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#Colombia’s transitional justice is beginning to crack open its first explosive revelations, including long-unsolved crimes like the murder of Conservative leader Álvaro Gómez H. Immediate reactions reveal deep cleavages in peace process implementation 
@ICGlatam @CrisisGroup
@ICGlatam @CrisisGroup
If allowed to function, transitional justice offers to clarify some of the mysteries of #Colombia’s conflict, revealing the strange, perverse, even obsessive logic that drove violence. These revelations will be challenging, as the first cases already indicate. 2/
On 3 October, three senior @PartidoFARC members now in the Senate sent a letter to the transitional court, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace @JEP_Colombia, admitting responsibility for five targeted assassinations, among them Gómez Hurtado. 3/ https://www.jep.gov.co/Sala-de-Prensa/Paginas/Farc-asume-responsabilidad-en-homicidio-de-%C3%81lvaro-G%C3%B3mez-Hurtado-y-en-otros-cinco-casos.aspx
Gómez H’s murder, in 1995 in front of a university in Bogotá, was never solved. Just one alleged material author was tried; he has always maintained his innocence. The logic behind the crime remained in a fog of war even 1/4 century after the fact. 4/ https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-54428892
. @PartidoFARC also admitted responsibility for the murder of 5 others including Jesus Bejarano, peace advisor for presidents Barco and Gaviria; Hernando Pizarro, brother of murdered M-19 leader Carlos Pizarro, and General Fernando Landazábal. 5/ https://verdadabierta.com/las-obsesiones-de-las-farc-por-los-muertos-que-se-atribuyo-ante-la-jep/
Members of Gómez H’s family have long blamed then-President Ernesto Samper for the murder, allegedly in coordination with Cali Cartel. Gómez had called for Samper’s resignation over alleged narco- campaign financing. Samper welcomed the FARC’s confession6/ https://twitter.com/ernestosamperp/status/1312461072360595456
Senator @Carlozada_FARC offered reasons for the murder that are difficult to digest. And indeed, the victim’s family has not accepted the FARC’s claim of responsibility. President Iván Duque similarly cast doubt on the verity of the revelations 7/ https://www.elespectador.com/colombia2020/justicia/jep/yo-ejecute-la-orden-de-asesinar-a-alvaro-gomez-carlos-antonio-lozada/
. @JEP_Colombia called the three former FARC commanders to offer their version to the transitional court. Yesterday, the country’s attorney general @FiscaliaCol also said it would call these individuals to provide testimony. 8/ https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/choque-de-trenes-fiscalia-se-enfrenta-a-la-jep-por-caso-alvaro-gomez/202018/
. @FiscaliaCol claim to the case has generated some concern, as the @JEP_Colombia should retain competency for the case. The Attorney General’s perceived proximity to the president also leads some to worry about meddling with the peace accord. 9/ https://www.eltiempo.com/politica/proceso-de-paz/timochenko-habla-sobre-el-crimen-de-alvaro-gomez-542138
Yet so far, this is how the transitional justice mechanism was intended to operate. While only @JEP_Colombia can impute charges, @FiscaliaCol can and should also investigate grave crimes to provide the maximum clarity for victims. 10/ https://www.coljuristas.org/observatorio_jep/documentos/documento.php?id=150
A call from @ComisionadoPaz asking @JEP_Colombia to consider removing the FARC members from Senate is more worrisome. Transitional justice is predicated on trading truth/laying down arms for political participation. 11/ https://twitter.com/ComisionadoPaz/status/1313897219662254081
From what we know thus far, @PartidoFARC is complying with the accord rather than breaking it. These confessions, and others likely to follow, offer a real chance toward reconciliation, which is impossible without difficult truths sitting squarely on the table. end
