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WORLD NEWS Thursday 5 OcTOber 2023

Colombia's government issues long awaited apology for

extrajudicial killings during armed conflict

Associated Press into war crimes, includ-
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — ing those undertaken by
Colombia’s government is- the Special Jurisdiction for
sued a long awaited public Peace, a transitional justice
apology on Tuesday for the system created by the 2016
extrajudicial killings of 19 peace deal.
civilians who were slain by “This is incredibly impor-
the military and registered tant to the victims families,”
as rebel fighters during one Sanchez said. “Those family
of the most violent periods members had to deal with
of the nation’s civil war. the stigma of supposedly
The apology comes as Co- being family members of
lombia’s government at- guerrillas.”
tempts to make amends According to the Special
with communities affect- Jurisdiction for Peace, Co-
ed by decades of armed lombia’s military commit-
conflict and broker peace ted at least 6,402 extraju-
deals with rebel groups that dicial killings between 2002
are still fighting the military and 2008, as commanders
in rural areas despite a 2016 pressured their troops to
peace deal between the provide more results on the
government and the na- battlefield, and placed an
tion’s largest rebel group. emphasis on increasing the
“These (killings) should Colombia's Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, center, stands with the relatives of 19 young people number of enemy casual-
have never happened,” who were falsely presented as guerrillas killed in combat by the Colombian army during the ties.
country's internal conflict, during an act of recognition and public apology by the state for their
Defense Minister Iván Ve- extrajudicial execution, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. The peace tribunal re-
lásquez said at an event in (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) cently charged a former
front of the nation’s con- commander of Colombia’s
gress attended by the vic- men from poor neighbor- Courts in Colombia have tant to recognize that dur- army for the murders of 130
tims' relatives. hoods who were lured been ordering the gov- ing the nation's armed con- civilians between 2002 and
“We ask you to forgive us away from their homes ernment to apologize for flict the military committed 2003 in Antioquia province.
for these crimes that em- with false promises of jobs these cases – known here war crimes that were just as At Tuesday's event, the
barrass us in front of the in other parts of the coun- as “false positives” -- since serious as those carried out mothers, sisters, sons and
world,” Velásquez said in try. Once they arrived at 2015, as part of a set of by rebel groups, said Gime- daughters of the 19 victims
a speech. The killings took their destinations, the vic- reparation measures which na Sanchez, a Colombia were invited to speak.
place between 2004 and tims were shot by soldiers also included prison sen- expert at the Washington Many carried photos of the
2008 as Colombia’s military who dressed their corpses tences for some of the sol- Office on Latin America - a victims, and wore t-shirts
intensified its campaign in camouflage, or placed diers and officers involved. human rights group. with their names.
against the Revolutionary weapons next to their bod- But the administrations of Sanchez said the recently While the relatives thanked
Armed Forces of Colom- ies, and presented them Presidents Juan Manuel elected government of Velásquez, the defense
bia — the rebel group that to their superiors as rebels Santos and Iván Duque Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s minister, for attending the
made peace with the gov- killed in combat in order to had skirted around the or- first leftist president, has event and issuing an apol-
ernment in 2016. secure promotions and va- ders to apologize in public been more willing to col- ogy, most said they were
The killings involved young cation time. because they were reluc- laborate with investigations not ready to forgive.q

Greece wants European Union to sanction countries that refuse

deported migrants, minister says

Associated Press these countries take back lum process.”
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — their citizens. Otherwise, Greece and nearby Italy
Greece is urging other Euro- there would be sanctions are currently dealing with
pean Union member states and no financial aid. Eu- a spike in migrant arrivals
to adopt a proposed plan rope has the authority to that has renewed pressure
to sanction countries that impose its will on this issue,” within the EU to finalize the
refuse to accept migrants Kairidis told state television migration deal.
deported by the bloc. late Tuesday. Authorities said 88 migrants
Dimitris Kairidis, the Greek He said the sanctions pro- from Iran, Iraq and Afghan-
minister for asylum and mi- posal is being discussed in istan – including 20 children
gration, said existing bilat- the final stages of nego- – were rescued from a boat
eral agreements for return- tiations for a new EU-wide in distress Wednesday off
ing migrants between in- overhaul of migration rules. the southern Peloponnese
dividual EU member states Failure to implement a vi- region, with the help of a
and non-member countries able deportation policy, passing oil tanker. Members of the Frontex, European Border Protection Agency,
had proved to be ineffec- the Greek minister argued, Hours earlier 82 migrants from Portugal patrol as the sun rises near the northeastern Greek
tive. would “make Europe a were rescued near the island of Lesbos, on Dec. 8, 2015.
“Europe must demand that laughingstock over its asy- eastern island of Symi.q (AP Photo/Santi Palacios, File)