The son of La Gata is the one who asked for his freedom: he calls himself “servant of peace”

Jorge Luis Alfonso Lopez he managed to secure his freedom amid an increasingly flawed court ruling. We now know that it was he himself who submitted the request to the judge because of his appointment as a peace facilitator, although it is the national government that must lead this process before the judicial authorities.

A letter signed by the son alias “La Gata”, dated December 23, 2022, addressed to the Fifth Court of the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures judge Orlando Jose Petro Vanderbiltwhose subject is “the lifting of the restrictive measure to contribute to a total peace”.

The judge to whom the communication is addressed is the same one who granted him in October 2021 the benefit of a remand prison, for alleged medical reasons, which led to requests for investigation from the Minister of the Justice of the time, Wilson Ruiz Orjuela.

In the letter, Alfonso López asks the judge to “comply with resolution number 075 of December 22, 2022 issued by the administrative department of the Presidency of the Republic in which I am delegated as PEACE PROCESS FACILITATOR (sic.)”.

In other words, as soon as the resolution was issued to welcome him as a facilitator, alias “El Gato” went to court to demand his freedom. However, his appointment was only made for two months and his work, according to the High Commissioner for Peacethey had to exercise “mainly” from their place of confinement, that is to say their home.

However, in the document Jorge Luis Alphonse He said he had to move. “I must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to travel and organize the various meetings necessary for the subjugation of the said armed groups, and thus contribute to the long-awaited peace on our national territory”, he writes.

In addition, he raised his request: “In a very respectful way, I ask you to lift the restrictive measures that fall on this servant of peace, as well as to formalize the various judicial authorities so as not to have any inconvenience with work designated by the High Commissioner for Peace. Doctor IVAN DANILO RUEDA RODRÍGUEZ”.

There is another irregularity here, because according to Decree 1175 OF 2016 It is the national government that can request the lifting of measures restricting freedom against members or former members of armed groups organized outside the law.

This was not the case, since the two Office of the High Commissioner for Peace as a national government, through the voice of the spokesperson alphonse prada, was not requested. Despite this, the judge granted the accused freedom and the decision was not known until Inpec issued the exit ticket.

But Alfonso López did not want the decision made public. The convicted former mayor of Magangué told the judge that his work, as stated in the resolution, is of a reserved nature, “to prevent the enemies of peace from hindering my assigned work”, he wrote.

In addition, as explained by the High Commissioner for Peace, there are three figures of people who seek to contribute to Total Peace: managers, spokespersons and facilitators. It is only in the last that the lifting of security measures is not considered, as is the case of Alfonso López and the second is aimed at those captured in the social protest.

Likewise, “El Gato” would have only two more weeks in this role of facilitator, after which the authorities must verify whether or not he has fulfilled the assigned task. Otherwise, the appointment will be suspended, as it has already been requested to suspend the freedom granted by the judge of Barranquilla.