Columbia's Ivan Ramirez Convicted For 1985 Killings

“Godfather” of Colombian Army Intelligence Convicted in Palace of Justice Killings ebb 853 collage Iván Ramírez Led Unit that Tortured and Killed Civilians Detained during 1985 Tragedy “Portrait of a Corrupt General”: Documents Detail Career of Powerful Spymaster State Dept: Ramírez and Intel Brigade “Actively Collaborate with Paramilitary Forces” Published: Jun 21, 2024 Briefing Book # 863 Edited by Michael Evans For more information, contact: 202-994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu Subjects Crime and Narcotics Intelligence and Espionage Regions South America Project Colombia Magistrate Gustavo Salazar of Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) confronts former Army general Iván Ramírez, bottom left, with declassified U.S. intelligence indicating that he had “links” to infamous paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño, and that he and other military officers “at a minimum tolerate, and even encourage, paramilitary activity in their zones.” Magistrate Gustavo Salazar of Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) confronts former Army general Iván Ramírez, bottom left, with declassified U.S. intelligence (see Document 6) indicating that he had “links” to infamous paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño, and that he and other military officers “at a minimum tolerate, and even encourage, paramilitary activity in their zones.” (Starts at 3:17:30) (Source: YouTube) Washington, D.C., June 21, 2024 – On Wednesday, a Colombian court condemned former Colombian Army Gen. Iván Ramírez Quintero to 31 years in prison for the death of Irma Franco, a member of the M-19 militant group who was tortured and killed by a Colombian Army intelligence unit under his command in the aftermath of the November 1985 Palace of Justice assault. A U.S.-trained military officer, Ramírez is considered the “godfather” of the Colombian Army’s intelligence forces and is the subject of numerous State Department, CIA and U.S. military reports looking at his alleged human rights abuses, corrupt activities, and complicity with illegal “paramilitary” death squads like the United Self-defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). Today’s posting focuses on 15 key declassified documents from U.S. government agencies that shed light on Ramírez and his long-suspected ties to narcotraffickers and rightwing paramilitary groups during his many years as one of the leading figures in Colombian Army intelligence. Some of these have been used by magistrates from Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) during public interrogations of Ramírez and his past ties to paramilitary groups. See the list of “Related Links” in the left column for previous National Security Archive postings about Ramírez and the Palace of Justice case. THE DOCUMENTS U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, “Biographic Report – Colombia – Colonel Ivan (Ramirez) Quintero, Colombian Army,” October 9, 1987, Confidential, 2 pp. Document 1 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, “Biographic Report – Colombia – Colonel Ivan (Ramirez) Quintero, Colombian Army,” October 9, 1987, Confidential, 2 pp. Oct 9, 1987 Source Freedom of Information Act request This report provides basic information about the military career of Iván Ramírez, who was then a colonel and the head of the Colombian Army’s Intelligence Directorate (E-2). Under “International Training/Travel” the report lists an “intelligence course” in Munich, Germany (1972), an “advanced course in engineering” in the U.S. (1979) and a “combined strategy” course in Washington, D.C. (1983). The only prior military position listed in this redacted document is as the B-2 intelligence “section chief” for the Army’s 2nd Brigade during 1982. CIA Information Report, “Cooperation Between the Intelligence Chief of the Colombian Army Fourth Brigade and the Medellin Cartel; Tenth Brigade Intelligence Unit Provision of Names to Unidentified Rightwing Paramilitary Group,” April 16, 1988, Secret/Wnintel/Noforn, 3 pp. Document 2 CIA Information Report, “Cooperation Between the Intelligence Chief of the Colombian Army Fourth Brigade and the Medellin Cartel; Tenth Brigade Intelligence Unit Provision of Names to Unidentified Rightwing Paramilitary Group,” April 16, 1988, Secret/Wnintel/Noforn, 3 pp. Apr 16, 1988 Source During the time that Iván Ramírez was head of the Colombian Army’s E-2 intelligence directorate, Colombian Army B-2 intelligence units under his command were responsible for the massacre of 20 banana plantation workers and a “wave of assassinations” in Medellín during 1987, according to this CIA intelligence brief. U.S. Embassy cable, “Violence in Northern Colombia: DAS Report Hints at Military Involvement in Uraba; More on Cordoba,” May 7, 1988, Confidential, 2 pp. Document 3 U.S. Embassy cable, “Violence in Northern Colombia: DAS Report Hints at Military Involvement in Uraba; More on Cordoba,” May 7, 1988, Confidential, 2 pp. May 7, 1988 Source Freedom of Information Act request The March 4, 1988, killing of banana workers in Urabá was the work of “military members of the B-2 (intelligence) in Uraba” who had “identified people belonging to the support network for the EPL” insurgent group to be assassinated, according to a report by the DAS intelligence group, parts of which were published in Semana magazine. In a comment, the Embassy notes that military “commanders in rural areas with high rates of violence” are “prone to use the resources at hand, which may be local ranchers (including narcos) who, in the absence of legally constituted authority, pay ‘self defense’ groups to protect their interests.” Army commanders “may view cooperation with local groups” such as these “as the only solution to the problem,” according to the Embassy. U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Ivan ((Ramirez)) Quintero, Brigadier General, Director, Military Intelligence, Army,” April 30, 1994, Confidential, 5 pp. Document 4 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Ivan ((Ramirez)) Quintero, Brigadier General, Director, Military Intelligence, Army,” April 30, 1994, Confidential, 5 pp. Apr 30, 1994 Source By 1994, Iván Ramírez had risen to the rank of brigadier general and was again the director of Colombian Army intelligence. The document provides significant details about his long career in military intelligence that are not included in (or redacted from) other documents. Among his notably military assignments are stints as the B-2 intelligence officer for the Army’s 5th Brigade (1977), the S-3 operations officer for the Charry Solano intelligence battalion (1978), the deputy commander (1979) and later commander (1980) of Charry Solano, and as B-2 of the Army’s 2nd Brigade (1982). He was again named commander of Charry Solano in 1983 and in 1985 was named commander of the Army’s intelligence operations command, the position he held during the November 1985 Palace of Justice episode. He later became director of Colombian Army intelligence (1987-1988) and commander of the 11th Brigade (1989) before moving back to the E-2 post in December 1991. U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Unlikely One General Ordered Assassination of Another,” January 17, 1997, Secret, 4 pp. Document 5 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Unlikely One General Ordered Assassination of Another,” January 17, 1997, Secret, 4 pp. Jan 17, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request A U.S. military source dismisses the theory that Iván Ramírez may have been behind the assassination of Gen. Carlos Gil Colorado, the former joint forces intelligence chief who was gunned down in 1994. Although doubtful that Ramírez had anything to do with the crime, the reports says that “Ramirez’s reputation for having helped narcotraffickers is well known” in the Colombian Army and that Ramirez was seen “as a person capable of doing just about anything when money is involved.” He had also “hit the guerrillas hard” and was “suspected of ‘looking the other way’ when troops under his control committed human rights violations.” It was Ramirez’s “notorious reputation for abusing guerrilla human rights and associating with narcotraffickers” that made him “an easy target on which to pin the assassination” of Gen. Gil Colorado, according to the unnamed source cited in this report. Document 6 U.S. Embassy Colombia cable, “Paramilitary Groups in Colombia,” April 11, 1997, Secret, 24 pp. Document 6 U.S. Embassy Colombia cable, “Paramilitary Groups in Colombia,” April 11, 1997, Secret, 24 pp. Apr 11, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request The Embassy’s long review of information about paramilitary groups and their links to Colombian security forces notes that the CIA (“recent ROAL reporting”) “has described apparent links between First Division commander Major General Ivan Ramirez and [Carlos] Castano.” The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation had told the Embassy “that he believed Ramirez” and other military commanders “at a minimum tolerate, and even encourage, paramilitary activity in their zones.” This document is one of several to have been used by magistrates from Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) during its examination of Ramírez in May 2023 (at 3:17:30). Document 7 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Report, “Colombia: Paramilitaries Gaining Strength, Document 7 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Report, “Colombia: Paramilitaries Gaining Strength,” June 13, 1997, Secret, 21 pp. Jun 13, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request The CIA has found information linking Iván Ramírez to “Colombia’s most notorious paramilitary leader,” Carlos Castaño. Document 8 U.S. Embassy Colombia cable, “Bedoya’s Departure: How, Why, What It Means,” August 1, 1997, Se Document 8 U.S. Embassy Colombia cable, “Bedoya’s Departure: How, Why, What It Means,” August 1, 1997, Secret, 4 pp. Aug 1, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request In a report about the dismissal of hardline Army commander Harold Bedoya, the Embassy says that Iván Ramírez, as the director of Army intelligence, “oversaw the Twentieth Intelligence Brigade, suspected of narco, paramilitary, and death squad ties.” Document 9 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Special Report, “Counterdrug Implications of Colombian Military Document 9 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Special Report, “Counterdrug Implications of Colombian Military Shakeup,” August 15, 1997, Secret/US Only, 6 pp. Aug 15, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request A heavily redacted report from the CIA on recent personnel changes among top Colombian military officials has a picture of Gen. Iván Ramírez beneath the heading, “Portrait of a Corrupt General” and alongside a picture captioned, “Drug Trafficker-Backed Paramilitary Forces.” Document 10 U.S. Embassy cable, “Ambassador’s Meeting with MOD and Armed Forces Commander,” November 7, 19 Document 10 U.S. Embassy cable, “Ambassador’s Meeting with MOD and Armed Forces Commander,” November 7, 1997, Confidential, 4 pp. Nov 7, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request U.S. Ambassador Myles Frechette tells the new Colombian defense minister that “there is now more evidence suggesting that [Ivan] Ramirez is passing military intelligence to the paramilitaries, and that the intelligence is being used against the guerrillas.” Frechette adds that, “if Ramirez were to attain higher rank or position, it would seriously complicate the [U.S. government’s] ability to cooperate with the Colombian military.” Document 11 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, “Colombia: Update on Links Between Military, Paramilitary Forces Document 11 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, “Colombia: Update on Links Between Military, Paramilitary Forces,” December 2, 1997, Secret, 8 pp. Dec 2, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request “Prospects for concerted action” by the Colombian military against paramilitaries “appear dim,” according to this CIA report, which cites, among other things, the continuing presence of officers “like Major General Ramirez in key positions.” The persistence of officers like Ramírez in top posts suggests that “achieving results against the guerrillas—rather than rooting out paramilitary links—remains the top priority for the Colombian military.” Document 12 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Cashiered Colonel Talks Freely Document 12 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Cashiered Colonel Talks Freely About the Army He Left Behind,” December 24, 1997, Secret, 4 pp. Dec 24, 1997 Source Freedom of Information Act request A recently retired Colombian Army colonel told the U.S. military attaché that Iván Ramírez, as head of the First Division in Santa Marta, “has gone far beyond the passive phase with paramilitaries and is actively supporting them.” The unnamed official “is concerned about the potential direction the [Colombian Army] could take if Ramirez abuses his position as [Army Inspector General] or, worse, if he is allowed to rise to even higher positions in the armed forces hierarchy.” Document 13 U.S. State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Intelligence Assessment, “Colombia: A V Document 13 U.S. State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Intelligence Assessment, “Colombia: A Violent Backdrop,” January 6, 1998, Confidential, 4 pp. Jan 6, 1998 Source Freedom of Information Act request The Colombian Army has “an official policy of treating paramilitaries as criminals,” but “many officers turn a blind eye to paramilitary activities in their areas of responsibility,” according to this State Department intelligence report. But some, including Gen. Iván Ramírez, “actively collaborate with paramilitaries by providing intelligence and other support.” Document 14U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Dead Man Walking -- Retirement Expected Soon for Controversial General,” May 30, 1998, Secret, 2 pp. May 30, 1998 Document 14 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Information Report, “Dead Man Walking -- Retirement Expected Soon for Controversial General,” May 30, 1998, Secret, 2 pp. May 30, 1998 May 30, 1998 Source Source: Freedom of Information Act request The U.S. military attaché expects that Iván Ramírez, characterized here as the “godfather” of Colombian Army intelligence, will soon be retired from the Army following the revocation of his U.S. tourist visa and the disbanding of the Army’s 20th Intelligence Brigade. “More than a few officers are uncomfortable with the rumors of Ramirez’s alleged links to paramilitaries and narcotraffickers,” and “most [Colombian Army] officers are smart enough to see the handwriting on the wall and are doing whatever is necessary to distance themselves from Ramirez.” Document 15 U.S. Embassy Colombia cable, “General Ramirez Lashes Out at State Department; Two More Generals Un Document 15 U.S. Embassy Colombia cable, “General Ramirez Lashes Out at State Department; Two More Generals Under Investigation for Paramilitary Links,” August 13, 1998, Secret, 5 pp. Aug 13, 1998 Source Freedom of Information Act request On August 11, 1998, The Washington Post detailed the paramilitary ties of Iván Ramírez and revealed that he was a “paid informant for the Central Intelligence Agency,” among other allegations. In a cable about the article and the response from Ramírez, the Embassy says that the State Department had found evidence of Ramírez’s “complicity in repeated, grave human rights violations” and that his removal from the Army would “contribute to its ongoing professionalization.”