Page 11 - ATD05March2016
P. 11
WORLD NEWS A11
Saturday 5 March 2016
Uribe: Colombia President Santos ordered brother’s arrest
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Friday’s tweet is the for- ranch in northern Antioquia
— Former Colombian Presi- mer leader’s first public re- state. Santiago Uribe has
dent Alvaro Uribe is accus- sponse after the arrest of long denied any involve-
ing his successor of orches- Santiago Uribe on Monday. ment in the murders while
trating the arrest of Uribe’s The brother is accused of former President Uribe has
brother to squash dissent. involvement in murders long asserted his brother’s
The two politicians were and forced disappear- innocence and accused
once close but are now bit- ances while helping form a his successor, Juan Man-
ter rivals. far-right death squad in the uel Santos, of wielding
the threat of prosecution
Thousands of Puerto Rico inmates against his brother to sty-
cast votes for Republican primary mie the rise of his conser-
vative Democratic Center
DANICA COTO talking with other inmates. movement.
Associated Press President Juan Manuel
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) “The deficit we have right This photo shows Santiago Uribe, brother of former President Santos said on Thursday
— Thousands of inmates Alvaro Uribe, in Medellin, Colombia. Santiago Uribe was arrested that the times when gov-
lined up in prisons across now is incredible,” he on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 on charges that he created and led a ernment institutions were
Puerto Rico on Friday to death squad in the 1990s. used for political perse-
cast early ballots in the said after ducking into cutions had passed and
U.S. territory’s Republican (AP Photo/Luis Benavides) would not come back.
primary, some saying they a cardboard structure
hoped the elections can
help lift the island out of an covered with a plastic
economic crisis.
At least 6,500 of the curtain to cast his vote. 1990s. plotted dozens of slayings
island’s 11,500 prisoners
are registered to vote, “Something needs to be The death squad allegedly from an Uribe family cattle
and government officials
said this year’s turnout was done, or otherwise we’ll
strong. Even prisoners not
registered are allowed to sink.”
participate in the open
primaries, which are held One man in his 30s told poll
two days ahead of the vote
for the general population. workers he could not read
The Republican primary is
Sunday while Democrats and asked them to read
vote in June.
Some said they were the names aloud until he
prompted to vote by
Puerto Rico’s decade- recognized his choice.
long economic woes and
concerns for relatives Puerto Rico has allowed
who have left for the U.S.
mainland, seeking jobs. inmates to vote since
“I wanted to take action
this time,” said Omar the 1980s, though they
Quintana, 37, a first-time
voter who is serving a six- make up a tiny share of
year sentence for robbery
at Institution 1072 in the overall electorate. On
Bayamon, just southwest
of the capital of San Juan. the mainland, only the
“Maybe this will improve if
we become a U.S. state.” U.S. states of Maine and
Like others, he declined to
say who earned his vote, Vermont let inmates vote.
but said he made up his
mind after watching two “This is a democracy, and
televised debates and
everyone should be able to
exercise their right to vote,”
said Edgardo Rodriguez,
46, another first-time voter.
“Puerto Rico needs help. ...
The crisis is choking us.”
Puerto Rico residents
cannot participate in
general presidential
elections but can do so
in primaries. Puerto Rico
sends 20 delegates to the
Republican convention,
three of them super
delegates already backing
Marco Rubio, who visited
the island in September
and plans to do so again
briefly on Saturday.
None of the inmates
interviewed revealed their
choice of candidate, but
they all agreed on one
thing:
