A Constituent Assembly to try judges?
Congress must implement effectively the framework for investigation and prosecution of the Prosecutor and high court magistrates.
Read MoreEconomy, politics, peace and inequality: What can we learn from Rwanda?
In the two previous entries, I have written about forgiveness and the informal mechanisms to solve conflict. I would like to dedicate this last entry to thinking about economic development after conflict based on the Rwandan experience. The story of this country made me think about two things relevant to the Colombian case: the need to link the economy and politics and the importance of facing inequality, which can worsen after war.
Read MoreMagistrate Caballero
Alejandro Martínez Caballero, who passed away this week, was Magistrate of the Constitutional Court in its foundational moment. He played an essential role in the construction of the identity and of the great lines of jurisprudence of the Court.
Read MoreThe referendum campaign: a mix of reason and emotion
After the decision of the Court, which endorsed the plebistie, those who advocate for a YES vote have said that their objective is not to obtain the minimum number of votes required (4.5 million), but to get 10 million votes. This can reduce the risks that the opposition considerthe results illegitimate and that the people do not feel committed to push forward the project of peace.
Read MoreThe Long Life of the Habeas Data Clause
As the Colombian Constitution turns 25, I would like to highlight one of the many things it got right: the recognition of Habeas Data as a fundamental right to protect personal information.
Read MoreIncluding women in the peace process
Although women make up more than half of the population and are the group with the greatest number of victims in Colombia, only 3.6% of women were included in the spaces where decisions about peace have been made. (Spanish)
Read MoreYes, it’s about race
Those were the words of the Dallas mayro, Mike Rawlings, in the vigil held after five police officers were fatally shot by an armed man during a peaceful process of Black Lives Matter (BLM), organized after the killing of two black Americans at the hands of the police. So let’s talk about race.
Read MoreThe Political Strategy for Peace
Informal justice: the formula to solve conflict in FARC abandoned areas
In my previous entry, I argued that after the peace accords, there are other policies more important than forgiveness like the design of adequate mechanisms for solving conflict.
Read MoreInformal Justice: the conflict resolution formula in areas that the FARC will vacate
The Colombian State must build conflict resolution systems using what exists on the ground, and it must incorporate conflict resolution systems that are not State-based to its overall strategy.
Read MoreDemocracy without Participation?
It is foolish, the result of an elitist and antiquated view, to think of social protests as a deficiency. On the contrary, it is the best sign that the excluded sector feels they have a voice to participate politically and express their disagreements.
Read MoreHealth and Patents
The blunt and candid declarations made by Bayer’s CEO Marjn Dekkers’ declarations opened up a discussion about the risks that patents bring to health care.
Read MoreDrug Policy and Human Rights
As the drug policy debate becomes more open and vigorous, especially in Latin America, there have been increasing calls to make respect for human rights the central concern in designing and implementing drug policies.
Read MoreThe second round of the Legal Framework for Peace
Petro’s balcony –and now, Falcao’s knee—have managed to overshadow the recent Constitutional Court decision regarding the Legal Framework for Peace.
Read MoreSabotaging Institutions
Inspector General Ordóñez has managed to achieve his ultimate objective: he has discredited the Constitution of 1991 and created a suitable environment for a constitutional reform.
Read MorePetro’s Options and the Inter-American System of Human Rights
The mayor has three possible lifesavers. One is political and highly unlikely – that the President will not execute the order. Another is legal and unpredictable – the outcome of the numerous “tutela” writs presented before the courts. And the other one is international – appealing to the Inter-American System. Will this last one work for him?
Read MoreMore on Petro’s Removal from Office
There is an crucial legal issue in Petro’s removal from office that has hardly been discussed. It is the following issue: Even if you accept that the Inspector General has the power to remove a mayor, it would have to be done through a rigorous and demanding process, that was not carried out in Petro’s case.
Read MoreProtections in Criminal Procedure and Removal from Office
The debate over the implications of Article 23 of the American Convention in Petro’s case has come down to a single question. Does the Inspector General have the legal power to remove a democratically elected public official from office? Nonetheless, Article 23 also has other important implications.
Read MoreUnqualified to Disqualify?
This is about a key decision in defining the powers of the Inspector General’s Office regarding political rights. In the debate about the removal from office of Bogota’s mayor and his disqualification from holding elected office imposed by the Inspector General, the decision but the Inter-American Court in a similar case in Venezuela has been mentioned a lot.
Read MoreThe Country of the Eternal Party
The long national hangover caused by the end of the singer Diomedes´ eternal party continues to elicit different opinions. Most people go along with the idea that the dead can never be bad, as the a verse of one of the Cacique’s songs says. Others, like Cecilia Orozco, remember the deceased as a condemned murder, a fugitive of justice and protected by the paramilitaries.
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