Colombia Hands Down Harsh Sentence to Uribe's Brother for Alleged Paramilitary Crimes
In a major blow to former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, his brother Santiago Uribe has been sentenced to 28 years and three months in prison for his alleged involvement with paramilitary groups. The sentence was handed down by a three-judge panel in the northwestern province of Antioquia on Tuesday.
According to the court's ruling, Santiago Uribe formed and led an illegal armed group in the early 1990s, which was responsible for carrying out a systematic campaign of murder and extermination against people deemed undesirable. The court cited meetings held at the Uribe family's La Carolina cattle ranch as evidence of the group's activities.
The sentence reverses a lower court's acquittal last year and will now be reviewed by Colombia's Supreme Court for a final verdict. Critics have long accused both Uribe and his brother of maintaining ties to groups involved in grave human rights abuses during Colombia's six-decade-long internal conflict.
The ruling highlights the alleged collusion between paramilitaries and state security forces, with the court stating that the militia "enjoyed the cooperation, through action and inaction, of agents of the State". The conviction is the latest twist in a longstanding criminal investigation into the Uribe family's alleged paramilitary ties.
Former President Alvaro Uribe has denied any involvement with paramilitary groups, but was himself found guilty earlier this year of bribing former paramilitary members not to testify about his own involvement. His brother's sentence has been welcomed by human rights advocates, who say it marks a significant step towards accountability at the highest levels of power.
The case against Santiago Uribe reflects the complex web of power structures involved in Colombia's internal conflict and highlights the need for further investigation into the alleged paramilitary ties of prominent figures like the Uribe family.
In a major blow to former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, his brother Santiago Uribe has been sentenced to 28 years and three months in prison for his alleged involvement with paramilitary groups. The sentence was handed down by a three-judge panel in the northwestern province of Antioquia on Tuesday.
According to the court's ruling, Santiago Uribe formed and led an illegal armed group in the early 1990s, which was responsible for carrying out a systematic campaign of murder and extermination against people deemed undesirable. The court cited meetings held at the Uribe family's La Carolina cattle ranch as evidence of the group's activities.
The sentence reverses a lower court's acquittal last year and will now be reviewed by Colombia's Supreme Court for a final verdict. Critics have long accused both Uribe and his brother of maintaining ties to groups involved in grave human rights abuses during Colombia's six-decade-long internal conflict.
The ruling highlights the alleged collusion between paramilitaries and state security forces, with the court stating that the militia "enjoyed the cooperation, through action and inaction, of agents of the State". The conviction is the latest twist in a longstanding criminal investigation into the Uribe family's alleged paramilitary ties.
Former President Alvaro Uribe has denied any involvement with paramilitary groups, but was himself found guilty earlier this year of bribing former paramilitary members not to testify about his own involvement. His brother's sentence has been welcomed by human rights advocates, who say it marks a significant step towards accountability at the highest levels of power.
The case against Santiago Uribe reflects the complex web of power structures involved in Colombia's internal conflict and highlights the need for further investigation into the alleged paramilitary ties of prominent figures like the Uribe family.
! i'm all about accountability and justice, you know? it's crazy how powerful people can get away with stuff for so long, but finally, someone's being held responsible for their actions 
. the fact that his brother was involved in some pretty heinous crimes is just heartbreaking 
. the government needs to do more to address these kinds of issues, and i'm glad to see them taking steps towards transparency 
. let's hope this sets a precedent for others who might be hiding behind power or influence 
.
. People saying he was part of some paramilitary group with all those meetings at the ranch, that's not cool 
. It's all coming out now after all these years and I think it's about time someone held him accountable 
. The government is going to have to review this and make sure it was fair 
. Can't help but wonder what other secrets are gonna come out like this 
.
at least this sentence marks a step towards accountability for the uribe family but im still waiting for the big fish to be caught 
28 years is a pretty harsh sentence, hope it serves as an example to others who think they can hide behind their connections 
. I wonder how Alvaro Uribe's presidency got affected by this... did it tarnish his legacy or was there already too much controversy surrounding him?
this whole thing with Alvaro Uribe's brother is super sus... like, 28 years in prison seems way too harsh but I guess you gotta follow the law? and it just shows how deep the corruption goes, especially with the state security forces being involved 
. I feel bad for those victims of paramilitary groups, no one should have to go through that. can't help but wonder what other high-ranking officials are hiding behind the scenes 