The Inter-American Human Rights System and the Colombian Peace: Redefining the Fight Against Impunity

Abstract

The results of the plebiscite suggest that Colombia’s international obligations regarding the right to justice will be a key issue in the new postplebiscite phase of the peace negotiation. Perhaps, then, the best starting point for an analysis of these obligations is the rejected Peace Accord. If it complies with international obligations, then it seems likely that any new agreement will also be in compliance: opponents focused much of their arguments on the high level of impunity supposedly embedded in the original deal.

Alcance del deber de investigar, juzgar y sancionar en transiciones de conflicto armado a una paz negociada: convergencias entre el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos y la Corte Penal Internacional

“…Aunque en el sidh y en la cPi se ha hecho un especial énfasis en los procedimientos penales, no puede perderse de vista la necesaria interdependencia entre los distintos mecanismos de justicia transicional. Por ejemplo, en relación con la búsqueda de la verdad, se requerirá una integración entre mecanismos judiciales y extrajudiciales, como las comisiones de la verdad, que en conjunto ofrecen una verdad más completa 111 .…”

Introduction to Symposium on the Colombian Peace Talks and International Law

“…3 The InterAmerican the Court and Commission have in some ways built their reputations on striking down amnesties across the region, and both have been key participants in constructing an international norm against impunity for atrocities. The Colombian Peace Accord, by allowing some who commit fundamental rights violations to escape prison, could well run afoul of the Inter-American System's norms.…”