More accused for “false positives” | The former commander of the Colombian Army, Jaime Lasprilla, and 34 subordinates are attributed 200 murders

2023-11-21 03:08:32

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) charged this Monday another 35 soldiers, including former Army commander Jaime Lasprilla, who are responsible for 200 murders, including 32 forced disappearances, in addition to eight attempted homicides, in cases known in Colombia as “false positives”.

This is the fourth accusation for “false positives” made by this Justice, created by the peace agreement with the FARC and which joins the other 62 members of the Army accused of these crimes. On this occasion, they are accused of 200 murders, including 32 forced disappearances, in addition to eight attempted homicides.

The JEP articulated these new accusations to 35 members of the Army in Huila (center) “for their participation in the execution of a criminal plan whose purpose was to display as legitimate operational results, homicides perpetrated in simulated combats, with the objective of giving a false sense of security to the civilian population, as well as achieving professional benefits and greater institutional legitimacy”.

What is known as “false positives” is one of the darkest episodes of the Colombian conflict, in which members of the Army disappeared and murdered innocent young people to pass them off as guerrilla casualties, in exchange for rewards and promotions. The JEP has counted 6,402 of these cases, which were committed mainly between 2002 and 2010, during the Presidency of Álvaro Uribe.

Among those accused is retired General Jaime Lasprilla Villamizar, who became Army Commander in 2014, and who has been accused as author by omission, as well as Major General Miguel Ernesto Pérez Guarnizo and Brigadier General William Fernando Pérez Laiseca.

According to the JEP’s account, under the direction of these three former senior officers, the IX Brigade allowed the “irregular launch of operations to perpetrate homicides under the modality of simulated combat and, with this, it was possible to resort to the irregular payment of rewards.” to finance them.”