Colombian authorities said Wednesday seven soldiers have been charged in the killing of a comrade who had deserted.
According to the Prosecutor general’s Office, the troops reported on December 24, 2006 they killed a rebel in combat near the northern town of Majagual.
In a statement, the prosecutors said investigators determined the victim wasn’t a rebel but rather a soldier who had deserted from the same infantry unit.
A scandal broke out in Colombia in 2008 over extrajudicial executions of civilians by security forces. Since then, prosecutors have received complaints of more than 2,700 such killings.
Prosecutors said earlier this year that at least 368 soldiers and police officers have been convicted and an additional 700 face charges.
