The pressure on Colombia’s President Ivan Duque to end his resistance to his country’s war crimes tribunal is increasing amid growing claims that his party is stalling approval in Congress.
The senate voted to reject Duque’s controversial objections to the the statutory law that defines the powers of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) on Tuesday.
Senate president Ernesto Macias of Duque’s far right Democratic Center (CD) party has claimed that the “pro-peace” coalition came one vote short to formalize the senate decision to return the presidential objections to Duque.
Colombia’s senate fails to dismiss Duque’s objections to war crimes tribunal
Senators and judicial experts disagree and have said that the bill was passed and should be forwarded to the Constitutional Court and the President’s Office.
The United Nations, which monitors Colombia’s peace process, reiterated its call to urgently approve the JEP’s statutory law and end the legal uncertainty for demobilized FARC guerrillas.
UN Human Rights chief Alberto Brunori
Former President Juan Manuel Santos, who signed peace with FARC guerrillas in 2016, on Wednesday asked his successor to sign off on the statutory law, joining others’ claim that Macias’ refusal to acknowledge the vote goes against the law.
Former President Juan Manuel Santos
Macias’ refusal to acknowledge the validity of the vote is the latest of many attempt by the CD and illegal forces to frustrate the proceedings of the JEP that began investigating war crimes last year.
The Constitutional Court is already investigating Congress after the bill was altered between its approval by both chambers and before it arrived at the president of the House of Representatives for signing.
Colombia’s senate president says printer removed victims’ rights from war crimes tribunal bill
The JEP is controversial because it is not just investigating war crimes investigated byformer FARC guerrillas, but also crimes against humanity committed by the state, particularly during the two administration of Duque’s political patron and CD leader Alvaro Uribe.