How the Perverse Incentives behind “False Positives” Worked

This article is the second in a series by Human Rights Watch to mark the 10 years since the Soacha cases. Between 2002 and 2008, army brigades across Colombia systematically murdered more than 3,000 civilians. The bodies were recorded as enemies killed in combat, in what came to be known as “false positive” cases. As investigations of the killings moved forward, many soldiers told prosecutors that pressure on troops to report results in combat —and rewards for killings—were a perverse incentive behind the false positives. Human Rights Watch has now uncovered military documents that describe in-depth…

© Human Rights Watch - lundi 12 novembre 2018