Colombia peace tribunal charges former FARC members with war crimes

Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace charged 10 former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, on Tuesday with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Al Jazeera, ABC News, ColombiaOne.com, and The Killeen Daily Herald reported that the indictment targets abuses committed against Indigenous communities. [1][2][3][4]

According to Al Jazeera, the tribunal stated that the former rebels committed acts of torture, murder, and displacement between 1996 and 2016. ColombiaOne.com specified that the alleged crimes against Indigenous peoples took place in the Amazon region during Colombia's long internal civil conflict. [1][3]

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace was established as Colombia's transitional justice system to address crimes committed during decades of armed conflict. The negotiations that led to the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia under President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC were formally launched in September 2012 and took place primarily in Havana, Cuba. [1][5]

The indictment addresses systemic violence carried out against Indigenous leaders and their communities prior to the final peace deal. The Special Jurisdiction for Peace will continue to process cases against former combatants involved in the conflict. [1]