Colombia seeks US pardon for jailed former guerilla leader

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Colombia has asked US President Joe Biden to pardon a former leader of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group who is currently in prison in the state of Colorado.

The Colombian government sent a diplomatic note to the Biden administration for the pardon of Simon Trinidad, whose real name is Juvenal Ovidio Ricardo Palmera Pineda, local media reported Monday.

As part of the ongoing peace process in Colombia, President Gustavo Petro's government requested Trinidad to testify to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the judicial component of the process, aiming to shed light on human rights violations.

A statement released by the Colombian Embassy in Washington said a diplomatic note was sent to the US administration on Nov. 12 requesting a presidential pardon so that Trinidad could contribute to the JEP process.

Trinidad was extradited to the US in 2004 on charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering.

He was considered one of the commanders of FARC's Caribbean Bloc in the mid-1990s.

Trinidad was captured in January 2004 in Ecuador’s capital, Quito.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel