Lemons That Turns Into Grenades

By: Sarai Alquichire 

Juan Nehmias Daza —a peasant that belonged to the Kankuama ethnic group located in the north of the Cesar department in Colombia— was a victim of the so-called false positives.

Juan Nehemias had been walking with his 14 and 17-year-old children. During his walk in La Pepa near the village of Atanquez, in a rural area of Valledupar, he was stopped by soldiers from the Trueno battalion. He had no idea what was going on. After being detained, soldiers requested that his children leave. Juan was no criminal and was but carrying two lemons, so he calmly told the children to go on their way. The children decided to follow their father's orders despite their worries.

After being searched, Juan Nehemias was accused of being a guerrillero, an extortionist and a murderer. The battalion's commander wanted to increase their combat casualty statistics because there was competition with other units, and they wanted to be in first place. They wanted more dead guerrilleros. In order to do that, Juan Nehemias was added to the list of the dead, even though he was innocent of all those accusations.

Then a soldier, on the order of the commander, shot Juan dead, leaving the body of the innocent man on the ground. Juan's wife, after hearing about what had happened from her children, went to look for her husband. She later heard news that her husband had been assassinated for being a guerrillero. Juan Nehemias' only sin was walking near that battalion.