Colombia ex-President asks forgiveness for army's extrajudicial killings

Former President of Columbia Juan Manuel Santos asked for forgiveness for extrajudicial killings of thousands of people committed by the country's armed forces partly during his time as defense minister.

In public testimony to Colombia's truth commission on Friday, former President Juan Manuel Santos asked for forgiveness for extrajudicial killings of thousands of people committed by the country's armed forces partly during his time as defense minister. Santos, who in 2016 signed the peace deal which created the commission, testified about the so-called "false positives" scandal, when soldiers murdered civilians and registered them as guerrilla fighters killed in combat to receive benefits. The country's transitional justice court says at least 6,402 people were killed and falsely presented as rebels between 2002 and 2008, during the term of ex-President Alvaro Uribe. Some victims' groups allege the figure could be higher.