Human Rights Watch: Colombian Army Killed Civilians to Boost Body Count In The War Against FARC

Relatives carry children’s coffins at a mass funeral in Barranquilla on 11 September 2010 after authorities turned over the corpses of six victims of the army’s ‘false positives’ scandal. Photograph: Reuters

New York Times: Colombia Military Accused of Deception on Civilian Deaths

Many generals and other high-ranking officers in Colombia’s armed forces may have known about a pattern of soldiers killing civilians and passing off the deaths as guerrilla casualties in the campaign against rebel insurgencies, according to a report to be released on Wednesday.

The report, by Human Rights Watch, also says that Colombian prosecutors face numerous obstacles in seeking to investigate high-ranking military personnel who may be linked to the killings, including a lack of cooperation from the armed forces and intimidation of key witnesses.

A scandal over the killings, which were intended to inflate the number of apparent guerrilla casualties and create a false image of positive results in the country’s struggle against insurgents, erupted in 2008. It resulted in the resignation of the commander of the Colombian Army, the firing of a few high-level officers and stained the reputation of the president at the time, Álvaro Uribe, who aggressively escalated the campaign against the guerrillas.

More News On Human Rights Watch Claiming Colombia Killed Thousands Of Civilians While Claiming They Were Guerrilla Fighters

Colombia: Top Brass Linked to Extrajudicial Executions -- Human Rights Watch
Colombian army killed civilians to fake battlefield success, rights group says -- Washington Post
Colombian army officials escaped punishment in killing of 3,000 civilians, report says -- FOX News Latino
Colombia acts on massacres – punishing whistleblower and promoting officers -- The Guardian
Report: Colombia generals go unpunished in civilian killings -- AP
Colombian Army Killed Civilians to Boost Body Count in Fight With FARC -- Sputnik
Colombian Military Killed Thousands Of Civilians, Passed Them Off As Rebel Combatants, To Boost Image: Report -- IBTimes
Colombia’s former army commander called into questioning over extrajudicial killings -- Colombia Reports