11 Colombian Troops Punished for Killing Civilian

BOGOTA – The Colombian Inspector General’s Office, or “Procuraduria,” dismissed and banned from military service for a decade 11 marines who “arbitrarily” executed a civilian whom they falsely claimed was a guerrilla, the institution said Wednesday.

The office said that the soldiers’ deeds were “very serious” in a communique, adding that it ruled as it did because the men could not prove that the murdered civilian was really a rebel, as they maintained, a situation that constitutes a “serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.”

“The defense did not manage to prove that the victim was directly participating in the hostilities ... of the conflict the country is experiencing,” said the Procuraduria, which did not specify when the killing occurred.

The dismissed soldiers belonged to the Cobra Reconnaissance Group with the 1st Counterinsurgency Battalion, which is part of the 1st Marine Infantry Brigade operating in the Caribbean province of Sucre.

During the investigation, evidence was presented that the victim lived with his family in the northern town of El Carmen de Bolivar, had a job and friends “who testified as to his good habits” and denied that he was a guerrilla, claims that corresponded with his lack of a criminal record or other brushes with the law.

In sum, the authorities ruled that the soldiers violated international norms that prohibit “attacks on the life, health and physical and mental integrity” of people, a situation that applies to all those affected by an armed conflict.

The soldiers may appeal the ruling.