Unrepentant paramilitary commander removed from transitional justice process, instead given 40 year
Unrepentant paramilitary commander removed from transitional justice process, instead given 40 year sentence
Sep 19, 2014 posted by Gabrielle Mentjox
A former paramilitary commander was excluded from the transitional justice process Thursday and instead received a four-decade prison sentence due to his suspected remorselessness, according to Colombia’s Colprensa new wire.
Edgar Ignacio Fierro, alias “Don Antonio,” former commander of the AUC’s Juan Pablo Diaz Front that operated on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, was preparing for his release from prison following the completion of an eight-year transitional justice sentence enacted under then-President Alvaro Uribe’s 2005 Justice and Peace Law. Yet Thursday’s Supreme Court hearing saw a slew of evidence against Don Antonio, proving he was unrepentant and therefore not eligible for the benefits of the transitional justice system.
The 2005 Justice and Peace Law gave paramilitary leaders and middle men access to fixed and dramatically reduced sentences in exchange for their weapons and full compliance with justice investigations, meaning they were required to divulge any knowledge they possessed of criminal activity or crimes committed against humanity.
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Don Antonio is said to be responsible for the assassination of two union members, a human rights defender, a government official, and a university professor.
http://colombiareports.co/unrepentant-paramilitary-commander-removed-transitional-justice-process-instead-given-40-year-sentence/#prettyPhoto