Colombian Protection Minister Ivan Velasquez stands on the family members of 19 people that was basically wrongly and fatally presented as guerrillas inside the country’s civil battle.
Colombia’s regulators granted an extended-awaited societal apology Saturday towards the extrajudicial killings out of 19 civilians who had been murdered of the armed forces and you can entered because the rebel fighters while in the one of the most criminal periods of one’s country’s municipal battle.
New apology arrives since Colombia’s government attempts to generate amends which have groups affected by decades out-of armed argument and you may representative peace selling which have break the rules teams which might be nonetheless assaulting the army within the outlying components even with good 2016 serenity contract within government additionally the state’s prominent rebel group.
“This type of [killings] must have never ever happened,” Safety Minister Ivan Velasquez told you from the a conference facing the nation’s congress attended by victims’ household members.
“We ask you to forgive united states for these criminal activities one embarrass united states prior to the world,” Velasquez said inside the a presentation. The newest killings happened between 2004 and you will 2008 just like the Colombia’s armed forces intense their promotion up against the Revolutionary Army away from Colombia – the newest break the rules classification you to definitely generated serenity on bodies for the 2016.
The fresh killings involved more youthful men out of terrible communities who were lured out of their homes that have not the case promises regarding efforts in other places. Once they reach its tourist attractions, the fresh subjects was in fact shot by the troops just who outfitted their corpses inside camouflage or place firearms near to their bodies and you will shown all of them on their superiors once the rebels slain during the handle so you’re able to secure advertisements and you may trips go out.
Courts into the Colombia have been purchasing government entities so you can apologize getting these types of circumstances – identified right here since “untrue masters” – given that 2015, within a couple of reparation measures that also integrated prison phrases for some of your own troops and you may officers inside.
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Although administrations out-of presidents Juan Manuel Santos and you may Ivan Duque got skirted around the requests in order to apologize in public places because they was indeed reluctant to recognize that, in the state’s equipped disagreement, the brand new armed forces had the time battle crimes just as major given that men and women accomplished by break the rules communities, said Gimena Sanchez, an excellent Colombia expert in the Washington Place of work on Latin The usa, a human legal rights classification.
Sanchez said new recently opted bodies regarding Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s earliest leftist president, might have been a whole lot more ready to collaborate with investigations on conflict crimes, as well as people done of the Special Legislation getting Tranquility, a transitional fairness system produced by this new 2016 peace contract.
“This is certainly equally important towards the victims’ families,” Sanchez said. “Men and women family relations suffered with the new stigma out-of supposedly being relatives out of guerrillas.”
With regards to the Special Jurisdiction to own Peace, Colombia’s armed forces committed at the very least six,402 extrajudicial killings ranging from 2002 and 2008, since the commanders stressed their troops to include way more performance into the battlefield and you can set a focus on enhancing the amount of enemy casualties.
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The serenity tribunal recently charged a former chief from Colombia’s military with the murders out of 130 civilians ranging from 2002 and you will 2003 inside the Antioquia province.
While the household members thanked Velasquez for attending the event and you will giving an enthusiastic apology, extremely said they were maybe not happy to forgive.
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Plus they told you the ones who is going to be apologizing to them are the political leaders who had been leading Colombia in the event the murders of the friends happened, together with Santos, who was simply Colombia’s protection minister between 2006 and you can 2009.
“Santos ought to be the individual that suggests his deal with here kvinnor Marockanska and wants forgiveness,” told you Florinda Hernandez, whose son Elkin is murdered from the military during the . “Do not need which to occur again, therefore we are nevertheless seeking to fairness with the murders from thus we.”
Santos apologized to subjects regarding “untrue positives” for the 2021, throughout a paying attention that have Colombia’s truth commission which had been held about finalized doors. The former chairman told you he noticed “strong guilt” into the killings from civilians and extra that he provided research you to helped to get rid of the habit.
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