On July 25, Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) charged 22 former members of the army, one state official, and two civilians with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The JEP determined that the members of the 16th Brigade killed 303 innocent people between 2005 and 2008 in the Casanare department, and then framed them as left-wing guerrilla fighters killed in combat to obtain rewards. These extrajudicial executions are known as “false positives” in Colombia. They took place under the dictatorship of far-right President Álvaro Uribe which lasted from 2002-2010.
‘False Positives’: How Colombian army killed innocents for rewards
Over the past few weeks, retired officers of the Colombian armed forces have been charged with crimes against humanity for the brutal killing of innocent civilians during the rule of Álvaro Uribe