Luis Carlos Restrepo Ramírez (born 24 January 1954) is a Colombian psychiatrist and philosopher, who served as the 5th High Commissioner for Peace of Colombia from August 2002 to March 2009. While in Office, he was in charge of the controversial demobilization and disarmament of 32,000 paramilitaries of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and 13,000 guerrilla fighters. For some time, the

Government of Colombia The Government of Colombia is a republic with separation of powers into executive, judicial and legislative branches. Its legislature has a congress, its judiciary has a supreme court, and its executive branch has a president. The citi ...

considered him a

fugitive A fugitive or runaway is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

, after the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia issued an international

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

after Restrepo left the country on 8 January 2012 on a flight bound to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

; his current whereabouts remain unknown, but he is presumed to have obtained

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

in Canada. Restrepo, who was accused of faking the

demobilization Demobilization or demobilisation (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or becaus ...

of a FARC

military unit Military organization ( AE) or military organisation ( BE) is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hiera ...

in 2006, is charged by the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia with conspiracy to commit crime;

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

; and arms possession,

trafficking Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

, and manufacturing. Restrepo, who was one of the closest allies of the President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, has denied the allegations made against him, and accused the Administration of President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón of mounting a political persecution against him; in this he receives the backing and support of former President Uribe. However, on September 23, 2013, Colombia's Prosecutor General dropped the arrest warrant against Restrepo. From his exile, Restrepo has shown support for the current Peace talks of President

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by training and a journalist by trade, S ...

with FARC rebels.

Personal life

Luis Carlos was born on 24 January 1954 in Filandia,

Caldas Department Caldas () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7, ...

to Carlos E. Restrepo Ramírez and Soledad Ramírez Ospina.

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Restrepo Ramirez, Luis Carlos 1954 births Living people People from Quindío Department National University of Colombia alumni Pontificia Universidad Javeriana alumni Colombian psychiatrists Colombian philosophers Colombian male writers Peace Commissioners of Colombia Fugitives wanted by Colombia Fugitives wanted on arms smuggling charges Fugitives wanted on fraud charges Restrepo family