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Colombian gov't pardons 30 FARC rebels

Xinhua, November 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Colombian government announced Sunday it has pardoned 30 FARC rebels currently serving sentences for rebellion against the state.

The gesture comes as the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas work to end five decades of fighting with a definitive peace treaty by the end of this year.

"As part of the gestures to build trust" between the two sides, "the National Government has decided ... to grant a pardon ... to 30 guerrillas," the Caracol News agency cited a government's statement released on Sunday as saying.

None of the 30 rebels incarcerated have been accused of other criminal offenses, the government said, adding it would also help the former inmates "reintegrate" into society through education and job training.

These pardons will be followed by others, the government indicated, saying they represent "the first group that will begin the process of reincorporation" into society.

Another 106 FARC rebels are serving sentences for rebellion in Colombian prisons.

Also Sunday, English-language news site Colombia Reports said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has sent his brother to Cuba to meet with top FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, alias "Timochenko," in an attempt to speed up the peace talks. Endit