Retired army general Rito Alejo Del Rio was called to appear before
court Saturday for his alleged part in the murder of Marino Lopez Mena,
who was killed by paramilitaries in 1997.
The murder of Lopez Mena caused international outrage, after it became known that the paramilitaries that killed him beheaded him and played soccer with his head before his family.
The retired general at the time of the murder of the young Chocoano was commander of the Seventeenth Brigade that operated in Chocó and Urabá.
Del Rio isn’t accused of the actual murder, but has been incriminated by several testimonies by demobilized paramilitaries. According to the testimonies, Del Rio supported the Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and was very close to the commanders of the paramilitary organization.
Del Rio has been in jail since September.
