8 soldiers convicted of 'false positive' murders receive maximum sentence

[Judi Lynn]

8 soldiers convicted of 'false positive' murders receive maximum sentence
Wednesday, 06 July 2011 10:55
Travis Mannon

A circuit judge sentenced one officer and seven soldiers each to 60 years in prison on Wednesday for the murder of four farmers in Antioquia.

In March 2006, the soldiers pulled the men from their homes and shot them in their backs before dressing them up as guerrillas. The judge gave them the maximum sentence for their crimes.

The murders are part of an ongoing investigation into "false positive" killings, a scandal in which members of the Colombian military kill civilians and pose them as members of guerrilla groups killed in combat to increase their reported kill counts.

Convictions for false positive murders have become increasingly frequent. On June 30, seven members of the military were found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering three civilians. On Tuesday, an army major was indicted for the false positive killings of 11 people.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17438-8-soldiers-convicted-of-false-positive-murders-receive-maximum-sentence.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombian soldiers jailed for 'false positive' killings

Colombian soldiers jailed for 'false positive' killings
July 2011 Last updated at 15:27 ET

A court in Colombia has sentenced eight soldiers to 60 years each in jail for killing four farmers and then claiming the men were left-wing guerrillas.

It is the latest prosecution in the so-called "false-positive" scandal that first erupted in 2008.

Security forces are believed to have killed thousands of civilians and passed them off as guerrillas in order to falsely inflate their success rates.

They used these tallies to claim promotion and perks such as days off.

More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14055765

[Judi Lynn]

2. Colombian military killed 3,500 this year

Colombian military killed 3,500 this year
Published: July 6, 2011 at 3:16 PM


BOGOTA, July 6 (UPI) -- A government report indicates Colombia's armed forces this year killed more than 3,500 people officials said were engaged in criminal or rebel activity.

The government released details of approximately 8,000 operations that also resulted in the arrests of more than 2,500 individuals, El Espectador reported Wednesday.

The report estimates more than 1,000 killings were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known by its acronym FARC.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the military intensified its offensive against the left-wing guerrilla organization and other illegal armed groups.

More:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/07/06/Colombian-military-killed-3500-this-year/UPI-40461309979762/

[naaman fletcher]

3. Santos continues to bring justice to colombia.