Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has pardoned 30 former guerrilla soldiers in jail for non-violent crimes. Yesid Alvarado Reyes Colombian Minister of Justice and Law, explained that members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who have been convicted of minor crimes, such as rebellion or illegal possession of weapons, are expected to be released by the end of the year. The pardons come on the tails of peace talks between the FARC and the government, from which a formal agreement is expected to be signed next spring, and is anticipated to produce a “climate of confidence.”