Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace has charged 10 former FARC members with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against five Indigenous groups between 1996 and 2016.
Colombia’s transitional justice system charged 10 former members of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) with multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges, filed by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), relate to actions committed against five Indigenous groups.
In a news conference, the JEP stated that between 1996 and 2016, the suspects oversaw the torture, murder, and forced displacement of Indigenous leaders. The tribunal also said the suspects ordered their subordinates to place landmines in Indigenous territory and destroy ecosystems that tribes rely on for their survival.
JEP magistrate Catalina Diaz addressed the press regarding the charges. “Today we are delivering justice to the most forgotten peoples of a segregated Colombia,” Diaz said. “These people have had their basic right to exist compromised.”
Three former members of the FARC’s last secretariat are among those charged with waging systematic attacks against tribes living in a remote area of southeast Colombia. This region is covered by rainforests and savannahs, where the FARC often exerted strict territorial control.
One of the suspects, Julian Gallo, served as a senator for eight years after the rebel group made a peace deal with Colombia’s government. That agreement gave the FARC leadership 10 seats in Colombia’s congress.
Yhon Jairo Figueroa, a leader of the Koreguaje tribe, attended the press conference and expressed gratitude to the JEP for taking on the case. “For the first time the Colombian state recognizes that (armed groups) did not just kill individuals,” Figueroa said. “But they attempted to kill the knowledge, the language, the territory” of Indigenous groups.
The special tribunal was established during the 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels. Its aim is to investigate crimes committed by both sides during decades of internal strife and to help victims seek reparation and truth. An independent truth commission, also part of the 2016 peace agreement, found that at least 450,000 people were killed in the conflict, and 7 million were forced to leave their homes.
The former FARC leaders have 30 days to respond to the charges filed by the JEP. The tribunal’s statutes indicate that if suspects accept charges and collaborate with investigations, they will not face time in prison. Instead, they will have to provide reparations to victims and participate in truth and reconciliation schemes. Suspects who do not accept charges and are found guilty of committing war crimes face up to 20 years in prison.
This case represents a specific application of Colombia's transitional justice framework, which was created to address crimes from the internal conflict. The charges highlight the tribunal's focus on crimes against Indigenous populations, including the destruction of ecosystems and cultural erasure, as distinct from individual killings. The outcome will determine whether the accused accept the terms for non-prison sentences or face potential imprisonment of up to 20 years.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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