Salvatore Mancuso, former paramilitary leader, granted conditional freedom in Colombia

(CNN Spanish) –– Justice and Peace Court judge Luz Marina Zamora this Monday granted conditional freedom for a four-year term to former paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso, who returned to Colombia on February 27, and was deported from the United States. Eight years in prison for drug trafficking.

At the hearing in Bogotá, as requested by Mancuso’s defense to fulfill his role as peace manager, the judge also determined that Mancuso must commit not to repeat the serious crimes committed by the investigation, appearing before the court every three months. to be and not to visit those parts of the country where he has already been convicted or registered pending proceedings and not to leave the country.

Mancuso will not be able to carry weapons and must abide by the truth and guarantee reparations to victims in accordance with his new role as peacekeeper, the judge added.

If he fails to comply with any of these commitments, Zamora warned, Mancuso must immediately serve one of the highest pending sentences, which is 40 years, according to the Court of Justice and Peace. Salvatore Mancuso, who was virtually present at the hearing from La Picota prison – where he is being held – said he understood and accepted the conditions imposed by the judge.

There are several cases against Mancuso that were consolidated, and the most notable of the crimes are murder of a protected person, forced displacement of a civilian population, illegal recruitment, enforced disappearance, torture of a protected person, simple kidnapping, forcible physical penetration. A protected person, acts of terrorism, destruction and appropriation of protected property, trespassing on another’s home, threats, violent sexual acts on a protected person, forced prostitution, inhuman and degrading treatment and biological experiments on a protected person, abortion without consent and abduction. For ransom, according to the sentence.

Mancuso has other outstanding accounts in the Colombian justice system, including charges of committing 4,071 crimes involving 6,552 victims in the departments of Antioquia, Bolivar, Cesar, Córdoba, La Guajira, Magdalena, Santander and Sucre since April 2023. Out of these, there are 1,116 cases of homicide, 2,023 cases of forced displacement, 371 cases of enforced disappearance, 28 cases of gender-based violence, 10 cases of illegal recruitment and 523 cases related to other crimes. Mancuso has yet to deny or confirm his responsibility or participation in these crimes.

In addition to these charges in the Court of Justice and Peace, the Superior Court of Bogota indicted Mancuso for 1,153 criminal incidents recorded in the departments of Bolivar, Sucre, and Córdoba. These included 229 homicides, 108 due to enforced disappearances and 690 due to forced displacement. The prosecutor’s office also charged Mancuso with the massacres of El Aero, La Granja, and Pichilin. As with previous allegations, Mancuso has neither denied nor confirmed to authorities his participation or responsibility in these serious incidents.

In 2023, President Gustavo Petro decided to appoint Mancuso as “Peace Manager” to help the government’s so-called “total peace” policy and clarify the truth, non-repetition and location of the bodies of victims of paramilitary groups.

In a letter written after Petro’s announcement in July 2023, published by several media outlets, Mancuso said it was his “confidence to contribute to the total peace agenda.”

“I am ready and waiting to suggest a way to complete the tasks assigned by the national government,” wrote Mancuso, who said he was at the disposal of the High Commissioner’s office in La Paz to continue dialogue processes on the matter.

In November 2023, Mancuso was also admitted to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, JEP, to contribute to investigations conducted by that judicial body against former state agents and active-duty military personnel for alleged collusion with far-right groups in the United States. Which was the main part of the former paramilitary forces of the states.

Due to these two conditions, having been appointed as a peace manager and also accepted into the JEP, Mancuso was able to access parole.