Entries by Embrace dialogue

THE 7 CASES BEFORE THE JEP

One element of the SJP is the Investigation and Accusation Unit (IAU) that is the only body within the JEP with judicial police powers. The unit has 16 prosecutors and one director and is tasked with investigating and bringing criminal charges in those cases where the alleged individual or collective perpetrators of serious human rights violations and International Humanitarian Law do not recognise the truth or accept their responsibility.

Conflict and exile: Peace building beyond the national border

Forced displacement has been recognised as a major consequence of the armed conflict in Colombia, sometimes forcing victims to leave the country in exile. According to the National Victims’ Registry, there are over 8,500,000 victims of the armed conflict and 7,500,000 victims of forced displacement. It is unknown exactly how many victims are living abroad but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates it to be approximately 400,000 – it is likely to be even higher.

6th Embrace Dialogue Academia Seminar

the sixth Embrace Dialogue Academia seminar was held, on the decision by influential FARC commanders to rearm, and the future of the Colombian peace process. Academics from British universities met with practitioners in the Institute of the Americas, University College London, and reached a general consensus: for peace to survive, the government must step up the pace of implementation of all dimensions of the peace agreement.

First steps of the JEP

President Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) restarted peace negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP) through a process of dialogue that relied on the participation of civil society and groups of the population that had been victims of the conflict historically. During this process was agreed to create a special and transitory mechanism to investigate, to ensure the participation of the highest ranking officials responsible for the most serious violations and to deliver restorative justice.

Embracing Truth: Gender-based violence

Sexual violence has been used strategically in Colombia’s armed conflict to breakdown community ties, to punish, humiliate and subordinate, and to silence those who denounce atrocities. But the magnitude of conflict-related sexual violence against women and LGBTI people in Colombia is yet to be fully understood. It is a crime that remains massively underreported, silenced and denied.