A special court in Colombia sentenced twelve former military leaders on Thursday for their role in 135 extrajudicial executions and disappearances between 2002 and 2005 in the fight with Guerrilla Movement FARC. It concerns penalties of five to eight years in special ‘repair work’.
For decades, the Colombian army led a bloody battle with the left -wing guerrilla movement FARC. In 2016, this came to an end with a peace agreement. Then a special court was also established. At the special court for peace, both former leaders of the soldiers and the FARC are prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Burger murders to polish statistics
The twelve retired soldiers all belonged to the ‘La Popa-Bataljon’, can be read in the pronunciation. It concerns murders and disappearances of innocent civilians on the Caribbean coast that were incorrectly booked as rebels, so-called “false positive” murders. The convicted people are primarily responsible for 135 murders and disappearances between January 2002 and July 2005.
According to the court chairman, the victims fell among farmers, stigmatized native peoples, people of African descent and “people in vulnerable situations,” whose chance was little estimated that they would seek and get justice.
The court speaks of a “systematic plan […] To present false numbers of victims to blow up military success statistics. “That happened under pressure from” high -ranking commanders “who demanded successes. The victims “were forced to wear military uniforms,” after which they were “tortured and eventually executed.”
Repair work
Instead of imprisonment, the perpetrators must carry out ‘repair work’ for years on six projects that have been created with input from the affected communities. This includes the construction of a memorial center and cemetery and houses.
On Tuesday, the same special court expressed a judgment for the first time. That concerned seven former FARC leaders, who became condemned For managing policy that led to more than 21,000 abductions. These former FARC leaders are also forced to work on recovery projects for eight years. In their case, among other things, it concerns projects of finding bodies of missing and to remove landmines in rural areas.
Survivors are generally happy that the convictions will be recognized for the war crimes committed and crimes against humanity. But there is also criticism from Colombians who want to see harder penalties for the perpetrators.