UN urges Colombia not to further amplify military justice

UN urges Colombia not to further amplify military justice
Sep 30, 2014 posted by Joel Gillin

Twelve experts from the United Nations (UN) have urged the Colombia not to adopt a law which would expand the jurisdiction of military courts, fearing this would lead to impunity for human rights violators, according to El Espectador newspaper.

The UN experts claimed that the expansion of the military courts could compromise the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. They maintain that any alleged human rights violations committed by the armed forces against the civilian population should be tried in criminal courts, which are under civilian control.

Under the proposed law, extrajudicial executions, or “false positives,” would be tried in military courts, according to the human rights experts.

FACT SHEET: False Positives

The “false positives” scandal, which involved members of Colombia’s military killing nearly 4,000 civilians and dressing them up as enemy combatants in order to boost numbers of deceased militants, prompted the once invulnerable military to be stripped of its internal judicial system in 2008 because the armed forces dragged its feet prosecuting those responsible.

More:
http://colombiareports.co/un-urges-colombia-not-to-further-amplify-military-justice/