Colombian Court Sentences Former President Uribe’s Brother to 28 Years for Paramilitary Crimes

In a decisive ruling that underscores the urgent need for justice and transparency, Colombia’s Tribunal Superior de Antioquia has overturned the previous acquittal of Santiago Uribe Vélez, brother of former President Álvaro Uribe, sentencing him to 28 years and three months behind bars. The court found him criminally responsible for founding and financing the notorious paramilitary group known as “Los doce apóstoles,” a violent organization implicated in multiple human rights abuses. This conviction is not merely about one man—it exposes the troubling entanglement of political power and extrajudicial violence that has plagued Colombia for decades. Santiago Uribe now faces charges...