Colombia's JEP returns remains of 3 disappeared victims after over 20 years

Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) has successfully returned the remains of three victims of forced disappearance to their families. The individuals had vanished more than two decades ago in the municipality of Apartadó, located in the northwestern department of Antioquia, during the country's armed conflict. The JEP announced the recovery of the bodies on Saturday, stating they were found in rural areas of the San José de Apartadó district.The recovery was made possible through voluntary statements and judicial proceedings conducted by former members of the now-dissolved FARC guerrilla group, as part of investigations into crimes committed in the Urabá sub-region under Case 04. The identified victims are Luis Eduardo Aguirre, a farmer and community leader who disappeared on July 10, 2001, and Humberto Palacios Palacios, a farm worker who vanished on October 19, 2000. The identity of a third victim remains confidential by court order. The remains were handed over to their families on June 12.The JEP, in collaboration with the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences and the Unit for the Search of Persons Deemed Disappeared, confirmed that the identification process involved anthropological analysis and genetic comparisons. These restitutions represent a significant step forward in clarifying forced disappearances that occurred in the Urabá region. The JEP highlighted the importance of the truth contributions made by former combatants subjected to the tribunal in locating disappeared persons during the armed conflict.