Special tribunal in Colombia charges 27 former FARC leaders with war crimes

On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) in Colombia formally charged 27 former members and senior leaders of the dissolved FARC rebel group. The charges pertain to severe crimes committed during the nation's six-decade civil war, including bombings, murders, massacres, forced disappearances, sexual violence, rape, and forced displacement.

Among the individuals indicted are four former high-ranking FARC officials, most notably Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timochenko, who famously signed the 2016 peace accord alongside then-President Juan Manuel Santos. The JEP, a specialized court established under that historic agreement to address the most heinous crimes of the conflict, oversees these proceedings.

Under the transitional justice system established in 2016, those who admit to their crimes and cooperate with the tribunal are generally eligible for alternative sentences instead of traditional imprisonment. The JEP remains responsible for investigating and adjudicating these cases to ensure accountability while maintaining the framework of the peace process that aimed to bring an end to one of Latin America's longest-running armed conflicts.