Former Colombia leader asks pardon for army killings of civilians

Former president Santos asks forgiveness for deaths of thousands of civilians during armed conflict with left-wing fighters.

Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Friday asked for forgiveness for the extrajudicial killings of thousands of people committed by the country’s armed forces partly during his time as defence minister. Santos, who in 2016 signed the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) which created the commission, testified to Colombia’s truth commission about the so-called “false positives” scandal, when soldiers murdered civilians and registered them as fighters killed in combat to receive rewards. The country’s transitional justice court has said 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.