Body Count Syndrome: Investigating Extrajudicial Killings in Colombia

In the mid-2000s, the U.S.-supported Colombian military force measured its success against the insurgency in dead guerrilla fighters. The pressure for results was combined with rewards for soldiers, including bonuses, promotions, vacation time, and other perks. Soldiers began abducting and executing civilians, then framing the scene to look like victims had been killed in combat.

For decades, the military tried to cover up the practice, but thanks to the special tribunal in place after the peace deal of 2016, Colombians learned the full toll: Soldiers murdered 6,404 citizens. The peace deal promised to end a war that lasted for more than half a century.

This documentary follows the story of two protagonists of this chapter of Colombian history: Alexander Castro, who fought over decades to uncover the murder of his brother and uncle, and Col. Jaime Humberto Pinzón Amézquita, the commander of the battalion in which the homicides of civilians were orchestrated. Amézquita committed to revealing the truth about the murders and meeting Castro and other victims.

This story is a chance to understand a post-conflict society. How far does forgiveness go? Can the fragile peace hold if amnesty doesn’t seem to yield true justice? Can victims like Castro really find what they’re looking for by confronting perpetrators?