Palace of Justice: FAQs
Why was a complaint filed?
Carlos Horacio Urán Rojas was a magistrate judge working at the Palace of Justice when M-19 guerillas attacked it and took the civilians inside hostage in 1985. Plaintiffs allege that, when the military retook the building, Magistrate Urán was one of a number of rescued hostages who were triaged into the military’s clandestine especiales system, where suspected guerillas and sympathizers were brutally interrogated, tortured, killed, or forcibly disappeared. Despite an acknowledgment by the government of Colombia that state actors tortured and forcibly disappeared civilians during the retaking of the Palace of Justice, and a judgment by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that state actors tortured and killed Magistrate Urán, no one has been held accountable for his death in Colombia.
The case builds upon and contributes to the decades of advocacy by survivors and victims’ families to seek justice for atrocities committed by the Colombian armed forces in their decades-long war against guerillas and to ensure that all those most responsible for the government’s abuses are held accountable.
Where was the complaint filed?
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Who are the plaintiffs?
The plaintiffs are Xiomara Urán, Mairée Urán Bidegain, and Helena Urán Bidegain, three of the daughters of Magistrate Carlos Horacio Urán Rojas.
Who is the defendant?
Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega is a former lieutenant colonel who, as the commander of the Colombian Army’s 13th Brigade Cavalry School, led the military units that stormed the Palace of Justice. Plaintiffs allege that the defendant actively participated in the especiales system and that his Cavalry School was one of the main sites where especiales were tortured, killed, or disappeared.
What was the especiales system?
As alleged in the complaint, “especiales” was a euphemism used by Colombian military and security forces to refer to rescued hostages and individuals during the Palace of Justice siege who were identified as potential guerillas or guerilla sympathizers. After hostages were filtered through a security cordon, those identified as “especiale” or “special” were separated and subjected to interrogation, torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killing.
Why was the Complaint filed in the United States?
This case was filed in the United States because Lt Col Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega is a resident of Florida.
What are the issues raised in this case?
The complaint alleges that Plazas Vega conspired to commit or exercised command responsibility over the torture and extrajudicial killing of Magistrate Urán during the military’s retaking of the Palace of Justice in 1985.
What is the legal framework for the complaint?
The plaintiffs bring civil claims under the Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA). The TVPA allows U.S. federal courts to hear claims against individuals who committed torture or extrajudicial killing while acting under the actual or apparent authority of a foreign government.
Do U.S. federal courts have jurisdiction over the defendant?
Yes. Plazas Vega currently resides in Florida.
What is the current status of the case?
This case will be going to trial starting on September 8, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
What will happen at trial?
At trial, plaintiffs will have the opportunity to present their case to establish whether Defendant should be held liable for the claims alleged in their complaint. Defendant will have the opportunity to present evidence demonstrating why he should not be held liable. Evidence presented at trial can include witness testimony, video footage, documentation, and photographs, among other materials and accounts that tend to prove or disprove each party’s case. Plaintiffs must demonstrate their claims “by a preponderance of the evidence,” which means a certain claim is more likely true than not. A jury will be asked to weigh the evidence to determine if plaintiffs have met this burden. The jury will then issue a verdict in which they decide, based on the evidence, whether defendant should be held liable under all, some, or none of plaintiffs’ claims.
Will Plazas Vega be required to testify?
As a defendant in a U.S. civil suit, Plazas Vega is not required to testify at trial. However, plaintiffs are allowed to call Plazas Vega as a witness. Plazas Vega, himself, may choose to testify as party of his own case.
What role will victims play in the Palace of Justice trial?
Victims of the Palace of Justice Siege may be called by plaintiffs or defendant as witnesses at trial. They may testify about their experiences, what they observed, and the impact the events had on them.
Have there been any other related cases?
In 1990, a petition was filed before the Inter-American Commission against the government of Colombia on behalf of several families of civilians killed or disappeared during the retaking of the Palace of Justice. The Commission submitted the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In 2014, the Court issued its judgment, concluding that ten of the twelve victims who were the subject of the petition were forcibly disappeared by state actors after leaving the Palace of Justice alive. The Inter-American Court also found that a thirteenth victim, Magistrate Urán, was seen coming out of the Palace of Justice alive and in the custody of military personnel and concluded that he was forcibly disappeared for several hours before being extrajudicially killed.
Although there have been prosecutions in Colombia related to the disappearance of several cafeteria workers from the Palace of Justice, there have been no domestic prosecutions for the torture and killing of Magistrate Urán. Currently, a Colombian transitional justice mechanism known as the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is investigating and prosecuting crimes committed during Colombia’s decades of armed conflict between the government and guerillas. Additionally, the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-repetition, tasked with investigating the armed conflict, is also investigating the events of the Palace of Justice until its mandate expires in June 2022.
Why is this a civil suit and not a criminal prosecution?
Avenues for domestic criminal accountability are limited. The Colombian criminal investigation into Magistrate Urán’s death has not progressed in years, despite renewed pleas from the Urán family and other advocates following the emergence of new evidence of military misconduct in Magistrate Urán’s case during the 2000s. Furthermore, there are few international avenues for criminal accountability for individual perpetrators of human rights abuses committed during the retaking of the Palace of Justice. The Rome Statute—the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court in The Hague—entered into force in 2002, years after the retaking occurred. Finally, the U.S. doesn’t have criminal jurisdiction over the events that played out in Colombia in 1985.
Who is CJA?
The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) is an international human rights organization dedicated to working with communities impacted by torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious human rights abuses to seek truth, justice, and redress using innovative litigation and transitional justice strategies. CJA has successfully brought cases against defendants such as the commander in charge of the Lutheran Church Massacre in Liberia, the military officer responsible for the assassination of Chilean activist and singer Víctor Jara, and Syria’s Assad regime for its targeted killing of war correspondent Marie Colvin.