Colombia, 10 former FARC leaders indicted for crimes against indigenous people

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the Colombian court responsible for judging crimes committed during the armed conflict, has indicted ten former commanders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity against five indigenous peoples of the Amazon.

The charges concern facts committed between 1996 and 2016 and include murders, torture, forced disappearances, displacements, persecution and use of anti-personnel mines, as well as environmental damage. The defendants include three former members of the last guerrilla leadership: Milton de Jesús Toncel, known as "Joaquín Gómez", Jaime Alberto Parra, alias "El Médico", and Julián Gallo, known as "Carlos Antonio Lozada", who after the 2016 peace agreement held a seat in the Senate for eight years.

According to JEP, the violence has affected the Nükak, Korebajü, Siona, Hitnü and Jiw communities, threatening their cultural survival and connection with their ancestral territories. The defendants have 30 days to respond to the charges. The special justice system for peace provides for restorative sanctions for those who recognize their responsibilities and contribute to the truth, while, in case of non-admission, prison sentences of up to 20 years are possible.