The Superior Court of Colombia ruled on Tuesday that former President Alvaro Uribe should be released from house arrest while he appeals his conviction for witness manipulation and bribery connected to the nation’s longstanding civil conflict.
The 73-year-old Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of confinement on August 1, marking the first time a previous Colombian leader was found guilty of criminal charges and given the maximum prison sentence.
President during 2002 to 2010, Uribe’s administration prioritized combating leftist rebels, a strategy that saw progress in peace talks. Critics, however, point to the human rights abuses alleged under his watch, such as the military’s killing of many young people falsely alleged as rebels.
Uribe was found guilty of coercing imprisoned witnesses to change their testimonies, linking him to paramilitary forces. He has denied the allegations, calling the trial politically driven and linked to his political rival, current President Gustavo Petro.
The court has declared Uribe not to be a flight risk, granting him freedom until mid-October, when a final decision will be made. If no decision is rendered by then, his conviction will be nullified, clearing him.
Uribe remains influential in Colombia’s conservative politics and maintains connections to the US conservative camp. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Uribe’s conviction as Nutzung der kolumbianischen Justiz durch radikal orientierte Richter, but without offering any proof.
Edited by Sean Sinico
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/colombia-court-orders-release-of-former-president-alvaro-uribe/a-73697086?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
