The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) issued sentences against seven former members of the FARC Secretariat and twelve soldiers from the La Popa battalion. The former were convicted of crimes against humanity related to kidnapping, while the latter were convicted of extrajudicial executions known as "false positives."
In La Silla Vacía's analysis, the hosts highlighted the historical significance of both groups being tried by a national court. However, they noted that a perception of weak or ambiguous sanctions persists, especially in the case of the FARC, where reparation obligations were not immediately specified.
The sanctions against former FARC members include support for the search for missing persons, memorial activities, and reforestation. In contrast, the military sanctions include territorial presence and specific work to benefit victimized indigenous communities, which was considered more straightforward and restorative.
Victims like César Lazo, kidnapped for 13 years, expressed frustration at the lack of justice proportional to the harm suffered. Analysts emphasized that the effectiveness of the sentences will depend on the implementation of the TOAR (works, projects, and activities with restorative and reparative content) and the victims' genuine participation in their definition.
On the political front, they recalled that the peace agreement was questioned by sectors that warned of impunity and privileges for former guerrillas. Former President Juan Manuel Santos, for his part, argued that the sanctions were a necessary compromise to achieve the laying down of arms, while critics like Álvaro Uribe insisted that they represented excessive concessions.
Editor's Note:
The reflections of Juanita León and Héctor Riveros reveal the tension between what has been achieved and what remains to be done in transitional justice. I agree that what is truly historic is not only the JEP's ruling, but the opportunity it gives us as a society to look in the mirror without denying responsibility. However, the political division that has accompanied this process has weakened its restorative potential. No conviction can restore what was lost to the victims, but we can decide whether truth, reparation, and memory become the foundations of a different country or a wasted opportunity. Life, dignity, and recognition of others should be the center of our collective action, beyond political or ideological banners.