Patients were subjected to inhumane conditions in rehabilitation centers, according to authorities.
News Colombia.
In the last few hours, authorities reported the capture of 21 people allegedly linked to acts of violence and abuse in rehabilitation foundations in Santander. The Attorney General’s Office intervened in eight of these institutions, which were dedicated to the rehabilitation of vulnerable populations with addiction problems.
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The captures were the result of joint operations between the Santander Section of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) and the support of the National Army. The proceedings were carried out in several cities, including Cartago (Valle del Cauca), Bucaramanga (Santander) and Bogotá.
According to investigations, they reveal that the detainees were part of a criminal structure that operated under the guise of offering care services to people with addiction problems. However, the evidence indicates that these foundations have engaged in conduct that threatens the dignity and lives of inmates, resulting in the death of eight people and affecting more than 500 victims.
«Due to these events, they were presented before a guarantee control judge and charged with crimes that included homicide, aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime for the purposes of kidnapping and torture, kidnapping, induction into prostitution, carnal access with incapable of resisting, violent sexual act, torture and violent carnal access,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
The #Prosecution General of the Nation put an end to the acts of violence and abuse to which the patients of eight foundations that supposedly cared for citizens with addiction problems were allegedly subjected, in #Santander. 21 people were captured and charged by the… pic.twitter.com/GdJNF9b8xi
— Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (@FiscaliaCol) October 25, 2024
The patients were allegedly subjected to inhumane conditions in the centers
The rehabilitation centers involved were located in Bucaramanga, Piedecuesta and Girón. Investigations have shown that these places received people from various municipalities of Santander, Norte de Santander and Atlántico, who, apparently, were subjected to inhumane conditions such as overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, lack of food supply and long periods of incommunication.
Additionally, the judicial entity reported that cases were allegedly recorded in which employees of these foundations had sexually abused minors, who remained sedated by the medications they were given. Incidents were also documented in which inmates were taken to “reflection rooms,” where they suffered physical torture, including cold water baths, beatings, and restraints.
In the investigative process, 8 dead inmates and more than 200 victims have been proven, as a result of the cruel and inhuman treatment they received. Some of the employees of these foundations would have sexually abused several minors who were sedated by the… pic.twitter.com/pq8n0Yrysv
— Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (@FiscaliaCol) October 25, 2024
The testimonies collected against this criminal organization agree that its members posed as authorities to intimidate the victims, threatening them with arrests for drug trafficking and other crimes.
The guarantee control hearings continue in Bucaramanga, where it is expected that decisions will be made about the future of those involved.
21 criminals belonging to the criminal gang ‘Casa de la Tortura’ were captured, in which they used 8 foundations as fronts to commit crimes such as kidnapping, forced disappearance and extortion in Santander. pic.twitter.com/ndC5j6m1X5
— The FM (@lafm) October 24, 2024
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