Restorative Justice System Fails to Implement
In the heart of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia with a population of 52.89 million inhabitants, the historic verdicts issued by the JEP (Special Jurisdiction for Peace) are causing a significant stir, accentuating political polarization just months ahead of the presidential election scheduled for May next year.
Seven former FARC leaders, accused of war crimes, torture, and cruel treatment, have been found guilty. Their sentences, however, have been met with criticism for perceived lack of severity. Former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, a victim of FARC kidnapping, felt 'dishonored' by the verdict and denounced a bias in favor of the FARC.
The FARC, once a powerful guerrilla group, has admitted that the moral burden of their historic actions, including over 21,000 kidnappings and the forced recruitment of minors between 1982 and 2012, will weigh on them for many years. Instead of prison, the former leaders will perform actions in memory of victims, including searching for missing persons and participating in de-mining processes.
Twelve former military personnel, including two ex-colonels, were also found guilty of 135 homicides and enforced disappearances and were sentenced to alternative penalties to imprisonment.
The JEP's decision is part of a reparative justice process, qualified by the UN as an important step in the peace process between the FARC and Colombian society. Restorative justice, according to Luis Sotelo, may be the best approach, as a more traditional judicial approach would not have yielded the same result.
However, if the right wins the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, the process may be slowed, according to Ángel Tuiran Sarmiento. This could be due to individuals or groups with ties to the former FARC leadership or those opposing transitional justice processes who might cause a slowdown if justice prevails.
The site associated with this article is Jean-Christophe Laurence's. The historic verdict is undoubtedly a complex issue, with deep roots in Colombia's history, and its implications continue to unfold in the political landscape of this vibrant South American nation.
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