The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been asked to investigate Colombian military officials for the the practice known as creating “false-positives,” in which civilians killed in combat were made to look like members of insurgent groups.
The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and the Coordinación Colombia Europa Estados Unidos (CCEEU) presented a report in the Hague Tuesday which detailed the practice and asked the ICC to open cases against perpetrators.
“Those who bear the greatest responsibility are not being investigated or prosecuted by the Colombian justice system,” the FIDH claimed on its website.
In addition to the report, titled “Colombia: The war measured in litres of blood – “False-positives”, crimes against humanity: the impunity of the most responsible,” the FIDH also submitted to the ICC prosecutor’s office an undisclosed list of who they believe to be the main perpetrators.
The report alleges that 3,345 civilians, mostly young men and farmers from rural areas, were killed and masqueraded as members of guerrilla groups between 2002 and 2008, during the administration of former President Alvaro Uribe.
Furthermore, the FIDH website states that the practice was supported by “army officials at the highest level who not only failed to perform their duty to control personnel under their command but further encouraged such actions.”
The FIDH and CCEEU accused the Colombian government of carrying out investigations in an “isolated manner,” which has not included investigations into high-ranking military officials or the responsible political authorities.