By Dave Andrusko
A lot has happened since Spain confirmed over the weekend that it had captured Héctor Albeidis Arboleda Buitrago, aka “The Nurse.” He is accused of performing hundreds of forced abortions on women fighters belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the largest of two leftist rebel group in Columbia.
According to Reuters, “The arrest comes after Colombia’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre, said on Friday that his office was investigating 150 cases of former female rebel fighters who claimed they had been forced to terminate their pregnancies. Montealegre said there was evidence that Farc fighters used forced abortions to avoid losing female fighters ‘as an instrument of war.’”
Added Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D., in a report issued by Colombian authorities,
The victims of The Nurse were late-term pregnant mothers who were conscripted into the FARC guerrilla forces. Some of the women were regular conscripts, while more than 50 others were indigenous women who were sex-trafficked among the fighters.
The women were used for sex by the guerrilla fighters, and when they became pregnant, they were forced to abort their babies as late as 7 to 8 months after conception. If the women refused, they were executed, and their bodies would be used for anatomy lessons.
While leading the investigation of the forced abortions, Montealegre is also the leading voice for the legalization of abortion on demand in Columbia.
“Just one month ago, Mr. Montealegre made headlines for presenting a plan to legalize abortion on demand in the first three months of pregnancy, and at any point after that if the child is conceived in rape or incest or if the life of the mother is in danger,” Garcia Jones reported.
In a statement, Spanish police said “The Nurse” is an ex-fighter himself and is being detained in Madrid.