Colombia - November 2025

On 25 November, the Superior Tribunal of Antioquia sentenced Santiago Uribe, brother of former President Álvaro Uribe (2002 - 2010), to 28 years in prison for crimes against humanity, aggravated homicide, and conspiracy to commit a crime. The court found Santiago Uribe guilty of leading the paramilitary group ‘The 12 Apostles’, which operated in the 1990s and was responsible for systematic killings and other human rights abuses. According to the ruling, the group carried out ‘social cleansing’, targeting individuals deemed undesirable, with documented collusion from state security forces. This landmark ruling marks an important step to ensuring accountability in the context of allegations of state-paramilitary collusion. Human rights organizations have commended the decision as a step forward for victims and an important effort to curtail the influence of paramilitary groups within Colombian society.

Sources: El País, InfoBae, Al Jazeera