The Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP) has charged Pablo Catatumbo and eight other former members of the Farc-EP’s Comando Conjunto Central with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges are related to 468 incidents that occurred during the armed conflict in Tolima, Huila, and Quindío.
According to the Sala de Reconocimiento de Verdad, between 1991 and 2016, this guerrilla structure carried out 94 armed incursions, the highest number of this type recorded among former Farc structures.
The JEP identified two main patterns of criminality: social and territorial control over communities, which accounted for 78.4% of the accredited victims, and crimes committed during armed actions against the public force and other adversaries, which represented 13.9%.
The investigation documented several incidents, including the takeover of Roncesvalles, Tolima, on July 14, 2000. During the attack, members of the 21 and 50 fronts destroyed over 30 buildings and displaced nearly 800 people. Additionally, 13 police officers who surrendered after running out of ammunition were killed, despite being promised that their lives would be spared.
Another incident occurred in Puerto Saldaña, Tolima, where an incursion between April and May 2000 left over 3,600 people displaced, at least 27 civilians killed, and around 200 homes destroyed. The JEP also documented the use of anti-personnel mines on roads frequented by farmers and indigenous communities, resulting in fatal consequences for civilians, including minors.
Read Also: Weil Gotshal Halts Merger Talks, Partners Depart
The investigation found that the structure also persecuted and expelled people accused of collaborating with the public force or paramilitary groups. It imposed behavioral norms, pressured local authorities, and exercised control over land purchases. Threats and homicides affected political, social, and community leaders, as well as people who refused to pay extortions or follow guerrilla orders.
Along with Catatumbo, the other eight defendants charged are Luis Eduardo Rayo, Henoc Capera Trujillo, Jhon Jairo Oliveros Grisales, Armando Pipas, Gustavo Bocanegra Ortegón, Donald Ferreira, Nelson Antonio Jiménez Gantiva, Gonzalo, Wilson Ramírez Guzmán, Teófilo González, Víctor Hugo Silva Soto, Erick, and Raúl Agudelo Medina.
After being notified of the decision, the nine defendants will have 20 working days to state whether they acknowledge the facts and their responsibility.
The JEP also requested that the defendants provide information to help advance the search for 30 missing persons related to these incidents, along with the Unidad de Búsqueda de Personas dadas por Desaparecidas.
Leave a Reply