JEP charges 11 military and police officers with war crimes over 32 massacres in Montes de María
The JEP charged 11 former members of the Navy and Police with war crimes and crimes against humanity for 32 massacres and 284 murders that occurred between 1999 and 2001.
Eleven former public force members charged over 32 massacres in Montes de María
The Truth Recognition Chamber of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) charged 11 accused parties—former members of the National Navy and National Police—with war crimes and crimes against humanity for 32 massacres committed in Montes de María. According to caracol.com.co, the investigation prioritised events occurring between 1999 and 2001.
The JEP established that the 32 massacres left 284 murders and 107 cases of gender-based violence, including sexual violence and attacks against women and girls. The decision falls within the Montes de María Sub-case, within Case 08, which examines crimes committed by the Public Force, state agents in association with paramilitary groups or third civilian parties in the context of the armed conflict.
The investigation determined that the stigmatisation of the rural population as alleged FARC collaborators drove a systematic dynamic of violence directed against their communities, their ways of life and their links with the territory. The massacres and related offences did not constitute isolated incidents, but rather responded to a sustained pattern of violence against the civilian population, articulated through networks between paramilitary structures, certain members of the Public Force and other regional actors.
The nine accused from the National Navy are: Rodrigo Quiñones Cárdenas, Hernando Alfonso Jama Arjona, Ricardo Díaz Granados Mantilla, Benjamín Herrera Niño, Harold Afranio Mantilla Serrano, Camilo Martínez Moreno, Jairo Alfredo Prada Jaimes, Bautista Cárcamo Galé and Ramón Gerardo Moncayo Trujillo. From the National Police, Norman León Arango Franco and Paulo César Cruz Delgadillo were called to answer charges.
The 11 accused have 15 working days to accept or reject their responsibility. Those who acknowledge the charges may access restorative sanctions that do not involve deprivation of liberty. In case of rejection, their cases will be referred to the JEP's Investigation and Prosecution Unit, where they face sentences of up to 20 years imprisonment in ordinary trial.
Source: Google News BO — La Paz