In 2016, future Nobel Peace Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos and the Colombian government signed a historic peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerillas, ending 60 years of internal armed conflict. As part of the agreement, Colombia created a Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-repetition, charged with investigating and clarifying major human rights violations and shedding light on the causes and origins of the conflict. In 2022, the final report, There is Future if There is Truth, was released, opening a permanent dialogue within the country. UNESCO recently declared it as part of the Human Rights Universal Archives, recognizing the purpose of reconciling the fragmented society.
A panel was held with Rev. Francisco De Roux, S.J., president of the Colombian Truth Commission; Magistrate Alejandro Ramelli, leader of Case 03 at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace; and two victims of the conflict, Pastora Mira and Jacqueline Castillo, who have become leaders in seeking truth in the transitional justice system. Honoring the victims of all sides, the dialogue sought to understand the role of transitional justice institutions in the healing process of victims and the strengthening of their leadership in the country. The underlying questions were: How has the transitional system in Colombia served in the search for truth and guarantees of justice for the victims of all sides? What are the challenges and possible solutions to help perpetrators recognize their crimes?
This event was sponsored by Esteban Morales (G’24) and supported by the Center for Latin American Studies, the Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution program, Por Colombia Georgetown, and the Georgetown Americas Institute.
The event was held in Spanish with simultaneous English translation. A livestream was be available on GAI’s YouTube channel.
Featuring
Pastora Mira is the founder of the Reconciliation Center of San Carlos, Antioquia (CARE). Mira is a social leader and former counselor in the municipality of San Carlos, Antioquia. CARE has worked on more than 200 forced disappearances in the region. In 2017, during Pope Francis’ visit to Colombia, Mira was one of the leaders who represented the victims' movement in the country. She was a member of the advisory board for the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-reptition.
Jacqueline Castillo is the legal representative of the foundation Mothers of False Positives (Madres de los Falsos Positivos). Her brother, Jaime Castillo, disappeared in Bogota on August 10, 2008, and was found dead on August 12, 2008, in Ocaña. Castillo plays an active role in the transitional justice system. In 2021, she participated in the play led by the Colombian Truth Commission, Develaciones: un canto a los cuatro vientos.
Rev. Francisco de Roux, S.J., is a Colombian Jesuit priest, economist, and philosopher. He is the president of the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-repetition. He studied philosophy and theology at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, and economics at Universidad de los Andes. He studied at the London School of Economics and obtained a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. In 1996, he founded the Program for Development and Peace in the Magdalena Medio (PDPMM) when he was the director of the Center for Research and Popular Education/Peace Program (CINEP). He is world widely recognized for his work towards peacebuilding, reconciliation, and dignity for the victims of the Colombian armed conflict. Rev. de Roux has written several books in various languages, some of them in collaboration with other authors, on issues of public ethics, social conflict, and development. Among his most prominent texts are Los Precios de la Paz (1987) and the most recent, La audacia de la paz imperfecta (2018). Currently, he is writing his last book focusing on his experience in the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-reptition. He was a 2022-2023 visiting fellow with the Georgetown Americas Institute.
Alejandro Ramelli is a lawyer from Externado University of Colombia. He holds a master’s degree in human rights from Paris X Nanterre University. He completed his doctoral studies at Salamanca University. Magistrate Ramelly has been a professor at Toronto University and Externado University, and he is the author of several books in law, international humanitarian law, constitutional law, and transitional justice. Furthermore, he was the chief of human rights at the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia, and auxiliary magistrate to the Constitutional Court and the Council of State of Colombia. Currently, he is the magistrate leader in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.