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Colombia Congress Approves Amnesty for Thousands of FARC Rebels


FILE - A supporter of the peace deal between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia waves a flag during a rally in front of Congress, in Bogota, Colombia, Oct. 3, 2016.
FILE - A supporter of the peace deal between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia waves a flag during a rally in front of Congress, in Bogota, Colombia, Oct. 3, 2016.

Colombia's Congress on Wednesday approved an amnesty law to protect thousands of demobilizing Marxist guerrilla fighters from prosecution for minor crimes committed during the country's 52-year war.

The law, a key part of a peace deal signed last month between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, will not include fighters who have committed war crimes or human rights violations.

The amnesty also applies to members of the country's military. It is the first in a series of laws tied to the deal that will be sped through congress in hopes of reassuring rebels who are beginning to move to special demobilization zones.

The bill passed in both the Senate and the lower house, despite vociferous opposition from the right-wing Democratic Center party, whose members abstained from voting. The coalition of President Juan Manuel Santos, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this month, has a majority in Congress.

Some 7,000 FARC fighters are expected to lay down their arms over the next six months.

Rebels found guilty of serious crimes like massacres, sexual violence or kidnapping will not fall under the amnesty and will instead serve alternative sentences such as land mine removal, to be determined by a special court.

Other laws tied to the peace deal include rural reform, compensation to victims, removal of land mines and a United Nations-monitored cease-fire. The FARC will convert into a political party under the accord.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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