The judicial process investigating “false positives” in Antioquia took a relevant turn after the truth hearing in Granada, where the Special Judicial Panel for Peace (JEP) handed over to their families the bodies of four victims, two of whom were under 16 and had been missing for twenty years.
This work, the result of collaboration between those who emerged and the victims, represents progress in the search for justice and reparation, in a context in which the JEP concluded that there were at least 1,500 victims of extrajudicial executions in Antioquia and more than 6,400 across the country between 2002 and 2008.
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During the hearing, two retired soldiers accused General Juan Miguel Huertas, then a captain and operations officer of the 4th Artillery Battalion, of providing weapons to cover up the murders and documenting orders for operations in which civilians were deceived and executed. The JEP is considering whether to admit Huertas in the Antioquia sub-case, as his name appears in operational documents and in recent testimony.
At the conclusion of the session, Judge Catalina Diaz explained the time Al-Ijtihad represents an example of peacebuilding in the regions, highlighting the willingness of victims to listen and dialogue. Diaz stressed that the testimonies of former officers present confirmed the significant criminal pattern identified by JEP.
We must remember that those who appeared detailed all stages of the crimes, from the selection of victims to the execution, and the cover-up by falsifying documents and burying the bodies in cemeteries far from their original places, with the aim of making their location difficult and presenting the deaths as combat victims.
According to Judge Díaz, General Huertas submitted a voluntary version when the evidence was insufficient, but the new information heard in Granada would seriously prejudice him. Diaz stated: He explained to the aforementioned media: “We have to evaluate whether it is appropriate to summon him again and study the possibility of choosing him as the head of the official.”.
JEP was able to clarify the time, manner and location of 600 cases in Antioquia, less than half of which involved missing persons. Thanks to joint work with the Research and Legal Medicine Unit and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, 13 bodies were handed over to their families, although at least 100 victims of false positive results in Antioquia remain missing.
At the conclusion of the hearings, the JEP Chamber must determine whether those who appeared have made a full, detailed and comprehensive admission of fact and responsibility. If this criterion is met, the law requires that the decision of conclusions include a proposed penalty, which for those who are aware of the full truth and responsibility does not mean imprisonment, but rather functions, actions or activities with a restorative content. Judge Diaz explained that the Chamber must formulate these proposals with the central participation of the victims and send them to the Peace Court Division, which will be responsible for imposing the sentence.
General Juan Miguel Huertas, who retired from the National Army in 2021 after increasing popular and judicial pressure, returned to the ranks in mid-2025 and is embroiled in another scandal linking him to dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) led by the alias Calarca.
This alleged connection with illegal groups was revealed through journalistic investigations They pointed to possible agreements or support relationships between Huertas and FARC dissidents.
Huertas’ return to duty by order of President Gustavo Petro sparked strong controversy. The president justified the decision as a response to “service needs,” but this action was seen by many as a sign of a possible “payment of political favors,” due to rumors linking the general to the presidential campaign.