Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace indicts 27 former FARC commanders

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) in Colombia formally indicted 27 former FARC leaders on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and gender‑based violence. The indictment includes four members of the guerrilla’s last secretariat – Rodrigo Londoño (alias Timochenko), Jaime Alberto Parra (alias El Médico), Julián Gallo (alias Carlos Antonio Lozada) and Milton de Jesús Toncel (alias Joaquín Gómez) – as well as 23 regional commanders who controlled the Southern and Eastern blocs.

The court found the accused responsible for forced disappearances, massacres, homicides, torture, sexual violence and terrorist attacks such as the 2003 bombing of Bogotá’s Club El Nogal that killed 33 people and injured 198. The JEP’s decision, presented by magistrate Julieta Lemaitre Ripoll and praised by JEP president Alejandro Ramelli, is based on testimony from 2,436 victims across 15‑16 departments. It marks a major step in Colombia’s transitional‑justice process, holding former guerrilla leaders accountable for atrocities committed during the armed conflict.