The new instance in Colombia will confirm the identity of the UP victims

With this act, the administration of President Gustavo Petro showed his commitment to the rights of the victims of UP and compliance with the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IAC Court), which condemned the Colombian State for crimes against that force.

In the context of commemorating the 36th anniversary of the assassination of the juror Jaime Pardo Leal, who was the presidential candidate of the Patriotic Union in the 1986 election, the government set up the aforementioned Commission.

In the Casa de Nariño and with the presence of the president of the Inter-American Court, Ricardo C. Pérez Manrique, the Government expressed its commitment to human rights and respect for the fundamental guarantees of the victims of the UP, as well as compliance with the judgment in the high court.

Participating in that meeting were the survivors and relatives of the victims of the UP genocide and the directors of the National Legal Defense Agency of the State, Martha Lucía Zamora, and the Special Administrative Unit for Comprehensive Attention and Reparation to Victims, María Patricia Tobón.

Also present were the Ministers of Justice and Law, Néstor Iván Osuna, and of Defense, Iván Velásquez; the director of the Administrative Department of the presidency of the Republic, Carlos Ramón González, and the legal secretary of the presidency, Vladimir Fernández.

“What happened in the Patriotic Union should not have happened, but the commitment of this government is that it will not happen again and that the victims of these terrible events will be compensated in the best possible way,” said the Minister of Justice, Néstor Iván . Osuna.

Martha Lucía Zamora, for her part, emphasized that “the installation of the Commission is a milestone for the return of the victims of the Patriotic Union on October 11, which is their day.”

“Today the State reaffirms its unwavering commitment to comply with the judgments of the Inter-American Court, which contributes in an important way to the protection of human rights in our country,” he said.

The members of the Commission for Verifying the Identity and Relationship of the Victims are Rubén Darío Pinilla Cogollo, appointed by the Inter-American Court; Alejandro Valencia Villa, for the common speakers of representatives, and Ana Teresa Bernal, chosen by the Colombian State.

On June 27, 2022, the Inter-American Court issued a judgment against the State of Colombia, for the violation of human rights caused by the damage of more than six thousand victims, members and militants of the Patriotic Union, starting in 1984 and for over 20 years.