A Colombian House of Representatives commission approves the proposed Victims Law, which will compensate those who suffered violence in the country’s armed conflict.
Colombia is poised to be the first Latin American country to approve such legislation, reports Caracol.
Nearly 30 of the law’s articles were approved by the First Commission, and ten are yet to be accepted. The law, originally presented in Congress by President Juan Manuel Santos on September 27, lays out the process of reparation and assistance available to the more than 4 million Colombians affected by the nearly country’s armed conflict.
Victims of violence perpetrated by guerrillas, paramilitaries and government forces will all be eligible under the law.
Several provisions that concern land restitution are still under debate. Some want only land that was seized since 1990 to be returned to its original owners, while others say the date should reach back to 1984.
The original Victims Law, which included victims of state violence, was originally proposed by the Liberal Party but was not ratified by Congress. An adaptation of the law, excluding victims of state agents, was partially approved in 2009 but did not get made into law.
