The following statement by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers was adopted at its Bureau meeting on 2 December 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal.
This November marks the passing of two years since the Peace Agreement in Colombia was signed between the previous Colombian Government under Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).
Today, we note that the final agreement has been modified through legislative implementations and judicial interpretations, and the parts that have not been modified have also not been implemented.Therefore, the agreement has lost its essence, its effectiveness and its function.
Essential aspects of the agreement have been altered, such as the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, for example, by eliminating the obligation of declaration of the third parties, such as multinationals, banks, latifundistas, officials, traders, businesses, etc., depriving Colombian society of knowing their role in the financing, organization and protection of the paramilitary groups. The investigation and judicial review of the Army and state officials have also been excluded from this special jurisdiction and the structure of these processes have changed, among other alterations.
Furthermore, point 1 of the agreement, called the Integral Rural Reform, essential for peace, has not been implemented to clarify the origin of land ownership and create a land fund for displaced peasants, despite the fact that the land problem is one of the basic causes of the Colombian conflict.
The solution to the problem of illicit drug trafficking contemplated in point 4 of the agreement has not been implemented. This is also vital for the achievement of Colombian peace. On the other hand, peasants have been criminalized and prosecuted and subjected to forced eradication of crops with imposed methods that affect the health of people and the environment.
None of the agreed measures to incorporate the ex-combatants of the FARC into the society have been complied with, thus leaving them in a situation of exclusion and vulnerability that hinders the peace even more.
Even so, the most serious and outrageous aspect of the current situation in Colombia is that once the agreement was signed, a wave of murders was unleashed with the intention of exterminating the ex-combatants of the unprotected FARC, the human rights defenders, activists and left leaders, environmentalists, peasant organizers, Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples and students. This causes us to think that the past extermination of the Patriotic Union could be repeated if the State fails to assume the responsibility of judging, dismantling and finishing the paramilitary groups.
For all of these reasons, we demand that the Colombian State comply with its signed commitments for the real achievement of peace and democracy and combat and end the selective assassinations of people who raise their voices for dignity and peace, recognizing that peace is both a right and a duty.
Este Noviembre se han cumplido dos anos desde el acuerdo de Paz firmado entre el anterior Gobierno Colombiano de la mano de Juan Manuel Santos y Las Farc.
Hoy podemos observar que el acuerdo final se ha modificado mediante implementaciones legislativas e interpretaciones jurisprudenciales y las partes que no han sido modificadas no se han implementado.Asi el acuerdo ha perdido su esencia, su eficacia y su funcion.
Se cambian asi aspectos esenciales del acuerdo como la Justicia especial para la Paz por ejemplo eliminando la obligacion de la declaracion de terceros, como multinacionales, bancios, latifundistas ganaderos, funcionarios, comercio ,etc privando a la sociedad Colombiana de conocer la participacion de dichos terceros en la financiacion , organizacion y proteccion de los grupos paramiliares.Se excluyen tambien de la JEP la investigacion y judicializacion del Ejercito y funcionarios del estado y se cambia su estructura, entre otras.
Ademas no se ha implementado el punto 1 del acuerdo, denominado Reforma Rural Integral ensencial para la la Paz, para esclarecer el origen de la propiedad de la tierra y crear un Fondo de tierras para los campesinos desplazados, siendo el problema de la tierra uno de los problemas base del conflicto Colombiano.
La solucion para el problema de las dorgas ilicitas contemplado en el punto 4 del acuerdo tampoco se ha implementado siendo tambien vital para la consecucion de la Paz Colombiana y en cambio se ha criminalizado y judicializado a los campesinos y se ha impuesto la erradicaion forzada con metodos que afectan a la salud de las personas y el medio ambiente.
Tampoco se ha cumplido ninguna de las medidas acordadas para incorporar a los excombatientes de Las Farc en la sociedad, asi dejandoles en una situacion de exclusion y vulnerabilidad que obtaculiza aun mas la Paz.
Aun asi lo mas grave e indignante de la situacion actual de Colombia ,es que una vez firmado el acuedo se desatado una ola de asesinatos con la intencion de exterminar a los ex-combatientes de las Farc desprotegidos, los defensores de derechos humanos, activistas y dirigentes de izquirdas, ambientalistas, campesionos, afrodescendientes, indigenas y estudiantes que nos lleva a pensar que se repite el pasado genocidio de la Union Patriotica, sin que el Estado asuma la responsabilidad de juzgar, desmontar y terminar con los grupos Paramilitares.
Por todo ello exigimos al Estado Colombiano que cumpla con los compromisos firmados para la real consecucion de la Paz y la Democracia y se combata y se finalicen los asesinatos selectivos de las personas que alzan su Voz por la dignidad y la Paz, recordadndo que la Paz es un derecho y un deber.
Photo: Marcha Patriotica, Flickr