Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) has issued its first criminal sentences against the former leadership of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), finding seven senior commanders responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed through kidnappings that lasted over two decades. It reconstructs how the FARC used kidnappings as a central strategy to finance its operations, control territory and influence political negotiations. Hostages were held for ransom, used to pressure the government into prisoner exchanges, or taken to intimidate civilian populations. The JEP concluded that the practice was a deliberate policy approved by the group’s top commanders rather than isolated actions by local fronts. The Scope of Criminal ResponsibilityIn its 500-page verdict, JEP emphasized that the commanders’ responsibility was both individual and collective.