A Colombian NGO headed by congressman Ivan Cepeda has on Thursday called for the establishment of a Truth Commission to investigate crimes against humanity committed by the State in Colombia’s internal conflict.
“The parties to the conflict must take responsibility for these crimes. Specifically, the government must recognize the existence of a state policy that has led the human rights violations, crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes,” stated MOVICE in a missive.
“The Truth Commission would investigate reports, collect all information available and make recommendations for the judicial action and institutional reform necessary to secure our rights,” said MOVICE.
Congressman and MOVICE President Ivan Cepeda said that the aim is for “the State to recognize that crimes have been committed both within and outside of the armed conflict, which are not individual and isolated, but which constitute a crime against humanity.”
The commission would ideally be established within the context of the peace talks currently taking place in Havana, Cuba, between the Colombian government and the country’s largest left-wing rebel group, FARC.
MOVICE’s proposals have been outlined in a three page document which will be passed to United Nations (UN) representatives in Colombia’s capital of Bogota and subsequently delivered to the negotiating table in Havana.
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