Scholarship: "Permissible Perfidy?: Analysing the Colombian Hostage Rescue, the Capture of Rebel Leaders and the World's Reaction"

"Permissible Perfidy?: Analysing the Colombian Hostage Rescue, the Capture of Rebel Leaders and the World's Reaction" (Journal of International Criminal Justice) by John C. Den (United States Military Academy).  Colombian forces disguised as an international humanitarian mission rescued 15 hostages from the FARC guerrilla group, and also captured two guerrillas. The world's reaction, including those of humanitarian and human rights organizations, was overwhelmingly positive in spite of reports that Colombian commandos and intelligence agents posed as non-combatants protected by international humanitarian law in effecting the rescue and capture. This article examines the rescue operation to determine whether it might have violated IHL prohibitions regarding perfidious capture. He also examines doctrines that might preclude or negate potential criminal responsibility for individual participants or decision-makers, as well as those that might apply at a collective level.