JEP issues restorative sentence against five former military members for Antioquia crimes

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) issued its third restorative sentence on November 13, 2026, against five former members of the Colombian Public Forces. The sentence addresses 18 criminal acts involving 35 direct victims of extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances. These crimes occurred in Dabeiba and other municipalities in northwestern Antioquia between 1997 and 2007.

The five former military members found responsible for murder and forced disappearance, which are classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity, include Colonel (r) Edie Pinzón Turcios, Major (r) Hermes Mauricio Alvarado Sáchica, Major (r) Efraín Enrique Prada Correa, Sergeant First (r) Jaime Coral Trujillo, and Sergeant Second (r) William Andrés Capera Vargas. The military units involved in the investigated events include the 79th Counter-guerrilla Battalion, the 26th Counter-guerrilla Battalion, and the 11th Mobile Brigade.

Restorative measures and victim impact

The judicial decision includes nine restorative projects scheduled to be executed from December 2026 to October 2034. According to official details, these projects include humanitarian demining in Murindó, Mutatá, and Turbo, as well as road and bridge reconstruction in areas such as Turbo, Ituango, and Apartadó. One specific project involves the reconstruction of a bridge over the Sucio River in Dabeiba.

The sentencing also focuses on memory interventions in Carepa, Turbo, and Medellín, and missing person searches in Urabá, Western Antioquia, and the Medellín metropolitan area. The legal process has already contributed to the recovery of 77 bodies from the Las Mercedes cemetery in Dabeiba through the testimony of participants. Of these recovered bodies, 18 have been identified and 17 have been returned to their families.

The legal framework of the sentence

The crimes are part of the false positives phenomenon, a situation where killings of civilians were presented as combat casualties to obtain institutional benefits. Regarding the nature of the sanction, magistrate Juan Ramón Martínez Vargas said, "The sanction is not impunity but the core of the transitional justice model established by the Peace Agreement."

The convicted individuals must follow specific requirements as part of their restorative obligations. These include working from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Additionally, the individuals require judicial authorization for any travel outside of their residence or the designated project zones.

Glossary

• Antioquia — Antioquia is a department in Colombia. It is a region with a history shaped by various political and social figures.
• Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) — The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is a special type of court. It does not have compulsive participation from accused actors, as only those willing are put on the stand.
• extrajudicial executions — Extrajudicial executions are crimes that remain under civilian court jurisdiction and are not submitted to military courts.
• forced disappearances — Forced disappearances are crimes that include murders and are part of the charges related to AUC command.
• humanitarian demining — Humanitarian demining is an activity that FARC stated it would begin in selected parts of Colombia.