There have been reports of human rights violations by army counter-insurgency forces in the Bajo Simacota region of Santander department. 16-year-old Aleixir Orozco was detained in the community of Vizcaina Alta, Bajo Simacota on 26 November 1994 by army counter-insurgency forces. He was shot dead in his underwear and then reportedly dressed in military-style uniform as though he were a guerrilla killed in a confrontation with the army. His body was taken by the military without the authorization of the family and buried in a different municipality. In the Cano Peruetano community, Sabana de Torres municipality, Bajo Simacota, farm workers have reportedly been threatened and harassed by soldiers from the “Los Guanes” battallion.
