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Colombian police were rushing to bury the body before town residents took notice.
At the behest of Colombia’s Carrizal community, an investigation has launched into the murder of former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla, Dimar Torres, who was killed by police Monday.
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Colombians Protest After Infant of FARC Ex-Militant Murdered
Along the Venezuelan border, Torres was making his way home with a group of friends after leaving his village to buy tools when police officers shot and killed him at an army checkpoint. Although authorities have taken responsibility for the death, witnesses at the scene say police first attempted to blame the shooting on Torres, alleging he had attempted to seize an officer’s weapon.
Community members from the town of Convencion told El Espectador, "This is extremely serious, and we request for social organizations to speak out about this."
Carlos Lozada, senator of the Farc Party, said locals were startled by the sound of gunfire and were turned away by police. On walking into the police camp, they discovered a misshapen grave on the ground intended for the corpse of the former guerrilla.
Medicina Legal confirma que bala con que asesinaron a Dimar Torres, excombatiente de FARC, fue disparada por un arma del @COL_EJERCITO
— Benedicto González (@BenedictoFARC) April 24, 2019
Un cabo, que dice, le querían arrebatar el arma y en el forcejeo se disparó. ¿Un arma sin seguro y un tiro en la cabeza? NO. El Ejército lo mató pic.twitter.com/nGVbooybLx
The Ministry of Defense is investigating the incident, although after over 125 murders of ex-militants, Lozada says it’s not enough. The FARC party official is demanding “full guarantees” for those who laid down their arms in order to proceed with the “reincorporation process” outlined in the 2016 Peace Accord.
Hermes Garcia Quintero, mayor of the municipality, told RCN Radio, "Around the death of Dimar Torres, ex-militant of the Farc, the community blames the military forces, believing that the uniformed men were caught by surprise and trying, apparently, to bury the body of this person, which caused the discomfort of the community.”
Lozada said he plans to contact the Peace Commission, the House, and the Senate to request they contact the communities to receive complaints, first-hand.
Since the signing of the Final Peace Accord in 2016, at least 128 members of the FARC have been killed in Colombia, says the director of the state institution Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization, Andres Stapper.
The peace agreement, supported by the United Nations and crafted with the help of several Latin American organizations, led to the disarmament of around 7,000 combatants and the emergence of the FARC political party.
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