Authorities want M-19 guerrillas sentenced for Palace of Justice siege

Colombia’s inspector general wants the court to sentence a number of former M-19 guerrillas for the 1985 siege of the Palace of Justice in Bogota, which left more than 100 people dead.

According to the inspector general, the former members of the guerrilla group must be convicted because their role in the siege constitutes a crime against humanity.

According to newspaper El Tiempo, the eight former guerrillas who the inspector general wants condemned are considered dead and were part of the directorate of the rebel group at that time.

The Palace of Justice siege was one of the bloodiest incidents in modern Colombian history. Following the guerrilla take-over of the palace, the military launched a counter-attack which destroyed the building. Some 100 people, including numerous Supreme Court magistrates were killed. A high army official was sentenced to prison in 2010 because of the forced disappearance of civilians during the attack.

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