Colombia takes action on extrajudicial killings

• Montoya was already under investigation by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a transitional justice court for reparations that offers lower prison times if the accused pleads guilty.
• The special court charged 26 lower-ranking soldiers in July with an additional 227 cases of extrajudicial killings.

Context: Over 6,400 Colombians were killed and passed off as rebel fighters in what’s known as the “false positives” scandal, per initial findings from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.

• Between 2002 and 2008, those civilians were murdered by soldiers or allied paramilitary forces as part of a “large-scale criminal organization within military units.”
• The bodies were recorded as “combat casualties” to fill a quota in the government’s fight against armed guerrillas.
• Documents show that as recently as 2019 soldiers were still being rewarded with bonuses, vacation time or promotions for fulfilling similar quotas.