Mauricio Santoyo Velasco

Mauricio Santoyo Velasco is a retired Colombian general known for his role as head of security for former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez and as commander of the Gaula anti-kidnapping unit in Antioquia. He has been in the news recently due to the confirmation by the Supreme Court of Justice of a decision denying his habeas corpus petition, which claimed his prolonged detention was illegal. Santoyo has been incarcerated since 2019, following his return to Colombia after serving a 13-year sentence in the United States for links to paramilitary and narcotics activities. He currently faces charges related to forced disappearances and organized crime, and his requests for conditional release have repeatedly been denied by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), which scrutinizes his contributions to truth-telling about the conflict in Colombia.