Colombian Peace Court Delivers Landmark Sentencing for 'False Positives' Case

A Colombian court created under a 2016 peace deal has sentenced 12 former soldiers to eight years of reparations work for their involvement in extrajudicial killings. This landmark decision is the first sentencing of military members by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), which also prosecutes FARC members for similar crimes.

Earlier, the court sentenced seven ex-FARC leaders to similar punishment for kidnappings. "With this military sentencing, we acknowledge truths long denied," JEP president Alejandro Ramelli stated. He praised the victims for their courage in participating, revealing that involved soldiers often disclosed information unknown even to their families.

The 12 soldiers were involved in the "false positives" scandal, where civilians were lured and killed, then falsely reported as combat casualties. Victims included members of Indigenous communities affected by drug trafficking activities. The court has approved infrastructure reparations for those convicted, aiming to heal the profound community wounds.

(With inputs from agencies.)