The Senate Peace Commission set to rest a big concern of Colombia’s military regarding transitional justice in the event of a peace deal with Colombia’s largest rebel group, FARC.
Senator Roy Barreros, vice-president of the Senate’s Peace Commission, said “It won’t happen that we forgive guerrillas and condemn the militares, peace has to be for all and that is how it is outlined in transitional justice,” according to El Espectador newspaper.
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Barreros added that, “Even though in the beginning there was resistance from military officials in joining the guerrillas since they were legitimate forces, now they are beginning to understand that this is about putting an end to the war and that the lack of justice for the military will not be tolerated.”
Colombia’s military has many war crimes to answer to as an actor in the civil war. Colombia’s military is accused of committing over 4,000 extrajudicial kills of civilians known as false positives.
The senator assured the military that there will be equal legal solutions for military and FARC members in the event of a peace deal.
The Senate’s Peace Commission also informed that military officials sent to Cuba will consult on an eventual demobilization, according to El Pais newspaper.
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Senator Mauricio Lizcano declared “The idea is to know where the guerrillas are moving, where they will demobilize, what are the guarantees, and this will be done when the peace process is done,” reported RCN.
“La idea es saber por dónde se va a mover la guerrilla, dónde se van a desmovilizar, cuales son las seguridades y esto se haría una vez termine el proceso de paz”, añadió.