In Colombia, 21 soldiers and a civilian are charged with the murder of up to 247 young people who were presented as false positives

Twenty-one soldiers and one civilian who were indicted by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) of Colombia for acts of war crimes and crimes against humanity recognized their responsibility in the murder of up to 247 innocent young people to present them as guerrilla casualties in combat, in the case known as “false positives”.

“After the accusation was known, 22 of the 26 appearing parties acknowledged the truth and responsibility for the crimes charged by the Jurisdiction,” the magistrate of this transitional justice body created by the peace agreement with the FARC Catalina announced this Friday at a press conference. Diaz.

Among the 22 defendants who acknowledged their responsibilities in the two orders issued so far by Case 03, that of “false positives,” includes retired General Paulino Coronado, the highest ranking military officer who acknowledged his responsibility.

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This former general, former commander of Brigade 30, presented his “sentiments of forgiveness for the great pain caused by the execrable acts committed (…), leading to the death of innocent beings who present themselves as combatants,” as he transmitted to the high cut.

The first order, on “false positives” in Catatumbo, on the border with Venezuela, the first to be issued on July 6, charged ten soldiers and one civilian for their “decisive participation in the murder of at least 120 people in a defenseless state ”.

“The 11 defendants, including General Paulino Coronado and 4 colonels in addition to the other non-commissioned officers and officers, have fully acknowledged their responsibility in writing,” the magistrate of this judicial body created by the peace agreement explained today at a press conference. .

However, in the second order, in which 2 colonels and 13 soldiers from other ranks of the La Popa battalion (which is based in Valledupar, northeast) were charged with 127 murders and forced disappearances in the Colombian Caribbean region, none of them the two top brass accepted the charges.

“Colonels Publio Hernán Mejía and Juan Carlos Figueroa, commanders of the La Popa Battalion during the years 2002 and 2004 and 2004 and 2005, denied their responsibility and will be sent to the Investigation and Accusation Unit (UIA)”, where they can face a Sentence up to 20 years in jail, Diaz announced.

Now the Jurisdiction will send the acceptance of responsibility of these 22 people to the victims and the Public Ministry so that they can issue their observations and start new hearings to acknowledge truth and responsibility, after which the JEP will issue the first sentences, which are reparative with victims and do not necessarily imply a restriction of freedom in prison.

The president of the JEP, Judge Eduardo Cifuentes, highlighted the high percentage of acceptance of the charges, since in the previous case, which accused the entire last military leadership of the FARC for the kidnappings in the conflict, 100 % of the defendants accepted responsibility and in these two files of the case of “false positives” they have accepted 84% of those indicated.

The JEP found in the two files -of at least six that are expected- in case 03 “patterns of macrocriminality” in the actions of the Army and alliances with paramilitary groups in order to attract innocent young people and assassinate them to present them as guerrillas and thus Inflate “combat kills” numbers and earn rewards and incentives from your superiors.

“The JEP concluded that the crimes would not have occurred without the institutional policy of the Army for counting bodies, without the policy of incentives and the constant pressure that the commanders exerted on their subordinates to obtain deaths ‘in combat’,” this court insisted today “Ad hoc” created to try crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the two parties to the conflict.

Last February, the JEP raised to 6,402 people who “were killed illegitimately to be presented as combat casualties throughout the national territory between 2002 and 2008,” which corresponds to the Government of Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010).

The JEP does not impose custodial sentences if there is recognition of the responsibility of crimes, but otherwise those responsible can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

In the event that the accused acknowledge their responsibility and provide the truth, special sanctions will be imposed such as limitations on freedom of residence and movement, carrying out work to repair the victims and society, for example the construction of schools or roads, or participation in environmental promotion programs. (I)