Colombia Court Says 10 Military Members Killed More Than 100 Civilians

A court in Colombia has accused members of the military and a civilian of being involved in the forced disappearance of 24 people, murdering at least 120 civilians, and claiming they were fighters who had been killed in combat.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) tribunal in Bogota accused 10 military members of being involved in the "false positive" scandal for the first time, Aljazeera reported.

The JEP is responsible for probing crimes and atrocities committed during half a century of armed conflict in Colombia.

Earlier this year, the JEP ruled that the military members in Colombia made at least 6,400 extrajudicial killings and presented them as combat deaths between 2002 and 2008. The accused included a general, six officers, three non-commissioned officers, and a civilian.

A 19-year-old victim was also counted among those killed. He was identified as Julián Oviedo Monroy. His mother said he disappeared one night in 2008 after telling her that he had been offered a job.

Later on, she learned that the recruiters had handed him over to the military, who killed him and identified him as one of the country's left-wing guerillas.

'False Positive' Scandal in Colombia

One of the known victims was Eduardo Garzon. In March 2008, he failed to show up for his job at a working-class restaurant that he co-managed in Bogota.

His whereabouts remained unknown for the next five months. His mother had discovered Garzon 300 kilometers away from their home.

Official reports had claimed that Garzon was a dangerous rebel with the Revolution Armed Forces of Colombia, another Aljazeera reported.

Ana Paez, Garzon's mother and vice president of the organization Mother of False Positive Victims in Soacha and Bogota, noted that they have always said there are more victims than they say they were.

Paez said no one listened to them. She added that they believe there are more than 6,400 victims.

Magistrate Catalina Diaz said it was a pattern of macro-criminality with the repetition of at least 120 murders during two years by the same group.

The indictment names Brig. Gen. Paulino Coronado Gámez. He was one of those responsible for the killings of the civilians, The New York Times reported.

Juan Pappier, a Colombia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that Gámez is the highest-ranking official to be accused of the false positives case in any court.

Accused Military Members in Colombia

Dozens of army officers have been detained and convicted for their part in the murders. They have also testified before the JEP as they seek shorter sentences for their crime.

The NY Times reported that previous indictments in the regular court system targeted lower-ranking officers.

One other general named Henry Torres Escalante was also indicted earlier in the regular system. He was a colonel when the alleged killings happened.

Magistrate and JEP President Eduardo Cifuentes noted that if those accused could receive a sentence of up to 20 years in a civilian court if they do not face the charges in 30 days.

The new indictments charged 11 people. Officials said they are planning to charge more people soon.

It was estimated that more than 10,000 civilians were murdered during the administration of former President Alvaro Uribe, based on a 2018 report.

Diaz said the witnesses stated that officers were urged to bring in more combat casualties with promises of awards vacations, including special meals of hamburgers and fried chicken.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Mary Webber

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