Colombia's former army chief indicted for 130 extrajudicial killings

Indictment limited to General Mario Montoya's time as commander in Antioquia
by Adriaan Alsema August 31, 2023


Colombia’s former army commander, retired General Mario Montoya, is responsible for 130 extrajudicial killings committed between 2002 and 2003, according to war crimes tribunal JEP.

All victims were falsely presented as combat kills to the press, JEP magistrate Catalina Diaz told journalists at a press conference.

Montoya’s indictment was the result of war crime investigations in the Eastern Antioquia region while the retired general was the commander of the 4th Brigade.

According to the JEP indictment, Montoya was partly responsible for the extrajudicial executions in Eastern Antioquia because he ordered his subordinates only to report combat kills.

While communicating with his troops, Montoya ordered them to report “liters,” “rivers,” “barrels,” or “tanks” of blood,” notes taken by army field officers showed, according to the indictment.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-former-army-chief-indicted-for-130-extrajudicial-killings/