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When Colombian politician Sigifredo López was freed inFebruary 2009 by Marxist rebels after spending nearly seven yearsin captivity, his two sons were so thrilled that in their rush toembrace their father they nearly tackled him. Broadcast live on TV,the joyous bear hug came to crystalize for Colombians the triumphof hope and determination over barbarity. But now, López finds himself back in captivity only thistime in a government holding tank where he has been cast as thevillain. On Wednesday, May 16, police arrested the former statelegislator on charges that he helped the rebels plan his ownabduction, a mass kidnapping that led to the deaths of 11 ofLópez's fellow lawmaker-hostages. This surreal twistprompted Semana , the country's largest newsmagazine, to put López on itscurrent cover under a one-word headline: "Judas?" (MORE: The Blast in Bogotá: A Reminder of Colombia'sUnsolved Problems) López, 48, insists he is innocent. Shortly before he wasjailed he said: "To accuse me of being a guerrilla accomplice isthe height of infamy and injustice." Federico Renjifo, thecountry's interior minister, spoke for many shocked Colombians whenhe said: "I can't get it in my head that this could actually havebeen possible." The saga began on April 11, 2002, when guerrillas of the ColombianRevolutionary Armed Forces, or FARC, who were disguised as policeagents, stormed a government building in the southern city of Cali,announced a bomb threat, then abducted a dozen state lawmakers,including López. Five years later, still in captivity, 11 ofthe hostages were executed by panicked rebels who thought the armywas launching a rescue operation. López claimed he survivedbecause he was being punished and was in solitary confinement inanother part of the rebel camp. But as the sole survivor of the massacre, questions have doggedLópez ever since. A former member of the FARC toldinvestigators that López was spared execution because he wasinvolved in the kidnappings, but he later retracted that statement.As a young politician, López briefly belonged to a left-wingparty and he later served as mayor of Pradera, a town on the edgeof a FARC stronghold where local politicians were rumored to havecollaborated with the rebels. Some observers pointed out thatinstead of looking emaciated like some hostages emerging from thejungle, Lopez appeared robust on the day he was freed. Government prosecutors are basing their case on a trove ofinformation contained on seven laptops, 24 hard drives, and 39 USBsticks recovered from a guerrilla encampment following a militaryraid last November that killed Alfonso Cano, who was the FARC'scommander-in-chief. The key piece of evidence is a 40-minute videoin which a man provides details of the layout and security of thestate legislative building in Cali shortly before the FARC abductedthe 12 lawmakers. Investigators claim that the voice of the man onthe video is identical to the voice of López, who hastrouble pronouncing the letter "r." In addition, a shadowy image ofthe man's head appears on camera for a brief moment andinvestigators say the shape of his jaw and nose match López. (PHOTOS: In the Jungle with FARC) But why would López take part in a crime that would condemnhim to a jungle prison, deprive him of the chance to see hisadolescent boys grow up and send his family into a financialtailspin? Semana quotes one investigator speculating that López may havebeen double-crossed by the FARC or that he simply miscalculated."Maybe he thought it would be a short kidnapping and that he wouldbe quickly released through a prisoner exchange," the agentreportedly said. That may sound implausible but there have beennumerous cases of Colombians arranging for self-kidnappings —usually to collect ransom payments from wealthy relatives. However, other evidence would seem to back up López'sversion of events. For one thing, FARC leader Cano, in his e-mail,refers to López as a hostage rather than a collaborator. Onemessage, written by Cano and sent shortly after the 11 statelawmakers were executed, states: "One legislator survived. He wasbeing punished and was in another area. He didn't see anything buthe did hear [the shots]". Once free, López wrote a book about his captivity which isdedicated to his 11 slain colleagues and is fiercely critical ofthe FARC. In public statements and on his Twitter account,López has lambasted the guerrillas and questioned thenational government for considering peace talks with the FARC. Infact, the early suspicions that he was a rebel mole gave way topublic accusations in 2010 that López was in league withright-wing militias that allegedly helped finance his failed senatecampaign. Finally, there was that heart-wrenching televised reunionwith his family which would seem impossible to fake. In his statement to prosecutors, López pointed out that theFARC had already robbed seven years of his life and he implored thegovernment not to take away any more. Yet even if he is released,López expressed fear that his reputation has already beendamaged beyond repair. "Like a plucked hen," he said, "it willnever be the same." MORE: DEA Agents Under Investigation in Colombian ProstitutionScandal. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China 360 degree led display , outdoor led screens, and more. For more , please visit indoor full color led display today!
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