Arthur Greene
Since 2008, the term ‘false positives’ has carried a sinister meaning in Colombia.
It refers to the 6,402 Colombian civilians executed by the country’s own army between 2002 and 2008 in order to register them as guerrilla fighters killed in combat.
On Sunday, the country’s attorney general brought charges against General Mario Montoya, the ex-commander of the Colombian Army, who has been accused of overseeing the murders of 104 of those people.
Montoya took over the army in 2006, while conflict with the country’s guerilla forces was at an all-time high.
The general brought an unprecedented level of aggression to the conflict, giving incentives such as holidays and promotions to soldiers who could rack up the highest number of kills.
Montoya was even ordered by the country’s defence ministry and military command to prioritise captures over killings, but he failed to pass them on.
“He continued to evaluate commanders by number of reported combat deaths,” said an attorney general’s office document according to Reuters.
The majority of the killings took place when the country’s then-president Álvaro Uribe was waging war against a rebel group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
A special peace tribunal, known as the JEP, found in February that at least 6,402 people were killed as the ‘false positives’.
The murderous policy surfaced in 2008, and ‘False Positives’ became a national scandal.
Since then, Montoya’s reputation has fallen. According to South American military expert Adam Isacson, he is largely viewed by the public as “a general who measured success through body counts.”
However, until the attorney general’s announcement on Sunday, Montoya appeared to be untouchable and his regime’s victim’s had all but lost hope that they would receive justice for the crimes.
“As one of his victims, I say to Mario Montoya that I want you to face justice, to face the truth,” Blanca Monroy, the mother of one of the victims told the Guardian.
“I’m happy that Colombian justice is finally bringing some results, and I hope that he gets charged and pays many years in jail for what he’s done.”
Image source: @telesurenglish
