Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced that a court in the city of Medellin convicted four of the ELN’s top guerrilla chief for the forced recruitment of 60 minors between 2002 and 2019.
In a press release, the prosecution said that the conviction refers to the ELN’s “ongoing and systematic” forced recruitment of minors in the provinces of Antioquia, Bolivar, Choco, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca.
Apart from the four members of the ELN’s Central Command, the court convicted 11 alleged members of the guerrilla group’s Western War Front for the recruitment of 24 girls and 36 boys.
Convicted Central Command members
- Nicolas Rodriguez, a.k.a. “Gabino”
- Eliecer Erlinto Chamorro, a.k.a. “Antonio Garcia”
- Israel Ramirez, a.k.a. “Pablo Beltran”
- Gustavo Anibal Giraldo, a.k.a. “Pablito”
The conviction comes amid attempts to resume peace negotiations between the government of President Gustavo Petro and Colombia’s longest-living guerrilla group.
These negotiations will likely include the convicted guerrilla leaders’ submission to justice over their alleged involvement in the forced recruitment of minors of 15 years and younger, and other war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The forced recruitment of minors has mainly been an issue in regions where children and teenager have little to no access to education and the associated job opportunities.
Peace talks with the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC between 2012 and 2016 revealed that this guerrilla group forcibly recruited thousands of children, mainly to work as spies or couriers.
The top commanders of this guerrilla group are currently taking part in a transitional justice system that seeks to provide justice to the tens of thousands of victims of the FARC’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The judge presiding over the latest ELN case is expected to sentence the fugitive guerrilla commanders in the first months of next year.
Related posts:
