Photo: Daniel Prado accompanied by PBI-Colombia.
Peace Brigades International accompanied Daniel Prado Albarracín when he was a lawyer with the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP), a Colombian non-governmental organization.
This was especially significant when he represented the victims in the emblematic case of “Los Doce Apóstoles” (12 Apostles).
Threats against Prado
An arrest warrant was issued against Santiago Uribe Vélez, the primary suspect in “the 12 Apostles” case, on February 19, 2016.
The threats and harassment against Prado intensified at that time.
For example, PBI-Colombia has 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 also 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.”
The conviction of Uribe
In November 2024, the Superior Court of Antioquia found Uribe responsible for integrating and supporting the illegal structure.
On November 26, 2025, El Pais reported that Uribe received a 28-year prison sentence for aggravated homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime while leading a paramilitary group called the 12 Apostles.
Now, on June 4, 2026, El Espectador reports: “The Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice confirmed the sentence of 28 years and three months in prison against Santiago Uribe Vélez. The decision comes after the Superior Court of Antioquia determined that the brother of former President Álvaro Uribe committed the crimes of aggravated homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime.”
Prado reacts
Today Prado is Colombia’s ambassador to Belgium.
Caracol reports that Prado has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision with “great satisfaction”.
Infobase adds: “The official inquiry [into the 12 Apostles] began in December 1995 and for most of these 31 years the lawyer Daniel Ernesto Prado Albarracín exercised the legal representation of the victims. …After learning of the decision, journalist Daniel Coronell revealed on his radio program 6 AM W that Prado declared: ‘It was a work that has been developed for many years and I am convinced of the responsibility that Santiago Uribe Vélez has in these events.’”
The continuing case
On June 5, 2026, Caracol Radio also reported: “After 31 years, the case is not over. A specialized court in Antioquia continues the trial against three men: alias ‘Pemberty’, alias ‘the dwarf’ and alias ‘the watchmaker’. They are accused of the massacre in the village of Chorrillos and the murder of Hernán Darío Zapata Correa. This week closing arguments were presented and only the sentence remains.”
We continue to follow this.
Additional reading: The PBI-Colombia accompaniment of lawyer Daniel Prado and the sentencing of Santiago Uribe in the 12 Apostles trial (PBI-Canada article, November 26, 2025).
Video still: PBI-Colombia interviews Daniel Prado (September 2020).
