Alias 'Calarcá' could be tried in absentia for aggravated homicide and criminal conspiracy
A judge validated the notice of placement against Alexander Díaz Mendoza, paving the way for his trial in absentia from 4 August 2026.
Prosecution ready to charge Calarcá despite his repeated failure to appear in proceedings
Alexander Díaz Mendoza, alias Calarcá, leader of the FARC dissidents, could be tried as an absent person following a judicial decision that validated the notice of placement against him. According to infobae.com, a judge confirmed in second instance the legality of the notice, which clears the way to resume hearings on 4 August 2026 with charges of aggravated criminal conspiracy and aggravated homicide.
The proceedings were accelerated following a procedure recorded on 17 July 2026 at the 104th Municipal Criminal Court with itinerant guarantee control function in Villavicencio. That day, the Prosecution presented proof of publication of the notice in various media: the entity's web platform, the newspaper El Nuevo Siglo, the newspaper Extra and the radio station Radio Auténtica. With that verification, judge Luisa Fernanda Rodríguez Quintero scheduled hearings for 4, 5 and 6 August at 9:00 a.m.
The original notice had been ordered at a hearing on 28 May 2026, within the case filed for the same offences. The judicial document formally required Díaz Mendoza to bind him to the investigation. The document was posted in Villavicencio on 11 June at 7:30 a.m. and was removed on 18 June at 5:00 p.m.
The publications of the notice in print media appeared in El Nuevo Siglo and in the newspaper Extra—in their editions for Meta and for Huila and Caquetá—on 5 July 2026. The General Prosecution's Office also disseminated it on its web platform on 7 July. Additionally, Radio Auténtica, a radio station with coverage in Huila, Meta, Caquetá and Guaviare, broadcast it on 5 and 7 July. That documentary sequence was the basis that the court found to be verified before reactivating the procedural timetable.
In accordance with the case file, once the legal term of five working days of placement has expired, the competent judge will formally declare the accused an absent person. From that point onwards, an appointed defence counsel will represent him in all proceedings, which means that the case can proceed without Calarcá's physical presence.
The judicial action occurs in parallel with the public ultimatum of president-elect Abelardo De La Espriella, directed against Calarcá and other leaders of the FARC dissidents. However, the criminal proceedings had already taken their own course in the offices in Villavicencio, independent of political statements.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the 113rd Specialised Prosecution DECOC, the 14th Special Investigation Unit Prosecution and the 75th Specialised Prosecution DECOC in Medellín. The offences attributed to Díaz Mendoza correspond to violent acts which, according to the proceedings, are attributed to the armed structure under his command.
Source: Google News CO — Crime