A court in central Colombia has upgraded the extrajudicial execution of civilians by the armed forces to a crime against humanity, reported Caracol Radio on Friday.
The case concerning the death of Farid Leonardo Porras, a young man from the city of Soacha who along with 10 others, was killed by the military and presented as a combat kill.
MORE: 8 soldiers arrested for Soacha ‘false positives’
After reviewing the case, the High Court of Cundinamarca stated that the false positives were part of a “widespread and systematic pattern of behavior” which would thus raise the level of their actions to crimes against humanity.
According to Caracol Radio, after the decision the court upgraded the sentences of five soldiers from 35 years to 55 years in prison and urged the Prosecutor General’s office to review current and past cases, taking this decision into account.
Colombia’s false positives scandal is centered around the extrajudicial killings of thousands of civilians by members of the armed forces who dressed their victims as guerrillas in order to present them as combat kills.
In a report sent at the request of Colombia Reports, the Prosecutor General’s Office said that since 1986, 3,896 civilians have been assassinated and subsequently presented as combat kills by members of the security forces.
MORE: Colombia military murdered 3900 civilians to inflate effectiveness: Prosecution
Sources
- Falso positivo es elevado a crimen de lesa humanidad (Caracol Radio)