The Associated Press reports: “[Santiago Uribe] a brother of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced Tuesday [November 25] to 28 years in prison for his alleged role in an illegal paramilitary group linked to hundreds of killings during the peak of Colombia’s civil war.”
That article continues: “Prosecutors said that in the 1990s Santiago Uribe backed a group known as The 12 Apostles, which has been linked to at least 300 slayings and dozens of forced disappearances.”
El Pais adds: “Specifically, he was convicted of aggravated homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime while leading a paramilitary group called Los 12 Apóstoles (The 12 Apostles). He was found guilty in the death of Camilo Barrientos, a bus driver from Yarumal, according to the ruling issued Tuesday by the Superior Court of Antioquia.”
PBI accompaniment of Daniel Prado
Daniel Prado, a lawyer with the Colombian non-governmental organization Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP), represented victims in the emblematic case of “Los Doce Apóstoles” (12 Apostles).
Lawyers for Lawyers has previously explained: “Following the issuing of an arrest warrant against Santiago Uribe Vélez, the primary suspect in the 12 Apostles case, on 19 February 2016, threats and harassment against Prado considerably intensified, as did threats and harassment against witnesses and judicial officials involved in the case.”
In August 2019, Sue Willman, a member of the Colombia Caravana UK Lawyers Group, wrote: “I first heard about the case [of the 12 Apostles] and came across Daniel Prado, lawyer for many of the alleged murder victims last year, when he visited London to speak about the trial; he was visibly shaking when describing fears for his safety. …He depends on accompaniment by Peace Brigades International volunteer field observers, to monitor his safety when travelling to attend the trial.”
PBI-Colombia has also noted: “At the end of 2017, Prado received several threats and someone loosened all four tyres from his car.”
In August 2018, Prado told Nathalie Bienfait at PBI-Colombia: “These are tense times; you can feel the fear and the pressure.”
In May 2020, a PBI-Colombia Action Alert noted: “Prado reported the presence of a high-power drone which fell into the patio of his residence; in addition to facing a threats and intimidation campaign as the victims’ council in the criminal case against the paramilitary group known as Los 12 Apóstoles.”
Commenting on PBI accompaniment, Prado stated: “It generates personal, psychological and physical security… if you go alone your attitude is different that if you feel the support of an international organization that is with you.”
Implications of the conviction of Uribe
El Pais has commented: “[Former President Álvaro Uribe] has been leading the right-wing movement, waiting for the blocs and alliances to solidify, and maneuvering to build a grand coalition to counter the left’s ambitions, which are seeking a successor to President Gustavo Petro in the 2026 elections.”
“He had also announced his intention to run again for the Senate in the March legislative elections, which precede the presidential elections and, through simultaneous primaries to choose candidates, effectively become a first round.”
That article highlights: “This momentum dissipated with the 28-year prison sentence handed down to his younger brother, the businessman and cattle rancher Santiago Uribe, also on appeal, for crimes related to paramilitary activity.”
We continue to follow this.
PBI-Colombia video: Daniel Prado Albarracín: “What motivates me to be a defender is rebellion.” (September 2020) “Daniel Prado Albarracín, associate lawyer with the human rights organisation Comisión de Justicia y Paz, speaks with PBI about the case against Santiago Uribe Vélez (“Los Doce Apóstoles”), and his motivation as a human rights defender.”
