The Ombudsman’s Office of Colombia confirmed this Monday that two workers from the Office of the Prosecutor (Fiscalía) who had been in the hands of the National Liberation Army guerrilla (ELN) for around a year and a half have been released.
The released men are Jesús Antonio Pacheco and Rodrigo López, members of the Technical Investigation Body (CTI) —the judicial police of the Office of the Prosecutor—, who had been held by the ELN since May 8, 2025, according to details provided by the institution in a statement released on its social media.
Both were handed over to the Ombudsman’s Office in the department of Arauca, in northwestern Colombia, in the context of a "humanitarian mission" in which the United Nations Verification Mission in the country and the International Committee of the Red Cross (CICR) also took part.
"Their release is a relief that makes it possible to reunite with their families after a prolonged period of kidnapping. In a previous meeting with their relatives, we learned first-hand about the anguish and uncertainty they have experienced during this time," the Ombudsman’s Office said, which has marked the closure of a "stage of extreme suffering" for the two officials.
At the same time, the agency stressed that "this should not happen" and called on the ELN and on "all armed groups" to release "all" the people they are holding.
The Ombudsman’s Office also recalled that "the so-called 'revolutionary trial' announced by the ELN against Pacheco and López lacks 'validity and legitimacy,' so that, although the release took place before the sentence announced by the guerrilla was carried out, these 'were not serving a legitimate punishment, but remained kidnapped'.
"No armed group may claim judicial powers, impose sentences, or use kidnapping as a mechanism of pressure, punishment, or negotiation. Their release does not constitute a concession by the armed group, but compliance with an obligation that should never have been disregarded," the Ombudsman’s Office added.