Colombia Finds 9 Bodies Linked To Extrajudicial Killings

Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) on Monday reported the recovery of nine corpses that may correspond to victims of extrajudicial killings in the Antioquia department.

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Besides being dressed in Military clothes, the bodies were found inside bags and buried without preserving the anatomical position common in funeral processions.

The corpses also presented traumatic injuries produced by a "high energy mechanism" compatible with firearm projectiles.

The JEP undertook the exhumation in forensic diligence in the Las Mercedes cemetery in the Dabeiba municipality as part of the works to corroborate testimonies by 18 military officers.

The "false positives" cases are connected to the armed conflict and involve almost 1,500 military personnel who killed civilians to present better results to their superiors. 

The investigations seek to verify deaths "illegitimately presented as casualties in combat" and deliver the victims' corpses to their families. 

In February, the JEP informed 6,402 victims of false positives between 2002 and 2008. Since 2019, 80 bodies have been recovered, five of which were fully identified and handed over to their families.