Former Colombia President Alvaro Uribe was sent for a 12 -year -old house arrest on Friday for a witness tampering and bribe in a long -time case related to the country.
The conservative politician was jailed this week, which paid the paramilitary jailed to withdraw the testimony, which connects Uribe to the right -wing militia groups. In the 1960s, in decades since the outbreak of Colombia’s Civil War, paramilitary groups were responsible for mass killings, forced disappearance and other atrocities.
For the first time, the head of a Colombian state has been convicted in a criminal trial.
What did the court rule?
While the prosecutors demanded a 12 -year prison period, Uribe was sent to a 12 -year -old house arrest, a fine of $ 578,000 (€ 499,000) was imposed and stopped from the public office for more than years.
The judge ordered Uribe to immediately serve his punishment in his rural assets in Riongro in the North -West Antocwia province.
The lawyers of the former President said that Urba would appeal for the decision.
However, the court appealed to the verdict dismissing the request of Uribe to be free, the judge said that the former President could flee the country to avoid punishment.
The 73 -year -old politician has denied any wrongdoing. After Friday’s hearing, Uribe said, “Politics on the law was strong in punishment.”
What do we know about the case against Uribe?
During the test of about 6 months, the prosecutors presented evidence that Ur Abar and his brother had helped find the Blok Metro paramilitary group in the 1990s.
At that time, Uribe was the governor of Antokia, a major battleground in the Civil War.
A former paramilitary, who worked in the Uribe family farm, told the court that he was offered bribe and legal favor to withdraw his testimony.
Another testified that Urribe’s lawyer offered him money to speak favorable about Uribe.
The court found that the former President had been trying to discredit a rival to the bees with the former President, who had highlighted Uribe’s alleged paramilitary ties and filed a lawsuit for a complaint by the then President for bees.
The case of complaint was rejected in 2018 and a test began in Uribe’s alleged conduct.
Uribe’s supporters dismissed the case as a vengeance by the leftist rivals to reproach their legacy as Colombia’s most effective opponent-Guerilla leader. The feeling begins to resonate by US State Secretary Marco Rubio, who said the test was “the judicial branch of Columbia by radical judges.”
Analysts have said that in response Colombia may have a US assistance cut.
In turn, human rights groups blamed as a historic moment for accountability in the long history of Colombia.
What was the Civil of Colombia?
The conflict began in 1964 when leftist guerrilla groups like FARC took up arms, demanded land reform and social justice.
By funding from illegal drug trade, the war included guerrilla fighters, right -wing paramilitary groups and government forces, reduces each broader violence and human rights violations.
Under the rule of Uribe, the conflict intensified. His strategy against leftist guerrillas disappeared mass murders, paramilitary misuse and forcibly.
During the conflict, the estimated 220,000 people were killed and millions of people were displaced.
A true commission found that more than 6.400 citizens were labeled as guerrillas and executed by the army during the administration of Uribe – a scam known as “wrong positive”.
The 2016 peace agreement between the government and the FARC ended the war, converting the rebels into a political party.
However, violence in Colombia remains to date, which is run by fragmented armed groups, drug trafficking and land and power conflicts in rural areas.
Edited by: Darko Jenjeevic
