Johnny basks in distinguished company

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard is in Washington to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from his out-going good buddy President George W Bush.

Mr Howard took the honour along with former British PM Tony Blair and... Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe...

Medal of Freedom...? Alvaro Uribe...? Medal of Freedom...?

Under President Uribe’s watch, there has been a dramatic increase in reports of extrajudicial killings of civilians by the Colombian Army. And while Uribe’s government has strongly confronted the abusive left-wing guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Uribe has failed to take a similarly clear stance against equally abusive drug-running paramilitary groups, who have massacred, raped, and forcibly displaced thousands of Colombians in recent decades. Fundamental flaws in a paramilitary demobilization process under Uribe have permitted many of the groups to continue to engage in abuses under new names. The president's verbal attacks on his country’s human rights defenders have been frequent and disturbing. And Uribe has often opposed efforts to break paramilitaries’ influence in the political system, including by making unfounded accusations against the Supreme Court justices who are investigating more than 70 members of the Colombian Congress for links to paramilitaries.

It’s curious that our Mr Howard would want to accept an award so compromised by such a co-recipient. Oh wait...

...

• 25/04/2008 - Colombia: No reduction in assassinations and death threats
• 25/06/2008 - Colombia: Two more trade unionists assassinated
• 29/08/2008 - Colombia: Three trade unionists murdered in August
• 24/09/2008 - Colombia: Several trade unionists receive death threats
• 19/12/2008 - Colombia: Another trade unionist asassinated

...

Hmmmm...

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