Military personnel in Colombia receiving initial convictions for unlawfully killing civilians
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) in Colombia, set up under a landmark 2016 agreement, has issued its first sentences for ex-FARC leaders over the kidnapping of tens of thousands of people during the conflict. On Tuesday, seven ex-FARC defendants were sentenced for over 21,000 kidnappings. Simultaneously, twelve former soldiers, including two colonels, acknowledged their role in the murders and disappearances carried out between 2002 and 2005 as part of the practice known as 'false positives.' The crimes involved thousands of civilians, mostly young, poor, and unemployed, who were killed as part of this practice. The soldiers were rewarded for achieving targets with decorations or days off, while in some cases, people were tricked into getting into trucks, only to be shot en masse and buried in communal graves. The JEP, created to pursue justice for victims of the conflict in Colombia, has documented at least 6,402 'false positives' cases between 2002 and 2008 during the presidency of Alvaro Uribe. Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest last month for witness tampering. The 12 former soldiers will be put to work constructing memorials and community centers as part of their reparations for the families of 135 victims. Their mobility will be restricted to the places where the reparations work is being carried out, and their sentences can be appealed. Any time they have already spent in prison may be considered for sentence reductions. Retired general Mario Montoya, who was army commander under Uribe, faces a trial before the JEP for his role in the 'false positives' case. The sentence for the ex-FARC defendants is the highest that can be handed down by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for people who cooperate and acknowledge guilt. However, some victims have described the sentences for the ex-FARC defendants as too lenient. The search results do not provide the names of the seven former FARC leaders convicted by the JEP for the kidnapping of tens of thousands of people during the conflict. The tribunal took more than seven years to issue its findings against the FARC, marking a significant step towards justice for the victims and their families in Colombia.
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