders to control Colombian institutions and governance) and on the other hand it pulls the reader into the unbelievable stories of the three protagonists.
One can only come away thinking that all three are heroic and, in the book’s almost magical surrealist timbre (not to diminish the story in any way, but the reader might be forgiven for wondering how any of these too real horrors can possibly exist—is this fiction, or indeed some of the worst expressions of the human condition), the macabre history told by McFarland Sanchez-Moreno pulls us through complex events expertly and effortlessly.
It is also true that the book contains a wealth of facts and dates, and endless convoluted ties between bad guys, and acronyms, and it’s a wonder the author could piece it all together. But I am most struck that, even more impressively, she makes the reader care and deeply feel the events contained in those data, to better appreciate the extraordinary efforts of the protagonists who try (if often, despite their efforts, fail) to achieve bits of justice for the country.
For me, the author made me accept as well something that felt profound—the humbling nuance, where differences between obvious good and bad (or, put another way, the belief of the righteous that all will work out in the end) break down helplessly; that the best we can sometimes (always?) do is, as one of the book’s heroes notes, push on (even if things won’t be okay) so that there are at least glimmers of hope for social justice for the oppressed and dispossessed, and so that the institutions of government might be marginally more equipped to serve a functioning democracy of the people.
I found this to be a mesmerizing if deeply vexing introduction to the country’s toxic brew of paramilitarism, with groups fashioning themselves as counterinsurgents to the country’s Marxist rebels (the FARC) who would, with tacit if not overt support from government officials (including most prominently, the country’s now former President), routinely terrorize everyday Colombians. The result: tens of millions of displaced rural Colombians, atrocities perpetrated against peasants (spurred often by requests from local governors—in one case the brother of the future president), and extrajudicial killings of activists, prosecutors, and investigators.
So many horrors. Yet, remarkably, the story reads well because of the personal and compelling framing. It is a story in other words of epic scale (I think it probably tells us a lot about what’s currently happening right here in the U.S., politically, culturally—fabulism supplanting truth and other breakdowns of democratic norms, strongman leadership, demonizing of political opponents, and interference by political leaders with the judiciary) that also feels intensely personal. On the one hand it showcases the epic history of Colombia’s parapolitical scandals (paramilitary plus political, i.e., government working hand-in-hand with paramilitary leaders to control Colombian institutions and governance) and on the other hand it pulls the reader into the unbelievable stories of the three protagonists.
One can only come away thinking that all three are heroic and, in the book’s almost magical surrealist timbre (not to diminish the story in any way, but the reader might be forgiven for wondering how any of these too real horrors can possibly exist—is this fiction, or indeed some of the worst expressions of the human condition), the macabre history told by McFarland Sanchez-Moreno pulls us through complex events expertly and effortlessly.
It is also true that the book contains a wealth of facts and dates, and endless convoluted ties between bad guys, and acronyms, and it’s a wonder the author could piece it all together. But I am most struck that, even more impressively, she makes the reader care and deeply feel the events contained in those data, to better appreciate the extraordinary efforts of the protagonists who try (if often, despite their efforts, fail) to achieve bits of justice for the country.
For me, the author made me accept as well something that felt profound—the humbling nuance, where differences between obvious good and bad (or, put another way, the belief of the righteous that all will work out in the end) break down helplessly; that the best we can sometimes (always?) do is, as one of the book’s heroes notes, push on (even if things won’t be okay) so that there are at least glimmers of hope for social justice for the oppressed and dispossessed, and so that the institutions of government might be marginally more equipped to serve a functioning democracy of the people.
March 27, 2018
Increíble, duro, fuerte, triste, melancólico. Tantos adjetivos que salen de la historia de las últimas décadas de mi país azuzada por el paramilitarismo, fenómeno que creció de la mano de Álvaro Uribe e industriales de la talla de Ardila Lulle. Algo que ya muchos sabemos pero que aun la mayoría no quiere entender, no quieren saber de lo que fue la olla podrida del DAS; de las Convivir; de las masacres; de los falsos positivos; de la Yidis política; de los asesinatos a investigadores del CTI; de todos los nexos de Álvaro Uribe, y su familia, con los paracos.
Pero lo más importante del libro es la linea argumental que lleva sobre las vidas de tres grandes seres humanos que se dedicaron a destapar esta cloaca: Jesús María Valle, Iván Velásquez Gómez y Ricardo Calderón. El primero, abogado asesinado en 1998 por paramilitares, por su inmensa labor de defender a las víctimas y acusar a los asesinos; el segundo, el actual Comisionado Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, que como parte del sistema judicial colombiano denunció a Uribe y sus paracos; el tercero, un periodista de la revista Semana que se dedicó a demostrar los nexos de Uribe con los paracos.
Formidable narración que resume muy bien las ultimas tres décadas de violencia en Colombia, mi país.
Pero lo más importante del libro es la linea argumental que lleva sobre las vidas de tres grandes seres humanos que se dedicaron a destapar esta cloaca: Jesús María Valle, Iván Velásquez Gómez y Ricardo Calderón. El primero, abogado asesinado en 1998 por paramilitares, por su inmensa labor de defender a las víctimas y acusar a los asesinos; el segundo, el actual Comisionado Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, que como parte del sistema judicial colombiano denunció a Uribe y sus paracos; el tercero, un periodista de la revista Semana que se dedicó a demostrar los nexos de Uribe con los paracos.
Formidable narración que resume muy bien las ultimas tres décadas de violencia en Colombia, mi país.
September 4, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley and Perseus Books, Public Affairs for the advanced reader copy of this book. I ended up stopping about 2/3 of the way through because I lost interest. This is an important book and will be of interest to those with an interest in Central American history or politics, or even to some fans of the Netflix series "Narcos" who may be looking for more background. The events are fairly shocking, it's hard to understand the level of corruption that existed, but it did (does? I don't know.). Ultimately, though, I wasn't engrossed enough to power through to the end.
April 26, 2018
This is a stunning, painstakingly researched account of the ongoing process to bring truth, order and justice to Colombia's government after decades of internal political conflict and the country's added pressures to fight the drug war according to the U.S.'s wishes. If you want to know the legacy of Colombia post-Pablo Escobar, I can't imagine a better book to provide that story.
Full disclosure: Sanchez-Moreno is now the executive director of the organization I work for, the Drug Policy Alliance, which works to end the drug war both within the U.S. and abroad. While drug trafficking is a part of what's detailed, this isn't a book primarily about how drug trafficking operates post-Escobar. Drug trafficking is only touched upon obliquely, in reference to its unavoidable role as a source of funding for parties within Colombia on both sides of the conflict, and as a pressure point from the U.S. that motivated some actions within the country.
I knew very little of Colombia's political history before beginning it, so I can confidently say if you're in the same situation, that shouldn't be a barrier to picking this book up. The story is told through the lenses of three main figures: Jesus Maria Valle, an activist in the 1990s who first publicized the links between paramilitary violence in the country and the government and was murdered for it (not a spoiler; it's in the book description), and two other people still living: Ivan Velasquez, an attorney who led investigations to follow up on Valle's claims, and Ricardo Calderon, a journalist who published story after story about links between government officials, paramilitary figures and major drug traffickers. Calderon also broke a major story about corruption within the DAS, Colombia's version of the CIA (if I understand the DAS function correctly).
The book is at times overwhelming with its detailed account of investigations, statements, allegations and trials, let alone tracking the complex relationship between multitudes of individuals over the course of the past 20-25 years. However, every time you feel as if you're about to lose touch with the human side of the story, Sanchez-Moreno finds a way to weave it back in.
I read this book during a work trip to Colombia. It was a fascinating way to take the story in: I was attending a drug policy reform conference where former President Ernesto Samper (only a glancingly referenced figure in the book) called for the decriminalization of all drugs - which marks a sea change from his perspective while running the country. Harm reduction practices are beginning to take hold, and importantly, the conference marked a major public launch of a campaign to legalize cocaine. It may be hard to fathom for those sitting comfortably within the U.S., but from a country that has seen the worst impacts of the drug war, the urgency to try a different approach is palpable. All of this was given much deeper context with Sanchez-Moreno's insightful book on my hotel bedside table.
Ultimately, this book - like the aims of the people it centers the story on - is about elevating hard truths from murky obscurities, and setting records straight. It's about working within what seems like an unredeemably broken system and struggling to make it run mostly on course again. If you read this book you'll feel the effort of that. And if you're like me, you'll come away from the experience grateful and inspired by the people who do this often thankless work. Colombia still has a ways to go, but this book makes you see how far it's come.
Full disclosure: Sanchez-Moreno is now the executive director of the organization I work for, the Drug Policy Alliance, which works to end the drug war both within the U.S. and abroad. While drug trafficking is a part of what's detailed, this isn't a book primarily about how drug trafficking operates post-Escobar. Drug trafficking is only touched upon obliquely, in reference to its unavoidable role as a source of funding for parties within Colombia on both sides of the conflict, and as a pressure point from the U.S. that motivated some actions within the country.
I knew very little of Colombia's political history before beginning it, so I can confidently say if you're in the same situation, that shouldn't be a barrier to picking this book up. The story is told through the lenses of three main figures: Jesus Maria Valle, an activist in the 1990s who first publicized the links between paramilitary violence in the country and the government and was murdered for it (not a spoiler; it's in the book description), and two other people still living: Ivan Velasquez, an attorney who led investigations to follow up on Valle's claims, and Ricardo Calderon, a journalist who published story after story about links between government officials, paramilitary figures and major drug traffickers. Calderon also broke a major story about corruption within the DAS, Colombia's version of the CIA (if I understand the DAS function correctly).
The book is at times overwhelming with its detailed account of investigations, statements, allegations and trials, let alone tracking the complex relationship between multitudes of individuals over the course of the past 20-25 years. However, every time you feel as if you're about to lose touch with the human side of the story, Sanchez-Moreno finds a way to weave it back in.
I read this book during a work trip to Colombia. It was a fascinating way to take the story in: I was attending a drug policy reform conference where former President Ernesto Samper (only a glancingly referenced figure in the book) called for the decriminalization of all drugs - which marks a sea change from his perspective while running the country. Harm reduction practices are beginning to take hold, and importantly, the conference marked a major public launch of a campaign to legalize cocaine. It may be hard to fathom for those sitting comfortably within the U.S., but from a country that has seen the worst impacts of the drug war, the urgency to try a different approach is palpable. All of this was given much deeper context with Sanchez-Moreno's insightful book on my hotel bedside table.
Ultimately, this book - like the aims of the people it centers the story on - is about elevating hard truths from murky obscurities, and setting records straight. It's about working within what seems like an unredeemably broken system and struggling to make it run mostly on course again. If you read this book you'll feel the effort of that. And if you're like me, you'll come away from the experience grateful and inspired by the people who do this often thankless work. Colombia still has a ways to go, but this book makes you see how far it's come.
July 30, 2023
When it comes to Colombia's bloody history, it's fair to say that Pablo Escobar claims all the headlines. What's less well-known is that his death in 1993 opened the door to a period of violence, bloodshed, corruption, bribery and collusion that arguably surpassed his era. A story of right-wing paramilitaries, untold suffering and complicity that goes to the very top of government, it's an uncompromising account of one of Colombia's darkest chapters.
'There Are No Dead Here', by Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno - human rights activist, writer and Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance in the US - is the story of three men who risked everything to expose the truth and bring the brutal escapade to an end. Exhaustively researched and with startling access to/interviews with key witnesses and participants in the horror, it's a comprehensive telling, but one with still so many questions left unanswered.
There are no two ways about it - it's not a pleasant read. The first half of the book reads like a nightmare, accounting events and massacres so barbarous and cruel that they seem genuinely inhuman. There's something unflinching and seer-like about Sanchez-Moreno's writing, unfailing in its desire to present the truth but also removed; not impartial by any means, but not especially reflective either. She presents the situation without personal inflection, letting the events and perpetrators present themselves. In a sense, her holistic approach gives the situation plenty of rope to hang itself with.
It makes for difficult reading, but the second half of the book ruminates far more on the chest-tightening tension, the suffocating atmosphere that existed in the streets, hotel lobbies and corridors of political power within Medellin and Bogota. It's here that the intrigue and human stories are brought to life, a mysterious and uncompromising web of distortion, imprisonment, conflicting accounts and denial. While Sanchez-Moreno doesn't necessarily write with more warmth here, it's impossible to come away with any other opinion of Alvaro Uribe (still Colombia's most popular president on record, statistically) than that he's an absolute wrong'un.
If it's tempting to view the brutality and conniving, Machiavellian machinations of the period as something unique to Colombia, then think again. The paranoia and that stalked the protagonists and their families in their day-to-day lives is recognisable in various circumstances over the last 100 years, both close to home here in the UK and further afield. Chile and Argentina both experienced identikit spells of murkiness, while the dirty spectre of The Troubles in Northern Ireland is impossible to ignore.
The euphemistically titled Administrative Department of Security (DAS) is pretty much a mirror image of the KGB or Stasi. Sanchez-Moreno's work perfectly exemplifies how Colombia's experience of bureaucratic misanthropy is not something that exists in regions somewhat unattainable; this is how violence is maintained, lies are told and upheld and justice remains elusive all over the world.
Like many books of its kind, 'There Are No Dead Here' is a roll-call of names, dates and heaviness, not always making for the most approachable prose. At just under 300 pages in length, it leaves little room for meditation or emotional absorption. But in terms of its presentation of turmoil and the happenings that engulfed an entire society, it's as effective, frightening and gripping as any portrayal.
'There Are No Dead Here', by Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno - human rights activist, writer and Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance in the US - is the story of three men who risked everything to expose the truth and bring the brutal escapade to an end. Exhaustively researched and with startling access to/interviews with key witnesses and participants in the horror, it's a comprehensive telling, but one with still so many questions left unanswered.
There are no two ways about it - it's not a pleasant read. The first half of the book reads like a nightmare, accounting events and massacres so barbarous and cruel that they seem genuinely inhuman. There's something unflinching and seer-like about Sanchez-Moreno's writing, unfailing in its desire to present the truth but also removed; not impartial by any means, but not especially reflective either. She presents the situation without personal inflection, letting the events and perpetrators present themselves. In a sense, her holistic approach gives the situation plenty of rope to hang itself with.
It makes for difficult reading, but the second half of the book ruminates far more on the chest-tightening tension, the suffocating atmosphere that existed in the streets, hotel lobbies and corridors of political power within Medellin and Bogota. It's here that the intrigue and human stories are brought to life, a mysterious and uncompromising web of distortion, imprisonment, conflicting accounts and denial. While Sanchez-Moreno doesn't necessarily write with more warmth here, it's impossible to come away with any other opinion of Alvaro Uribe (still Colombia's most popular president on record, statistically) than that he's an absolute wrong'un.
If it's tempting to view the brutality and conniving, Machiavellian machinations of the period as something unique to Colombia, then think again. The paranoia and that stalked the protagonists and their families in their day-to-day lives is recognisable in various circumstances over the last 100 years, both close to home here in the UK and further afield. Chile and Argentina both experienced identikit spells of murkiness, while the dirty spectre of The Troubles in Northern Ireland is impossible to ignore.
The euphemistically titled Administrative Department of Security (DAS) is pretty much a mirror image of the KGB or Stasi. Sanchez-Moreno's work perfectly exemplifies how Colombia's experience of bureaucratic misanthropy is not something that exists in regions somewhat unattainable; this is how violence is maintained, lies are told and upheld and justice remains elusive all over the world.
Like many books of its kind, 'There Are No Dead Here' is a roll-call of names, dates and heaviness, not always making for the most approachable prose. At just under 300 pages in length, it leaves little room for meditation or emotional absorption. But in terms of its presentation of turmoil and the happenings that engulfed an entire society, it's as effective, frightening and gripping as any portrayal.
February 9, 2024
En el corazón de la literatura sobre la violencia en Colombia, Aquí no ha habido muertos de María McFarland Sánchez-Moreno emerge como un testimonio desgarrador y una crítica implacable al estado colombiano y al proceso paramilitar. Este ensayo busca no solo analizar la obra en su contexto literario y social, sino también reflexionar sobre la violencia sistémica que permea la sociedad colombiana, utilizando la obra como un espejo para revelar las complejidades y contradicciones de un país en conflicto.
La obra de McFarland se inscribe en una tradición de literatura testimonial que busca dar voz a los silenciados, a aquellos cuya existencia ha sido negada por las dinámicas del poder y la violencia. En este sentido, el título "Aquí no ha habido muertos" se convierte en una ironía macabra, una negación del estado y los actores armados sobre las atrocidades cometidas. Esta negación es, como diría Walter Benjamin, una manifestación de la violencia mítica del estado, que busca legitimar su poder a través de la negación y el olvido de los crímenes cometidos.
El proceso paramilitar en Colombia, lejos de ser un fenómeno aislado, es reflejo de una violencia estructural que se ha arraigado en la sociedad. La autora desentraña esta complejidad, mostrando cómo el paramilitarismo se entrelaza con el estado, la economía y la vida cotidiana de los colombianos. Este análisis recuerda las reflexiones de Eduardo Galeano sobre la violencia en América Latina, donde la historia se convierte en un ciclo perpetuo de opresión y resistencia.
La autora también se adentra en el componente ideológico de la violencia, desafiando la narrativa oficial y proponiendo una visión crítica del conflicto. En este sentido, el libro se alinea con la tradición crítica latinoamericana, que busca desentrañar las raíces profundas de la violencia y la desigualdad. La obra invita a reflexionar sobre las palabras de Paulo Freire, quien argumentaba que la verdadera emancipación surge de la conciencia crítica de la opresión.
El ensayo de McFarland no solo es una crítica al estado colombiano y al proceso paramilitar, sino también un llamado a la acción. A través de su narrativa, la autora nos insta a reconocer la violencia no como un hecho aislado, sino como parte de una estructura más amplia de poder y dominación. Este reconocimiento es el primer paso hacia la transformación social, hacia la construcción de una Colombia donde la muerte y la violencia no sean invisibilizadas.
Esta es definitivamente una obra fundamental para entender la violencia en Colombia. A través de su análisis crítico y reflexivo, María McFarland no solo contribuye al campo literario, sino que también ofrece herramientas para repensar el conflicto colombiano desde una perspectiva más amplia y profunda. Este ensayo es un testimonio de la resistencia contra el olvido y la negación, un recordatorio de que la lucha por la justicia y la memoria sigue siendo una tarea pendiente en Colombia.
La obra de McFarland se inscribe en una tradición de literatura testimonial que busca dar voz a los silenciados, a aquellos cuya existencia ha sido negada por las dinámicas del poder y la violencia. En este sentido, el título "Aquí no ha habido muertos" se convierte en una ironía macabra, una negación del estado y los actores armados sobre las atrocidades cometidas. Esta negación es, como diría Walter Benjamin, una manifestación de la violencia mítica del estado, que busca legitimar su poder a través de la negación y el olvido de los crímenes cometidos.
El proceso paramilitar en Colombia, lejos de ser un fenómeno aislado, es reflejo de una violencia estructural que se ha arraigado en la sociedad. La autora desentraña esta complejidad, mostrando cómo el paramilitarismo se entrelaza con el estado, la economía y la vida cotidiana de los colombianos. Este análisis recuerda las reflexiones de Eduardo Galeano sobre la violencia en América Latina, donde la historia se convierte en un ciclo perpetuo de opresión y resistencia.
La autora también se adentra en el componente ideológico de la violencia, desafiando la narrativa oficial y proponiendo una visión crítica del conflicto. En este sentido, el libro se alinea con la tradición crítica latinoamericana, que busca desentrañar las raíces profundas de la violencia y la desigualdad. La obra invita a reflexionar sobre las palabras de Paulo Freire, quien argumentaba que la verdadera emancipación surge de la conciencia crítica de la opresión.
El ensayo de McFarland no solo es una crítica al estado colombiano y al proceso paramilitar, sino también un llamado a la acción. A través de su narrativa, la autora nos insta a reconocer la violencia no como un hecho aislado, sino como parte de una estructura más amplia de poder y dominación. Este reconocimiento es el primer paso hacia la transformación social, hacia la construcción de una Colombia donde la muerte y la violencia no sean invisibilizadas.
Esta es definitivamente una obra fundamental para entender la violencia en Colombia. A través de su análisis crítico y reflexivo, María McFarland no solo contribuye al campo literario, sino que también ofrece herramientas para repensar el conflicto colombiano desde una perspectiva más amplia y profunda. Este ensayo es un testimonio de la resistencia contra el olvido y la negación, un recordatorio de que la lucha por la justicia y la memoria sigue siendo una tarea pendiente en Colombia.
December 21, 2019
This has been a rough week in American Politics, with the impeachment of President Trump and all, but after reading There Are No Dead Here at least I can say, "It could be worse. At least I don't live in Colombia..."
Wow. Colombia's political system is so corrupt that to challenge anything or attempt to uncover the truth is likely to get you killed. This book is a journalistic portrait of three people who worked against that corruption. First: Jesús María Valle, a human rights activist who digs into the connection between FARC massacres and government supported paramilitary groups (he ends up dead). Next is Iván Velásquez, a prosecutor who picks up where Valle left off and ties this scandal to members of Colombia's legislative, judicial, and executive branches, despite constant threats to his life and family. And finally, the author focuses on Ricardo Calderón, a journalist who uncovers deep corruption in the Colombian intelligence service, leading directly to popular president Álvaro Uribe.
The research that went into this book is phenomenal. The author worked so hard to untangle all these messy webs of Colombian malfeasance, but it was still so hard to follow. For one thing, so many people were involved; even with help from 6 pages of character lists I struggled to keep track of everyone. And I'll be honest. I got bored. Maybe if I were a Colombian who had felt personally involved or impacted by these 25 years and counting of scandal I would have been riveted. But it was mostly new to me, and beyond the "Wow, it's really bad in Colombia" realization, it all started feeling like more of the same. I made myself push through the second half of the book, because the writing and research were too high quality to just abandon it. So... 3.5 stars for excellent work, but no higher because I lost interest.
Wow. Colombia's political system is so corrupt that to challenge anything or attempt to uncover the truth is likely to get you killed. This book is a journalistic portrait of three people who worked against that corruption. First: Jesús María Valle, a human rights activist who digs into the connection between FARC massacres and government supported paramilitary groups (he ends up dead). Next is Iván Velásquez, a prosecutor who picks up where Valle left off and ties this scandal to members of Colombia's legislative, judicial, and executive branches, despite constant threats to his life and family. And finally, the author focuses on Ricardo Calderón, a journalist who uncovers deep corruption in the Colombian intelligence service, leading directly to popular president Álvaro Uribe.
The research that went into this book is phenomenal. The author worked so hard to untangle all these messy webs of Colombian malfeasance, but it was still so hard to follow. For one thing, so many people were involved; even with help from 6 pages of character lists I struggled to keep track of everyone. And I'll be honest. I got bored. Maybe if I were a Colombian who had felt personally involved or impacted by these 25 years and counting of scandal I would have been riveted. But it was mostly new to me, and beyond the "Wow, it's really bad in Colombia" realization, it all started feeling like more of the same. I made myself push through the second half of the book, because the writing and research were too high quality to just abandon it. So... 3.5 stars for excellent work, but no higher because I lost interest.
August 1, 2025
Phenomenal read. McFarland Sanchez skillfully details the effects of paramilitaries on Colombian society from the years of Pablo Escobar into the late oughts, wrapping the book up with the FARC Peace Process, leaving the open question of how much the country cares about coming to terms with its recent past. It's difficult to encapsulate the far-reaching consequences of paramilitaries' actions on victims and politics, but using the lens of a human rights activist, a government lawyer, and an investigative journalist, she helps unpeel the lengths to which these rebel groups went to influence elections and government officials.
While some of the descriptions of massacres were gruesome and difficult to read, it is necessary to show the gravity of the violence and the cruelty imposed on small towns in rural Colombia. Velasquez is the perfect character as he not only has a penchant for exposing corruption, but he also exemplifies how paramilitaries' death threats and targeting affected the professional Colombian middle-class, beyond campesinos and pueblos. He also concludes the book with the very real quandary of how much exposing the truths of corruption and criminal networks impacts the livelihood of everyday Colombians. I could barely put this book down!
While some of the descriptions of massacres were gruesome and difficult to read, it is necessary to show the gravity of the violence and the cruelty imposed on small towns in rural Colombia. Velasquez is the perfect character as he not only has a penchant for exposing corruption, but he also exemplifies how paramilitaries' death threats and targeting affected the professional Colombian middle-class, beyond campesinos and pueblos. He also concludes the book with the very real quandary of how much exposing the truths of corruption and criminal networks impacts the livelihood of everyday Colombians. I could barely put this book down!
February 25, 2019
I picked this up after watching Narcos, about the hunt for Pablo Escobar in Colombia in the 80/90s. This book is a continuation of that, and so much more.
Colombia has lived in violence since after WWII. People are getting murder for no reason, farmers lost everything when the guerilleros came and helped themselves with everything (and everyone). The paramilitaries that supposedly were fighting the FARC were no much better, killing left and right, siding with the drug traffickers, infiltrating the government, spying on everybody who was asking too many questions. And then the wonderful idea of arming more people to defend themselves... that worked out really well (if anybody had any doubts, more guns doesn't mean less violence).
This book almost reads like a thriller, it's so bananas, and absolutely chilling. I feel for the Colombian people for everything they had (and probably still have) to go through.
While the audio is good, there are so many names that it can be hard at times to follow everything. But I did like the three main protagonists and how the author linked everything together.
Colombia has lived in violence since after WWII. People are getting murder for no reason, farmers lost everything when the guerilleros came and helped themselves with everything (and everyone). The paramilitaries that supposedly were fighting the FARC were no much better, killing left and right, siding with the drug traffickers, infiltrating the government, spying on everybody who was asking too many questions. And then the wonderful idea of arming more people to defend themselves... that worked out really well (if anybody had any doubts, more guns doesn't mean less violence).
This book almost reads like a thriller, it's so bananas, and absolutely chilling. I feel for the Colombian people for everything they had (and probably still have) to go through.
While the audio is good, there are so many names that it can be hard at times to follow everything. But I did like the three main protagonists and how the author linked everything together.
May 12, 2022
It’s hard to believe walking around Medellin today that this pretty city, not too long ago, was a hotbed of violence — as was a lot of Colombia. Maria’s work of Colombian history covers the years 1996 to 2010, when drug cartels, right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing guerilla armies, and corrupt politicians all wreaked havoc on the country, killing, raping, maiming, traumatizing, and displacing thousands of civilians.
Theoretically, Maria’s work is one of hope, following a journalist, a prosecutor, and an activist who worked to demand justice and transform Colombia into what it is today. This book is tough to get through though — there are so many people getting tortured and murdered, then more people getting tortured and murdered, then yet more people getting tortured and murdered, to the point that as a reader, I found myself getting horrifyingly desensitized to the brutality of it all. Read this book for a careful journalistic accounting and a terrifyingly naked look at the brutal recent history of Colombia.
Theoretically, Maria’s work is one of hope, following a journalist, a prosecutor, and an activist who worked to demand justice and transform Colombia into what it is today. This book is tough to get through though — there are so many people getting tortured and murdered, then more people getting tortured and murdered, then yet more people getting tortured and murdered, to the point that as a reader, I found myself getting horrifyingly desensitized to the brutality of it all. Read this book for a careful journalistic accounting and a terrifyingly naked look at the brutal recent history of Colombia.
July 29, 2018
Deeply disturbing for a colombian living in Colombia
I guess some truths are bound to be uncomfortable. This book is riddled with these. The dark right-wing forces unleashed when the colombian state was unable to protect us (me included) from the FARC. Terrible and inexcusable crimes were committed, and this book gives us a detailed list of these. As such, this book is a must. Though, as a colombian living in Colombia I believe that it is also a book with an agenda since it all but ignores the dark left-wing forces that forced some colombians to take action. Again, no crime should be excused by these circumstances, but at least the reader would have been given a more nuanced account of what happened. The tragedy of our nation is that there is such a wealth o killings, massacres, kidnappings and other terrible crimes that you can write a book - even intersting ones - in favor of each side. This is one of them. Probably the best, but still very narrow.
I guess some truths are bound to be uncomfortable. This book is riddled with these. The dark right-wing forces unleashed when the colombian state was unable to protect us (me included) from the FARC. Terrible and inexcusable crimes were committed, and this book gives us a detailed list of these. As such, this book is a must. Though, as a colombian living in Colombia I believe that it is also a book with an agenda since it all but ignores the dark left-wing forces that forced some colombians to take action. Again, no crime should be excused by these circumstances, but at least the reader would have been given a more nuanced account of what happened. The tragedy of our nation is that there is such a wealth o killings, massacres, kidnappings and other terrible crimes that you can write a book - even intersting ones - in favor of each side. This is one of them. Probably the best, but still very narrow.
March 26, 2024
Indispensable para entender la violencia de nuestro país, desde finales del Siglo XX hasta la segunda década del siglo XXI. Enfocado en entrevistas y al menos dos personajes principales, entre ellos nuestro actual ministro de defensa, este libro da cuenta de los procesos que se llevaron a cabo por la corte suprema y otras instituciones de justicia sobre la parapolítica y sus protagonistas. Sin entrar en más detalles dejo claro que es un documento importante a tener en cuenta si se quiere conocer de primera mano lo que pasó en esos años y como aún llevamos y llevaremos esa carga hasta que la verdad consiga que los principales actores estén en la cárcel o que paguen por hundirnos en esa espiral de violencia, o al menos se retiren y dejen en paz a la gente que de veras quiere una segunda oportunidad en Macondo
February 18, 2021
Wow. Corruption is not a new thing in politics, and these past 4 years in the US has led me to believe that corruption exists in EVERY country now. A rough one to follow at first and had to put down every now and then because it was just so much. :( The bravery of this author as well as Calderon, Velasquez, and Valle are worth noting, and their continued perseverance to expose corruption in power especially just seeing how easy it was for the paramilitary and gov’t to just ‘get rid of people’. How scary it must’ve been for them and their families. Understand better now why Uribe is finally serving some sort of accountability under his house arrest last year, but scary and sad that it has taken so long to do so.
October 20, 2019
dogged and sensitive reporting, building on the work of inspirational Colombian human rights advocates and journalists. tracks the links between Álvaro Uribe's government, paramilitary groups, extradition, land-grabs, the now-disassembled DAS (Colombia's state security agency), Colombia's justice system, and more. it can be a complicated story to follow-smear campaigns are at the heart of the but at the root the story is one of power, brutality, and deception.
furthermore, a central protagonist, Iván Velásquez, was head of the pioneering anti-corruption project in Guatemala (CICIG). Sánchez-Moreno gives fascinating insight into his background and formation.
furthermore, a central protagonist, Iván Velásquez, was head of the pioneering anti-corruption project in Guatemala (CICIG). Sánchez-Moreno gives fascinating insight into his background and formation.
August 29, 2025
A brilliant book, forensically chronicling the heroic work of an activist, a lawyer and a journalist in exposing the crimes of the paramilitaries in Colombia.
These paramilitaries, all too often, under the guise of fighting FARC, committed horrendous atrocities, such as the El Aro massacre, against indigenous communities and peasants to carry out land grabs (for wealthy ranchers and for drug cultivation). All of this took place under the protection of a cabal of senior politicians, the Colombian military and its intelligence services who viewed the paras as a means to an end in combatting the FARC who had committed atrocities of their own.
The bravery of these individuals in exposing these crimes is truly awe inspiring. Let’s hope peace in Colombia will persist and the politicians and military figures who legitimised, covered up and facilitated the atrocities by the paramilitaries will face justice one day.
These paramilitaries, all too often, under the guise of fighting FARC, committed horrendous atrocities, such as the El Aro massacre, against indigenous communities and peasants to carry out land grabs (for wealthy ranchers and for drug cultivation). All of this took place under the protection of a cabal of senior politicians, the Colombian military and its intelligence services who viewed the paras as a means to an end in combatting the FARC who had committed atrocities of their own.
The bravery of these individuals in exposing these crimes is truly awe inspiring. Let’s hope peace in Colombia will persist and the politicians and military figures who legitimised, covered up and facilitated the atrocities by the paramilitaries will face justice one day.
February 7, 2018
(Note: I received an advanced electronic copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
I knew a little bit of the long-ongoing Colombian Conflict between the government and the FARC (along with the ELN) before I began this book. Suffice to say, I was knocked back by the overflowing wealth of information on the various and numerous paramilitary groups, the array of horrific atrocities that they participated in for ends that were usually a far cry from their stated goals of defending the country, and the extent of the support and collaboration between them and the Colombian government itself. I genuinely had no idea whatsoever about any of this, and that goes at least double for any knowledge men and women who valiantly did everything they could to expose paramilitary crimes and the government backing that helped make them happen. Thanks to the masterful work done by the author, I feel like I've made a massive jump from unaware to caught-up.
For anyone who has ever had the slightest interest in one of the longest-running modern conflicts, this magnificently exhaustive book is a mandatory addition to your to-reads list.
I knew a little bit of the long-ongoing Colombian Conflict between the government and the FARC (along with the ELN) before I began this book. Suffice to say, I was knocked back by the overflowing wealth of information on the various and numerous paramilitary groups, the array of horrific atrocities that they participated in for ends that were usually a far cry from their stated goals of defending the country, and the extent of the support and collaboration between them and the Colombian government itself. I genuinely had no idea whatsoever about any of this, and that goes at least double for any knowledge men and women who valiantly did everything they could to expose paramilitary crimes and the government backing that helped make them happen. Thanks to the masterful work done by the author, I feel like I've made a massive jump from unaware to caught-up.
For anyone who has ever had the slightest interest in one of the longest-running modern conflicts, this magnificently exhaustive book is a mandatory addition to your to-reads list.
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