Truth Commissions

In search of the causes of violence, listening to the victims

Truth commissions in the field of transitional justice are pillars in the quest for truth in societies that have decided to confront dark periods of their history, whether after a conflict, a dictatorship, or specific crimes committed, for example, against an indigenous population. Justice Info covers truth commissions when they play a significant role in addressing the most serious crimes of the past.

During an event of the Truth Commission of Colombia, three ex-Colombian officers, standing on a platform, meet a woman (she is shaking hands with one of them). In the background, a large screen shows the words

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Truth in Colombia: “Your sons were innocent people we murdered”

This was the last major public hearing before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Colombia. On May 10 in Soacha, three retired soldiers listened to 13 women tell them about the unbearable and permanent pain of losing their son or brother. The ex-soldiers admitted their responsibility in the "false positives" scandal, extrajudicial executions carried out […]

By Thierry Cruvellier