New details of 'false positives' in Colombia unveiled

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New details of 'false positives' in Colombia unveiled

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8 March 2021

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Bogota, Mar 8 (Prensa Latina) Local Colombian media revealed new details related to the false positives from military testimonies before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).

The statements were collected in a document prepared by the Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective (CAJAR), which represents victims of extrajudicial executions and makes public criteria of choice, profiles and links between the army and paramilitary groups.

According to the El Tiempo newspaper, these are the testimonies of 32 officers of the El Popa battalion, which operates in the department of Cesar and is one of the military units with the most cases related to investigations of these crimes.

'False positives' is the term used to refer to civilians killed by the military and reported as enemy combatants to justify their deaths in the context of the internal conflict that pitted the State against guerrilla, paramilitary and criminal organizations.

The investigation indicates that the choice of targets met criteria such as indigenous origin, physical or functional disability, or being from the LGBT community (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender).

Those who were economically precarious, undocumented, and demobilized from illegal armed groups or guerrillas were also targeted.

Following recent investigations, the JEP tripled the number of 'false positives' recognized in the country, raising it to 6,402 cases identified from 2002 to 2008, the stage in which Alvaro Uribe presided over the national government.