21 Colombia soldiers convicted of executing civilians in iconic false positives case
21 Colombia soldiers convicted of executing civilians in iconic ‘false positives’ case
written by Stephen Gill November 18, 2016
Twenty-one soldiers were found guilty on Thursday of the kidnapping and murdering of five boys and men from Soacha, central Colombia. The case spurred investigations that uncovered thousands of executions of civilians carried out by the armed forces.
A Cundinamarca judge convicted the National Army colonel and 20 soldiers for their responsibility in the crimes of forced disappearance, aggravated conspiracy, fraud, aggravated homicide, and arms trafficking.
The convictions apply to five civilians including one minor who were recruited with false promises of jobs in Soacha and then taken to Ocaña, a municipality in the Norte de Santander province.
Once in Ocaña, the victims were stripped of their identification and executed. The victims were put on camouflage uniforms and placed with weapons in their hands to make the victims of the cold-blooded executions look like guerrillas.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/21-soldiers-convicted-executing-civilians-iconic-false-positives-case/
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Colombia police rescue US judge kidnapped on vacation
written by The Associated Press November 18, 2016
A Los Angeles-area judge who was kidnapped nearly a week ago while on vacation in Colombia has been freed, authorities in the South American nation said Thursday.
Police said Judge Benny Osorio’s captors had demanded a $33,000 ransom for his release.
An elite anti-kidnapping unit using intelligence information safely rescued the judge Thursday in the popular tourist city of Cartagena. Four suspected kidnappers were arrested and several firearms seized.
Osorio was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2008 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-police-rescue-us-judge-kidnapped-vacation/
