{
  "id": 5660072,
  "title": "Former Colombian leader denies role in bloody 1990s massacres",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/former-colombian-leader-denies-role-in-bloody-1990s-massacres-5660072",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T22:09:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/09/05/former-colombian-leader-denies-role-in-bloody-1990s-massacres"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe faced questions on Friday about his role in two massacres and the murder of a human rights defender during the 1990s, before a hearing examining his involvement. The 74-year-old, who led a harsh crackdown against guerrillas from 2002 to 2010, is accused of allegedly supporting paramilitaries during Colombia's prolonged armed conflict. Uribe will recount the 1996 and 1997 paramilitary attacks in the Antioquia villages of El Aro and La Granja, where dozens were killed, homes burned, and cattle stolen. He will also address the 1998 shooting death of community leader Jesus Maria Valle, who exposed the massacres in Medellin. The 74-year-old, surrounded by heavily armed security, claimed the investigation was politically motivated and insisted he had not been a murderer. Last year, Uribe was acquitted of charges of bribery for paramilitaries, though his sentence was later overturned. Prosecutors allege Uribe facilitated and promoted paramilitaries, with his family ranch serving as their base. His brother Santiago Uribe was sentenced to 28 years in prison for leading a paramilitary group called \"The 12 Apostles.\" Victims' families have long demanded justice for the violence in Antioquia during the 1990s.",
  "summary": "Alvaro Uribe is due to give his account of paramilitary massacres that occurred in two Antioquian villages when he was governor of the region.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Former Colombian leader denies role in bloody 1990s massacres",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/former-colombian-leader-denies-role-in-bloody-1990s-massacres",
        "published": "2026-09-04T22:09:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}