Former FARC leaders begin searching for missing victims in Colombia

Former FARC commanders have begun serving restorative sentences in Colombia, participating in searches for victims disappeared during the country’s decades-long armed conflict. As part of the implementation of sentences handed down by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) in 2025, seven former members of the guerrilla group's final Secretariat are performing reparation work.

Images released by the JEP show former FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño and commander Rodrigo Granda participating in recovery efforts at the San Antonio de Padua cemetery in Pitalito, Huila. The work is part of a sentence for the group's involvement in more than 21,000 kidnappings committed between 1982 and 2016. Other sentenced individuals include Jaime Alberto Parra, Milton de Jesús Toncel, Pablo Catatumbo, Pastor Alape, and Julián Gallo.

The sanctions, which last up to eight years, involve restorative labor combined with liberty restrictions. The men must adhere to strict schedules, reside in designated locations, and wear electronic geolocation devices. While the work aims to assist the search for the estimated 137,000 missing persons in Colombia, the Federation of Victims of Terrorism has expressed strong rejection, labeling the images and the nature of the sanctions as a “shame” and an act of impunity.