Genocide and rape by Colombian soldiers will stay in civilian courts .

Genocide and rape by Colombian soldiers will stay in civilian courts .
Friday, 16 March 2012 14:32
Charles Parkinson

New proposals to reform Colombian military justice have been announced, following the withdrawal of previous plans critics said would "guarantee impunity" for human rights abuses.

Soldiers accused of genocide, rape and forced disappearance will be tried by civilian courts, a reversal of the former policy proposal which would have ensured soldiers only ever faced military jurisdiction, no matter what their crimes.

The government will also be responsible for financing the defense of security force members facing trial, in both civilian and military courts. Announcing the measures before Colombia's House of Representatives, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said previous policies had failed to recognise "the fundamental right to defense of members of the Armed Forces, who the state puts in a special situation of legitimately carrying and using arms for the respect and guarantee of Colombians."

The new measures would maintain the division between civilian and military justice and clarify "gray" areas, said the minister, such as the ambiguous status of the police force in the legal system.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22894-genocide-and-rape-by-colombian-soldiers-to-be-tried-in-civilian-courts.html