10
b)
Statement by
common-law spouse
Yaqueline
Reyes,
Ricardo
Gutiérrez-Soler’s
Mrs. Yaqueline Reyes is the common-law spouse of one of Wilson GutiérrezSoler’s brothers, Ricardo Gutiérrez-Soler, with whom she has two daughters.
The other members of her family have grown apart from them as a result of
the attacks and outrages perpetrated by police officers and the army against
them.
Mrs. Reyes states that she has recently acquainted with the fact that her
brother-in-law, Wilson Gutiérrez-Soler, was a torture victim and that she now
understands why he is under so much pain, both physical and moral.
What happened to Wilson Gutiérrez-Soler, according to Mrs. Reyes, “affected
[her] marriage,” because her common-law spouse Ricardo Gutiérrez-Soler
was continually helping his brother out so that he could file complaints before
the authorities. However, nobody seemed to take notice of them. The
consequences for the family were terrible because her common-law spouse
was deeply involved in Wilson Gutiérrez-Soler’s case. She, her two daughters
and her common-law spouse’s children fell victim to attacks and searches by
police officers and the army. There were times when her common-law
spouse and brother-in-law wore bulletproof vests in case they were attacked.
This disturbed her daughters and her common-law spouse’s children.
The troubles and expenses experienced and incurred by the family prevented
her daughters from regular schooling because every now and then they had
to move to a new house under constant threat to their lives. On one
occasion, the individuals who were posing threats to them advised them “to
enjoy the little time left because soon we will all be finished” and, next, they
asked about her common-law spouse and brother-in-law without even
identifying themselves.
The Gutiérrez-Soler family was subject to physical abuse and moral
harassment. On November 27, 2002, Wilson Gutiérrez-Soler’s parents found
a bomb in their house. On May 17, 2003, Mrs. Reyes and her daughters
received a book-like bomb that was timely disassembled by police officers
and explosive detection agents. The police accused her common-law spouse,
Ricardo Gutiérrez-Soler, of “having connections with the [Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia] or the [Ejército de Liberación Nacional].”
On October 4, 2003, the police arrested Ricardo Gutiérrez-Soler without any
known reasons. During three hours, Mrs. Reyes ignored where the police had
taken her common-law spouse. Sulma Tatiana and Leonardo, Ricardo
Gutiérrez-Soler’s children, were also harassed by police officers. This
situation made the family grow apart little by little. Currently, some of
Ricardo Gutiérrez-Soler’s children do not live with him because they refuse to
live in fear and under constant threat.
For Mrs. Reyes, the events have been extremely disturbing and changed
their lives because “everybody knows we live under continual threat and are
regularly subject to searches. To cap it all, nobody employs Ricardo.”
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