Colombia’s prosecutor general is considering suspending the exhumation of the bodies of victims of paramilitary violence, due to concerns for the safety of officials working in the field, El Espectador reports.
The country is currently investigating 150,000 murders by paramilitary groups, many of which require the recovery of bodies. The Prosecutor General’s Office has suspended exhumations in the departments of Antioquia and Nariño, owing to the threat of illegal armed groups in both areas, and says it may implement a nationwide suspension.
The announcement came after a delegation of the Justice and Peace unit of the Prosecutor General’s Office, which deals with paramilitary crimes, came under attack on July 10 whilst traveling to recover the remains of victims of paramilitary groups in Antioquia.
During the attack a police office was killed, after a group of alleged FARC guerrillas opened fire on the truck the officials were traveling in.
The incident occurred in the outskirts of Armenia, in the Quindio department, on the road to the Dabeiba municipality in Antioquia, where a mass grave is located.
This is reportedly the fourth attack on members of the Justice and Peace unit.