Peace talks
COLOMBIA: Agreement on transitional justice measures in Havana peace talks
President Juan Manuel Santos and the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Rodrigo Londono, alias Timochenko, met in Havana, Cuba, to celebrate the agreement to create a special jurisdiction for peace as part of an integrated system of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantee of Non Recurrence. Although the details of the deal have not yet been made public, it is known that special peace tribunals will be created to try individuals for alleged crimes related to the armed conflict, regardless of whether they were committed by armed groups or by State forces. An amnesty will be granted for political crimes, although according to international standards crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes are excluded from the amnesty. Penalties will depend on whether the accused recognise the truth and their responsibility. Apart from restricting freedom and limiting rights, the punishment will have a restorative function to repair the caused harm, such as demining work or planting new crops in coca growing zones. To participate in the integrated system FARC members must surrender their arms, in a process that has to start in the 60 days following the signature of the final peace treaty. More than 15,000 FARC members could benefit from the amnesty. Immediately after signing the agreement the General Prosecutor ordered the suspension of all the charges against FARC commanders. The International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) celebrated the agreement, but noted that the success or failure of the transitional justice measures depends on the degree of complexity of such measures, and on the resources allocated to put them into practice. Given the magnitude of harm in the Colombian armed conflict, the ICTJ recommends establishing a mechanism to give priority to the most significant cases. Initiated more than 50 years ago, the Colombian war has caused the death of 220,000 people, and has displaced more than five million internally. (BBC, 24/09/15; ICTJ, 25/09/15)