The magistrates of the Special Jurisdiction for La Paz (JEP) revoked the provisional benefit of freedom granted to the retired general Jesús Armando Arias Cabrales who was sentenced to 35 years in prison as co-author of the crime of forced disappearance of several people during the capture and retake of the Palace of Justice, on November 6 and 7, 1985.
In the same decision, the JEP conditioned the permanence of the retired officer in that court to an immediate contribution of full truth about the serious events surrounding the holocaust at the Palace of Justice.
The sentence against the officer for this case was made firm by the Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Bogotá and on September 23, 2019 the Supreme Court of Justice decided not to annul the sentence.
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On May 15, 2020, once the requirements required by law have been verified, the Chamber for the Definition of Legal Situations of the JEP accepted the submission to that court of the retired officer and granted him the provisional benefit of temporary, conditioned and early release, and urged him to present a clear, concrete and programmed commitment to contribute to the truth.
However, this decision was appealed that same month by two groups of victims who argued that the General had no interest in contributing to revealing what happened.
This is how, when the case reached the Appeals Section of the JEP, it was ordered revoke the provisional benefit of freedom awarded to the retired General.
According to the magistrates, two years after he was granted his freedom, Retired General Arias Cabrales has not fulfilled his obligations before the Comprehensive Peace System, specifically, in relation to the clarification of the facts.
The JEP concluded that the officer “He did not respond to the call that the Commission for the Clarification of the Truth made on two occasions and he has not presented the document containing his contribution to the truth required by the Chamber for the Definition of Legal Situations”.
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The decision adds that the actions of the retired officer reveal a serious breach of its commitments for the construction of a stable and lasting peace.
