Colombia’s National Council of Victims has selected 15 delegates to represent the victims of the Colombian armed conflict for the ongoing peace talks between the government and Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, local media reported on Wednesday.
The list of 15 people will be presented to Sergio Jaramillo, the government’s lead negotiator in the peace talks with the FARC in Havana, Cuba.
The delegates, who were chosen in a plenary session in the capital of Bogota last Friday, will be traveling to Havana to take part in the dialogues beginning in June, according to Medellin-based newspaper El Colombiano.
The National Council of Victims was created as a result of the “Victims Law” as a vehicle for representation of victims of Colombia’s armed conflict.
MORE: Colombian law on victim compensation takes effect
The victims will be represented for the first time in the ongoing peace negotiations with the FARC in Havana, Cuba. This also marks the first time that the FARC recognize that they have been victimizers in the Colombian armed conflict.
The Colombian government and the FARC have been in negotiations since November 2012 while peace negotiations with the country’s second largest rebel group, the ELN, were announced in mid-June. Both the FARC and the government have agreed to three of the six topics to be discussed.
MORE: Colombia govt, ELN rebels announce formal peace talks
The “Victims Law” allows victims of violence committed by left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and state officials after 1985 to claim a financial compensation between approximately $4,500 and $11,000.
The law, officially called Law 1448 of 2011, also allows displaced farmers to reclaim land that was stolen or obtained under threats by illegal armed groups or their henchmen.
Sources
- Mesa Nacional de Víctimas escogió delegados para ir a La Habana (El Colombiano)