A British think tank announced Friday it will release unedited files found on the computers of slain FARC commander “Raul Reyes.”
The dossier will look in detail at the guerrilla group’s alleged releations with Venezuela and Ecuador, said to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in a press release.
According to the IISS, the files, found by the Colombian military in March 2008 after raiding Reyes’ camp in Ecuador, show “how FARC evolved from a small, autarkic and strategically irrelevant group into an insurgent movement which, fuelled by revenues from narcotics production, came close to jeopardising the survival of the Colombian state. A key part of FARC’s evolution was the development of an international strategy aimed at acquiring financial support, arms and political legitimacy.”
The book will be accompanied by a CD-ROM containing all the unedited files found on these computers, the think tank said.
The Reyes files have been controversial. According to international police organization Interpol they material found on the computers was not tampered with after March 4, three days after the computers were found. Colombian courts have not allowed the files as evidence in cases against so-called FARC-politicians because the chain of custody was broken.
The book will be launched on May 10.
