Colombia’s Truth Commission recommended radical policy changes to prevent a repetition of violence and armed conflict that left the country traumatized.
The commission published its long-awaited report on Colombia’s armed conflict and violence between 1958 and 2016 after a thorough study of more than three years.
Apart from an analysis on the causes of the seemingly perpetual violence, the report also contained recommendations to different sectors of the State to guarantee peace.
These recommendations were a major blow for President Ivan Duque, who appeared to have been dedicated to plunging Colombia in a new cycle of violence, according to newspaper El Espectador, which received a draft of the recommendations.
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Modernizing defense sector
The Truth Commission urged the military to get rid of its Cold War doctrine, which was surprisingly restored under Duque in 2020 despite being one of the main causes of the security forces’ persistent human rights violations.
The military developed a new military doctrine between 2011 and 2016 under Santos, but discarded this new “Damasco Doctrine” for no clear reason.
The commission additionally recommended civilian checks and balances on military intelligence activities after evidence that indicated in 2020 that the National Army’s intelligence was illegally spying on human rights defenders, government critics and journalists.
Santos disbanded now-defunct intelligence agency DAS in 2011 over its involvement in similar practices and terrorism.
The commission also recommended background checks of military officials awaiting promotion to prevent the infiltration of organized crime or war criminals in the military command.
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Effective counternarcotics policy
The Truth Commission recommended to end prohibitionist counternarcotics policies that became popular after late US President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs in 1971 and were revived by Duque in 2018.
The commission also recommended an end to the president’s attempted flagship counternarcotics strategies, aerial spraying and the forced eradication of coca, the base ingredient of cocaine.
The notoriously ineffective strategies soared cocaine production to record levels and fueled violence caused by groups involved in the drug trade.
The commission also recommended the government to take the lead in an international debate on how to coherently combat the global drugs problem and Colombia’s exports of cocaine to consumer markets.
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Implementation of peace policies
The Truth Commission recommended a plan to accelerate the implementation of a 2016 peace deal between Santos and now-defunct guerrilla group FARC.
The commission also urged the government to respect international protocols and comply with State obligations in regards to peace talks with guerrilla group ELN.
Duque blatantly refused to comply with State obligations regarding the ELN peace talks and “deliberate” sabotaged of the peace process with the FARC, according to hundreds of civil society organization.
Consequently, violence reached levels not seen in decades in the first few months of this year.
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Increased political participation
Police using teargas in a residential area in Bogota (Image: Joshua Collins)
The Truth Commission recommended to make Colombia’s political system more democratic and protect perceived government critics from political violence and police brutality.
The commission particularly urged to promote the political inclusion of rural voters who have historically faced major logistical difficulties to cast their vote in elections.
The Truth Commission additionally recommended political parties to promote internal democratic processes to promote the participation of women and ethnic minorities.
The commission also urged to make the National Electoral Council, Colombia’s highest electoral tribunal, independent from the political parties.
The Truth Commission additionally suggested to design mechanism that would allow the formation of potential political leaders and representatives.
The commission additionally recommended measures to facilitate peaceful protests and other forms of political participation, instead of repressing these.
On the short term, the commission urged the prosecution to crate guarantees that would “avoid the use of the criminal justice system, police actions and other norms as mechanisms of repression of legitimate and peaceful social protests.”
Police arrested thousands of peaceful protesters during a largely peaceful “National Strike” last year after which the prosecution jailed hundreds on apparently trumped up charges.
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Anti-corruption measures
The Truth commission recommended to depoliticize the election of the Prosecutor General, who is currently elected by the Supreme Court from a presidential shortlist.
This mechanism gradually eroded public confidence in the prosecution and plummeted after one of Duque’s best friends, Francisco Barbosa, was elected in 2020.
The commission recommended the formation of a commission formed by national and international jurists to recover the credibility of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Last but not least, the Truth Commission recommended to revise the government’s extradition policy to prevent that the mechanism is being used to guarantee impunity in Colombia.
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Reparation for war victims
In order to optimize the reparation of Colombia’s more than 9 million war victims, the Truth Commission recommended putting a memorial in Bogota at the heart of this policy, and to bar the president from appointing its director.
Land redistribution
The Truth Commission recommended to implement a rural reform that was part of the 2016 peace deal to revert the concentration of land property.
The concentration of land property escalated as a consequence of a land heist carried out by paramilitary organization, the private sector and politicians close to former President Alvaro Uribe.
Duque has tried to obstruct the restitution of stolen land by appointing alleged associates of land thieves in key administrative positions.