The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) announced on Monday morning that in the framework of case 03, related to extrajudicial executions, known as ‘false positives’, it will summon as witnesses military commanders and those who held high positions in the State between 2005 and 2008. In such a way that former presidents Álvaro Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos could be summoned to testify.
In any case, the high court clarified that the two former presidents will be summoned only as witnesses, since they do not have the power to investigate them. However, if it finds sufficient merit, it could certify copies to the responsible authorities.
In this new phase of the investigation, not only will responsibility for the crime be attributed by hierarchy or position of command, but also for the charges, the direct or indirect participation that those responsible have had in the practice of the crime will be taken into account. In addition, the sub-cases of Norte de Santander, Antioquia, Caribbean Coast, Casanare, Meta and Huila and the Dabeiba cemetery will continue to be investigated.
“It is about identifying whether or not there are sufficient bases to determine that members of the Public Force at the divisional and/or national level had knowledge of the systematic and general nature of the crimes. If they participated directly or indirectly, by action or omission, in the policies or patterns of macrocriminality, and/or if they acted or not with due diligence to stop the crimes in a timely manner, having the means to do so,” said magistrate Óscar Parra in Press conference.
That decision was made by the court after concluding that the murders and forced disappearances presented as combat casualties responded to patterns carried out by criminal organizations in collaboration with the Public Force. Then, the JEP will try to determine which uniformed officers knew about the systematic nature of the crimes.
“We have found that this phenomenon of false positives had to do with institutional policies, a first is that of body counts, how in Colombia the body of the alleged enemy killed in combat was established as the indicator par excellence, that body became the trophy, in the way of demonstrating that the war was being won and we must investigate where that policy was adopted, who adopted that policy, how it spread throughout the national territory. Also the institutional policy of encouraging, through medals, permits, promotions, courses abroad, those who demonstrate that they have killed more people in combat,” explained Judge Catalina Díaz.
In the same way, the court indicated that “no new territorial sub-cases will be opened, instead, through illustrative cases or facts perpetrated by the military units that operated in the territories that have not been investigated up to now, the Chamber of Recognition will advance in the investigation of the case”.
On the reasons for focusing on the period between 2005 and 2008, the court explained that the highest peak of ‘false positives’ was recorded at that time and because military decisions were made that affected victimization. Likewise, after 2005, the pattern of murders and forced disappearances motivated by the pressure of the results would have already been consolidated.
For this period of time, Álvaro Uribe Vélez was president of Colombia and Juan Manuel Santos was his minister of national defense.
“The JEP Truth Recognition Room begins to implement a parallel work methodology that goes from top to bottom. Through it, it seeks to verify if the macrocriminal patterns determined by the JEP were replicated in other territories and if they responded to common factors of a national scope in which senior military commanders would be involved,” the court explained. with Infobae