VIDEO: Military officials discuss False Positive killings of civilians

In this online event held in October 2020, current and former members of the Colombian security forces describe their involvement or knowledge of ‘False Positive’ killings of civilians during the 2000s.

Thousands of mainly-young people were lured with fake job offers before being killed and presented as guerrillas killed in combat to imply success in the Colombian state’s military campaign against the FARC. Soldiers also received financial and other incentives for kills.

The False Positives atrocity is one of the principal cases under investigation by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, created in the 2016 peace agreement to investigate and prosecute major human rights violations committed during the conflict.

Speakers:

  • Carlos Mora, soldier
  • Juan Esteban Montoya, former soldier
  • Omar Rojas, former police colonel

The event was organised by human rights organisation, the Mothers of False Positives (Madres de Falsos Positivos, MAFAPO), who also took part.