Colombian prosecutors will charge two army generals for their alleged role in the murders of civilians who were later presented as rebels killed in combat, sources said Tuesday.
The military has been under fire for years over a scandal in which army units are accused of killing thousands of civilians, mostly poor young men, from 2002 to 2008 and reporting them as FARC rebels or drug traffickers.
The extrajudicial killings, which inflated the number of insurgents killed in combat, earned promotions, decorations and perks for those who took credit.
But prosecutors will now bring homicide charges against General Henry Torres and former army commander Mario Montoya, a highly decorated retired general, in the so-called "false positives" case, prosecution sources told AFP.
Torres was arrested Monday -- the first active-duty general detained in the case -- and is being held at a military base in Bogota.
Both men face up to 40 years in prison.
The army high command said it stood by Torres but promised to "continue supporting and providing all information requested by the authorities."
In all, 22 generals are under investigation.
Colombia is the scene of a half-century guerrilla war that has killed more than 260,000 people.
The FARC and the government say they are closing in on a peace accord after three years of negotiations, but Human Rights Watch warned Monday that a deal risked sweeping the "false positives" atrocities under the rug.
Montoya is known in Colombia for leading two high-profile operations, one that freed 15 hostages including politician Ingrid Betancourt and another that killed the FARC's second-in-command, Raul Reyes.
Montoya led the army during a crushing crackdown on the Marxist rebels under former president Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010), when current President Juan Manuel Santos was defense minister.
Montoya stepped down in 2008, after 11 young civilians who went missing outside the capital Bogota were presented as rebels killed in clashes.
Prosecutors accuse him of pressuring subordinates to fudge their combat figures and failing to prevent civilian killings.
Torres is accused of involvement in the murder of a father and son in 2007, when he was a brigade commander.
Human Rights Watch says more than 4,000 civilian deaths were presented as insurgents killed in combat.
Colombian prosecutors will charge two army generals for their alleged role in the murders of civilians who were later presented as rebels killed in combat, sources said Tuesday.
The military has been under fire for years over a scandal in which army units are accused of killing thousands of civilians, mostly poor young men, from 2002 to 2008 and reporting them as FARC rebels or drug traffickers.
The extrajudicial killings, which inflated the number of insurgents killed in combat, earned promotions, decorations and perks for those who took credit.
But prosecutors will now bring homicide charges against General Henry Torres and former army commander Mario Montoya, a highly decorated retired general, in the so-called “false positives” case, prosecution sources told AFP.
Torres was arrested Monday — the first active-duty general detained in the case — and is being held at a military base in Bogota.
Both men face up to 40 years in prison.
The army high command said it stood by Torres but promised to “continue supporting and providing all information requested by the authorities.”
In all, 22 generals are under investigation.
Colombia is the scene of a half-century guerrilla war that has killed more than 260,000 people.
The FARC and the government say they are closing in on a peace accord after three years of negotiations, but Human Rights Watch warned Monday that a deal risked sweeping the “false positives” atrocities under the rug.
Montoya is known in Colombia for leading two high-profile operations, one that freed 15 hostages including politician Ingrid Betancourt and another that killed the FARC’s second-in-command, Raul Reyes.
Montoya led the army during a crushing crackdown on the Marxist rebels under former president Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010), when current President Juan Manuel Santos was defense minister.
Montoya stepped down in 2008, after 11 young civilians who went missing outside the capital Bogota were presented as rebels killed in clashes.
Prosecutors accuse him of pressuring subordinates to fudge their combat figures and failing to prevent civilian killings.
Torres is accused of involvement in the murder of a father and son in 2007, when he was a brigade commander.
Human Rights Watch says more than 4,000 civilian deaths were presented as insurgents killed in combat.
