Colombia peace tribunal charges ex-FARC members with crimes against Indigenous groups

On October 13, 2026, Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) charged 10 former FARC members, including former Senator Julian Gallo, with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against five Indigenous groups between 1996 and 2016. Commanders ordered landmining, torture, and ecosystem destruction in southeast Colombia. While Indigenous leaders hailed the recognition of targeted violence, the tribunal faces political headwinds as allies of President Abelardo de la Espriella weigh a 17 percent funding cut.

JEP charges 10 former FARC members

• ▪The 10 former FARC members charged by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace have 30 days from October 13, 2026 to respond to the charges.
• ▪Three former members of the FARC's last secretariat, including former Senator Julian Gallo, are among the 10 individuals charged by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
• ▪Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace charged 10 former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) members on October 13, 2026 with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between 1996 and 2016.

Details of FARC atrocities against Indigenous groups

• ▪The Special Jurisdiction for Peace stated that former FARC commanders oversaw the torture, murder, and forced displacement of Indigenous leaders across five Indigenous groups in southeast Colombia between 1996 and 2016.
• ▪Special Jurisdiction for Peace Magistrate Catalina Diaz stated that FARC commanders ordered subordinates to place landmines in Indigenous territory and destroy ecosystems relied upon by Indigenous tribes for survival.

Reactions and statements on the charges

• ▪Special Jurisdiction for Peace Magistrate Catalina Diaz stated at an October 13, 2026 press conference that the court was delivering justice to forgotten peoples whose basic right to exist was compromised.
• ▪Koreguaje tribe leader Yhon Jairo Figueroa stated that the JEP charges mark the first time the Colombian state recognizes armed groups attempted to kill Indigenous knowledge, language, and territory alongside individuals.

Political opposition to the tribunal

• ▪Allies of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella proposed a nearly 17 percent funding cut to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for fiscal year 2027, scheduled for consideration by Colombia's Congress in October 2026.
• ▪Before taking office in August 2026, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella served as a defence lawyer representing right-wing paramilitaries and criticized the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for issuing lenient sentences.

Background on Colombia's conflict and peace process

• ▪Under Special Jurisdiction for Peace statutes, suspects who accept charges and collaborate face non-prison penalties involving victim reparations and truth schemes, while those who refuse and are convicted face up to 20 years in prison.
• ▪A 2022 report from Colombia's Truth Commission found that over 450,000 people were killed and millions were forcibly displaced during Colombia's civil conflict between 1985 and 2018.
• ▪Colombia's 2016 peace deal between the government and FARC granted FARC leadership 10 seats in Colombia's Congress and established the Special Jurisdiction for Peace to investigate conflict atrocities.