In February 2013, SEMANA exclusively revealed several photos of the then FARC negotiator in Havana, Iván Márquez, riding a motorcycle from the emblematic American company, Harley-Davidson. The revelation shocked Colombians, since the FARC had always advocated the installation of a communist model and Márquez, one of its guerrilla leaders, was one of the main symbols of capitalism.
The specific motorcycle is a Sportster model, which in the versions at the time of publication cost around 8,000 dollars (approximately 33 million pesos). In the photo, Márquez came out smiling riding the motorcycle, while he was wearing an olive green suit and with several Farc guerrilla insignia.
When the photos came to light, Márquez ironized about the fact, far from giving any explanation as to why one of the defenders of the communist system was using one of the symbols of the culture and society of the United States.
“It reminded me of the children’s experience, didn’t it? When they are photographed with a horse. This photo is something similar. But I would like to take this opportunity to say hello to the… What are they called? It’s! To the harlistas, to all the harlistas of the world and to invite them to accompany this process”, she said.
Márquez, also speaking of the event, referred to the factory workers of the famous American motorcycle brand. “I want to greet all the Harley-Davidson workers, those who build those motorcycles like the ones that SEMANA magazine is spreading,” he said amid statements in Havana, where the peace talks were taking place.
The photos revealed by SEMANA were part of a file held by Colombian intelligence that sought to prove the links between the FARC and the Venezuelan government. Since in the images you can see a Toyota Prado truck with license plates from the neighboring country, it was also learned that the photo would have been taken at Fort Tiuna, the most important military complex in Caracas.
Said fund also tied with a photo that came to light in 2007, in which Iván Márquez was seen together with Jesús Santrich, Rodrigo Granda and the then senator Piedad Córdoba. Everyone was very happy in said photo and Córdoba even posed with a bouquet of flowers next to the guerrillas. Márquez nor any of those involved revealed the location of the images.