Colombia’s war crimes tribunal JEP announced that it will investigate if former government officials are responsible for the extrajudicial executions of thousands of civilians.
The JEP will also look into former generals who were in charge of the armed forces during the administration of former President Alvaro Uribe, the tribunal said in a press release.
The newly prioritized investigations will be conducted parallel to ongoing investigations into provinces where most civilians were assassinated and presented as guerrillas killed in combat.
These investigations have led to the indictment of more than 59 former regional commanders and their allegedly criminal associates from priority regions.
The court said that it will verify “if the established modus operandi in Antioquia, Norte de Santander, the Caribbean Coast, Casanare, Meta and Huila were replicated in other regions and correspond to common factors of national reach.”
The investigations will focus on the period between 2005 and 2008 when the mass killing of civilians skyrocketed throughout Colombia.
Extrajudicial executions in Colombia
Among those who could be called to testify under oath are Uribe and former President Juan Manuel Santos, who was defense minister between 2006 and 2009.
The aim is to identify whether or not there are sufficient grounds to determine that members of the security forces at the divisional and/or national level had knowledge of the systematicity and generality of the crimes. Whether or not they participated directly or indirectly, by action or omission in the policies or patterns of macro-criminality, and/or whether or not they acted with due diligence to stop the crimes in a timely manner, having the means to do so.
Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP)
The JEP said that it would specifically investigate how a 2005 decree, which offered bonuses for military officials who presented the best results.
Among those who will be investigated is General Mario Montoya, a former teacher at the School of the Americas in the United States who allegedly is one of the main culprits in the extrajudicial executions of at least 6,400 innocent civilians.
