to one of the paramilitaries involved in the massacre that said "Te recuerdo llamar al Gobernador. Preséntame y que yo lo visito en la tarde" (I remind you to call the governor. Introduce me and I will visit him in the afternoon). Uribe defended himself from these claims saying that the criminals could have used the term "governor" as slang to refer to anything and denied having met any of the perpetrators of the massacre. Imprisoned paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso said that the victims of the massacre had died in combat and were not civilians but guerrillas. Mancuso was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison for the massacre. After his extradition to the United States, Mancuso has continued to testify via satellite as part of the Justice and Peace process. On November 18, 2008, Revista Semana reported on Mancuso's declarations about the 1997 El Aro massacre, in which he stated that the AUC had received logistical help from the Colombian military and police. Mancuso said that three helicopters, one belonging to the guerrillas, another from the Colombian military and one from the Antioquia governor's office were present in the zone during the events. See also List of massacres in Colombia References 1997 in Colombia Colombian conflict Conflicts in 1997 Mass murder in 1997 Massacres in 1997 Massacres in Colombia Political repression in Colombia October 1997 events in South America