A high ranking official in the Colombian army turned himself in to the National Human Rights Unit of Medellin to face ‘false positive’ charges.
Major Casa Montilla is charged with the the crimes of
forced disappearance, murder and illegal possession of weapons.n
The Prosecutor General’s 61st Specialized National Unit for Human Rights had an issued a warrant for his arrest.
A document confirming his capture stressed he had turned himself in voluntarily.
‘False positives’ is the name given to extrajudicial executions of
civilians by soldiers or police, who then report the victims as rebels
killed in combat, often for financial reward.
The first known case, in Soacha, unleashed a storm of public protest and forced the army
to admit its troops had been guilty of severe human rights violations,
something that had been denied for years. More than 1,200 cases of
´false positives´ are currently being investigated by the Prosecutor
General’s Office.