New Truth Commissioner in Colombia

Embrace Dialogue endorses the selection of Alejandro Castillejo as the new Truth Commissioner in Colombia. The decision taken by the existing 10 commissioners was part of an inclusive, public and pluralist process to replace the commissioner  who sadly passed away in October 2019, and involved individuals with a wealth of experience.

We congratulate Alejandro Castillejo for being selected from this demanding process. We trust that his extensive experience working on memory in different corners of Colombia, his rigorous academic record and his work internationally in the fields of transitional justice and truth commissions in the world, will all contribute to an understanding of the complexity of the armed conflict and the fulfilment of the Commission’s mandate.

We have accompanied the Truth Commission’s work from the beginning and have also worked with Alejandro Castillejo in different spaces. Civil society has the greatest task ahead in transforming violence in everyday life. We therefore express our support for the work of uncovering the truth behind the internal armed conflict in Colombia and its causes, which makes possible the acknowledgement of the wrongdoings of the past  and building coexistence in marginal regions of the country.

*Image taken from Comision de la Verdad site.