In Colombia, a political party accused of having links to right-wing death squads gained important political ground in the countrys congressional elections this past week. The partys success raises concerns that ties between corrupt politicians and armed gangs remain strong, despite vigorous criminal investigations.
A gunman killed a Colombian journalist who had received threats and reported on politicians linked to paramilitary death squads, police and the victim's family said. Clodomiro Castilla, an editor of El Pulso magazine and a reporter for local radio, was shot to death.
Journalist Allan Nairn reports that according to senior Indonesian officials and police and details from government files, the US-backed Indonesian armed forces, now due for fresh American aid, assassinated several activists last year.
The Obama administration hopes to resume U.S. training of an elite Indonesian military unit whose members have been convicted of gross human rights abuses in East Timor and elsewhere.