Colombia’s government has issued a long-awaited public apology for the extrajudicial killings of 19 civilians, who were mislabeled as rebel fighters in what became known as the “false positives” scandal. The killings took place between 2004 and 2008 as the Colombian military intensified its crackdown against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Colombian soldiers and officers were paid bonuses and granted promotions based on their kill count; thousands of civilians were killed and purposefully mislabeled. But some family members rejected the apology, including this mother of a victim.

Lucero Carmona: “Let it be very clear that today my family and I are not granting forgiveness. For us, it is very painful, because we are still in a moment of total impunity. I have been waiting for more than 16 years for justice to be served, for the truth to be found and for there to be no more repetition of these cases.”