Colombian government presents its law on surrender of terrorist groups

The Minister of the Interior, Alfonso Prada, and the Minister of Justice, Néstor Osuna, presented this Wednesday before the Colombian Congress the bill for the surrender of armed groups without political status, within the initiative of ‘total peace’ that the government of president Gustavo Petro is advancing.

“The initiative contains a generous offer from the State for these structures”, said Osuna, who assured these groups that they will obtain “a more benign criminal treatment” as long as they surrender, stop committing crimes, hand over their assets and information on their operations and make reparations to the victims.

Likewise, the legislative initiative is intended for armed groups without political status, such as the Clan del Golfo or paramilitary structures.

“It is a project subject to ordinary justice,” he stressed, in line with previous clarifications by President Petro.

In this sense, the Minister of the Interior has stressed that the government will not negotiate any peace with this type of armed structure and that they will be subject to the corresponding criminal processes.

However, they could benefit from collaborating with the authorities, as it already happens with other common criminals.

The text, which the government’s bench in Congress insists will not generate impunity, proposes prison sentences of between six and eight years for those who take part in the plan, as well as a special fund to make reparations to the victims, financed with the assets illegally acquired by these people.

The government’s plan foresees a four-year trial period in which the armed group wishing to submit to this mechanism must show signs of ceasing illegal activities while participating in justice and integration programs.

If it obtains Congress’s approval, Petro’s government will then be able to start talks to destructure these groups in exchange for judicial benefits.

At the same time, peace negotiations continue with the National Liberation Army (ELN), pending the start of the same process with the FARC dissidents, the only groups with a political character.

With information from LGI

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