Antonio Bejarano This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Brutal violence slays a man of peace

   www.westernjustice.org/pr17_en - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/18/1999   Last Visited: 7/25/2001

   In fact , Professor Jesús Antonio Bejarano was assassinated two days ago in Bogotá , shortly after having visited Los Angeles in the culmination of a two-week tour of various U.S. cities together with other Colombian dignitaries hosted by the U.S. Information Agency.
   
   pr17 1.JPG ( 26198 bytes ) Shortly after six Colombian dignitaries gathered at the Western Justice Center to dialogue about the peace process , two shooters came to the Universidad Nacional in Bogotá , Colombia , on Sept. 15 , 1999 , and assassinated a member of the Colombian Peace Commission , Professor Jesús Antonio Bejarano , age 53 ( on the right ).
   ...
   Bejarano and his companions had gathered at the Western Justice Center in Pasadena to discuss the possibilities of the peace process in Colombia.
   
   Bejarano , a prominent economist who graduated from the National University , distinguished himself as the former president of the Agricultural Association of Colombia , and had previously served as a peace commissioner in the administration of President César Gaviria.
   ...
   Two images of Bejarano occupy my memory.
   
   First , that of his youth when , in the economics hallways or in the university cafeteria , he would expound to his colleagues , matters related to student politics.
   
   Second , that of his recent sojourn in Pasadena when Bejarano , whose generous and enthusiastic attitude had not diminished with the years , listened in attentive silence first to moderator Hutson , then to Judge Barry Russell , who spoke about the topic of mediation as a method of conflict resolution. Thereafter , he listened to his colleagues of the group , who explained to attendees the diverse aspects of the Colombian situation , and who offered some impressions gathered from their U.S. tour and from their encounters with bureaucrats and Congressional representatives of this country.
   
   They spoke definitively of the possibility of U.S. intervention.
   
   ...
   Bejarano , one of the Colombians most concerned with the peace process , as an active participant in negotiations with the guerrillas in his capacity as a peace commissioner , did not speak during the formal part of the meeting. Later , however , in brief conversations similar to those of the university hallways , we learned of his concern over Colombia's present conjuncture.
   
   A Drastic Situation
   
   From this meeting and from subsequent conversations that to this day are continuing with some of the attendees , we are forming a clearer idea of the seriousness of the conflict that rends Colombia.
   
   News of Bejarano's death , however , brutally awakens us all to a problem much closer to home and more impactful than any other occurrence. This is Colombian violence , which bloodies a man such as Bejarano , a model of intellectual integrity and dedication to public service.
   
   With horror I read the news of the assassination of Jesús Antonio Bejarano and I felt an immense grief over the loss of one who for me was a symbol of peace and reconciliation , and whom I profoundly admired , stated journalist Gloria Aristizábal , one of the people who conversed at length with Bejarano.