Justice is slow but it arrives.
Santiago Uribe convicted of leading Los 12 Apóstoles paramilitary group responsible for at least 300 homicides, forced disappearances, and torture in Antioquia. Court found peak criminal activity occurred when his brother Álvaro Uribe served as governor; group executed extermination policy against perceived guerrilla sympathizers.
- Santiago Uribe sentenced to 28 years and 4 months for leading Los 12 Apóstoles paramilitary group
- Group attributed with at least 300 homicides, hundreds of forced disappearances, kidnappings, and torture
- Peak criminal activity occurred when his brother Álvaro Uribe served as governor of Antioquia
- Court reversed lower court acquittal from November 2024; conviction came unanimously from three judges
- Fine of 6.5 billion pesos (approximately 2.5 million dollars) also imposed
Colombia's Superior Court of Antioquia sentenced Santiago Uribe Vélez, brother of former president Álvaro Uribe, to 28 years in prison for leading a paramilitary group and aggravated homicide, overturning a prior acquittal.
On Tuesday, a court in Antioquia handed down a 28-year prison sentence to Santiago Uribe Vélez, the younger brother of former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, for his role in organizing and leading a paramilitary group responsible for killings, forced disappearances, and torture across the northern region of the department. The Superior Court of Antioquia reversed a lower court's acquittal from November 2024, finding him guilty of aggravated criminal conspiracy and aggravated homicide. The three judges—René Molina Cárdenas, John Jairo Ortiz, and Gustavo Adolfo Pinzón—ruled unanimously that Uribe was the leader and directing force behind Los 12 Apóstoles, a paramilitary organization that operated under various names beginning in 1992 and drew its membership from ranchers, businessmen, police officers, and even a priest.
The group's reach was extensive and brutal. Court documents attribute at least 300 homicides to Los 12 Apóstoles, along with hundreds of forced disappearances, kidnappings, torture sessions, and other acts of violence that remain largely unpunished. Among the named victims were bus drivers, farmers, and others labeled by the group as guerrilla sympathizers or undesirables. One case that figured prominently in the conviction was the murder of Camilo Barrientos Durán, a bus driver shot multiple times while driving his route between the towns of Yarumal and Campamento. The court found that Barrientos had been marked for death by the paramilitary organization because he was accused of aiding guerrilla forces. Many of the group's operations, according to testimony from multiple witnesses across different trials, were planned at a property called La Carolina, which belonged to Santiago Uribe.
The judges determined that Los 12 Apóstoles reached its peak of criminal activity during the period when Álvaro Uribe served as governor of Antioquia. The court concluded that the group executed what amounted to a systematic extermination policy targeting individuals deemed threats to the state or sympathetic to leftist insurgent groups operating in the region. The sentence includes an additional fine of 6.5 billion pesos—roughly 2.5 million dollars—and an immediate arrest warrant will be issued once the ruling becomes final.
The conviction arrives just two months after Álvaro Uribe himself was acquitted of witness tampering charges in a separate case, a decision that had already drawn intense scrutiny within Colombia. The former president, who leads the country's right-wing political movement, posted a brief statement on social media expressing his pain at his brother's conviction: "I feel profound sorrow for the sentence against my brother. May God help us." His defense team, led by attorneys Jaime Granados, Juan Felipe Amaya, and Jesús Albeiro Yepes, immediately announced plans to challenge the ruling, stating they would appeal to the Supreme Court's Criminal Chamber and expressing confidence that "truth and justice" would ultimately prevail.
Left-leaning political figures celebrated the verdict. Senator Iván Cepeda, a presidential candidate who had championed the prosecutions of both brothers, called it "excellent news for the victims, truth, and justice in Colombia." Claudia López, the former mayor of Bogotá and another presidential aspirant who had investigated paramilitarism extensively, offered a longer reflection: "No debt goes unpaid and no deadline is missed. To all the victims, to the displaced peasants, to the shattered families, to the more than 132,000 mothers and fathers still searching for their disappeared children, my love and solidarity always. Justice is slow but it arrives." The conviction stands as a rare moment of accountability in a conflict that has left deep scars across the Colombian countryside, though the road to final judgment remains open as the defense prepares its appeal.
Citações Notáveis
I feel profound sorrow for the sentence against my brother. May God help us.— Former president Álvaro Uribe, posted on social media
Justice is slow but it arrives.— Claudia López, former mayor of Bogotá
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does this conviction matter so much to Colombia right now, beyond the fact that it involves a former president's family?
Because for decades, paramilitarism operated with near-total impunity in rural Colombia. These groups killed hundreds, made thousands disappear, and displaced entire communities. Most of those responsible were never touched. This sentence, even if it gets appealed, signals that the courts are finally willing to hold someone accountable—and that someone is powerful.
The timing is striking—his brother was just acquitted two months ago. How does that shape the public reaction?
It creates a narrative tension that Colombians can't ignore. Álvaro Uribe walks free on a technicality while Santiago faces 28 years for actual crimes. It raises questions about whether the justice system protects the powerful or whether it's finally breaking that pattern.
The court found that the paramilitary group was most active when Álvaro Uribe was governor. Is there any suggestion he was involved?
The court doesn't say that. But it's hard to ignore the timing. The group's peak violence coincided with his tenure. Whether that's causation or coincidence, the court leaves that question unanswered—which itself is a kind of answer.
What about the victims? Are they getting anything from this?
A sentence is symbolic. It acknowledges what happened. But 300 homicides, hundreds of disappearances—most of those cases remain unsolved. The families still don't know where their relatives are buried. A prison term doesn't bring anyone back or answer those questions.
The defense says they'll appeal to the Supreme Court. What are the chances they succeed?
Hard to say. But the fact that three judges unanimously agreed on this conviction is significant. It's not a split decision. The evidence must have been substantial. Still, appeals exist for a reason, and wealthy defendants with good lawyers often find paths through the system.