The Criminal Chamber of Colombia’s Supreme Court reduced the sentence of an Army general convicted of allowing the Mapiripan massacre in 1997.
Colombian media reported that the Supreme Court has reduced former General Jaime Humberto Uscategui’s sentence from 40 years to 37 because irregularities have surfaced in his prosecution.
At least one witness has recanted their original testimony. One woman, who claimed that her husband and two sons were killed in the slaughter, now admits she lied to receive compensation from the government.
The Supreme Court also found that new evidence may show that only 10 people were killed in the massacre, rather than 49 confirmed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Uscategui, who was 61 at the time of his conviction, was originally sentenced in 2009. The reduced sentence will likely not change the fate of the former general, who will probably die in prison.
However, the Supreme Court said that in light of new evidence, Uscategui’s sentence could be further reduced.