Former leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Ricardo Palmera was sentenced to 60 years in prison for conspiring to taking hostages in the case of the three American contractors kidnapped in 2003 in Colombia. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled the sentence on Monday, after Plamera’s actions were considered an act of terrorism that went against the laws of civilized nations.

The rebel group led by the 56-year-old Colombian, who is also known as Simon Trinidad, admitted to have acted as the chief negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC in the hostage situation, but denied kidnapping or seeing the three Americans. Palmera defended his position, saying he wanted the hostages to be released in the first place, but at the same time the so-called acts of terrorism were in fact part of a legitimate military revolution.

The hostage situation has not reached its end yet. So far, the three civilians taken hostages, the Pentagon contractors Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell, are still in the hands of the rebels. But Palmera thinks he did nothing wrong, and concluded at the end of an hour long speech: “My conscience absolves me and I now join the ranks of so many others who history can and will absolve.”

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and other 30 countries. However, Palmera stated that neither he nor the FARC supported terrorism, and that he hopes for a peace accord to become possible between the U.S. government and the guerrilla group. And as if being accused of terrorism is not enough, Palmera awaits the sentence in a second trial, involving cocaine trafficking charges.

FARC is a communist revolutionary guerrilla group established 43 years ago as a military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. The organization turned from being a guerrilla group to becoming involved in illicit drug transactions in the 1980s. It currently has an estimated 16,000 members and its actions are stronger in the south-eastern parts of the country.