Justice of the Peace orders "immediate release" of Santrich, one of FARC leaders

Bogotá.- Colombian justice of the peace on Wednesday ordered the "immediate release" of the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (former guerrilla), now the Revolutionary Defense Force (FARC), Jesús Santrich, detained in a prison in Bogotá since April 2018 and sought extradition by the United States for drug trafficking.

The Special Court for Peace (JEP) "applies the guarantee of non-extradition to Seuxis Paucias Hernández", its legal name, and "orders #FiscaliaCol to have immediate freedom", The agency said on his Twitter account, reported AFP.

Santrich, one of the former hard-line commanders of former communist guerrillas, is currently being held in La Picota's maximum security prison after being captured on April 9, 2018 for allegedly participating in the shipment. cocaine in the United States after the signing of the peace agreement in 2016.

The rebel would participate in the shipment of ten tons of drugs between June 2017 and April 2018, an accusation that he denies and which he believes is part of a "judicial badembly" of the United States and Colombian Prosecutor's Office.

The historic peace pact establishes that guerrillas who commit crimes after the signing of the pact will be tried by the ordinary courts and lose the benefits of the agreement, including non-extradition.

The Santrich case confronted the CEP and the Attorney General, Nestor Humberto Martinez, for differences in the interpretation of the faculties of transitional justice.

The prosecutor's office maintains that the JEP is only authorized to certify the date on which the alleged crimes were committed, as established in its by-laws approved by Congress.

But the special court resorts to regulations that grant it more extensive powers, such as knowing the evidence in extradition cases, badessing the conduct and "proper procedure" that must be followed against an accused.

In addition, The United States has called for the extradition of the former guerrilla commander.

The arrest of Seusis Paucias Hernández caused strong protests against the leftist party Fuerza Fuerza Revolucionaria del Común (FARC).

The former negotiator of the former guerrilla, Iván Márquez, refused to occupy the seat of the Senate in July, which guarantees the peace agreement for the legislative period 2018-2022, in protest against the imprisonment of Santrich.

Since then, the location of Márquez and other former guerrillas who denounce violations of the agreement aimed at overcoming half a century of armed conflict is unknown.