Long Prison Terms Reported for Killers of Colombia Leftist

BOGOTA, Colombia — A judge sentenced two men Tuesday to more than 20 years each in prison for killing leftist political party leader Jaime Pardo Leal, court sources said.

Judge Jairo Torres Romero sentenced William Infante to 25 years and Beyer Yesid Barrera to 24 years for killing Pardo Leal, president of the left-wing Patriotic Union party, in October, 1987.

Infante was jailed for life in the United States last May for drug smuggling and Yesid Barrera is still at large, judicial sources said.

A jury earlier this month found the two guilty of the killing but cleared a suspected leader of the Medellin cartel drug smuggling ring, Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, and three others of involvement in the crime.

The gunmen killed Pardo Leal he drove back from his summer home near Bogota. His murder sparked riots in Bogota, and thousands of people attended his funeral.

The Patriotic Union has three seats in the 199-seat Chamber of Representatives and two in the 114-seat Senate. Party sources say opponents have killed around 800 leaders and supporters since the party was founded in 1985.