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 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.
Read MoreRevoking the Removal from Office
Unless a “tutela” writ or an interim measure by the Inter-American Commission overturn the effects of his decision, the Inspector General is likely to affirm Mayor Petro’s removal from office.
Read MorePersonalizad Internet
There’s nothing wrong with the internet knowing (or thinking it knows) our preferences and interests.
Read MoreThe Year of Hope for Peace
For those of us who were born in the 80’s, hope is almost an unknown feeling. We know that it is like an abstract idea, since we hear it from the mouth of leaders who fought against the violence. But back then the idea was not only never put in practice, it was also used to aggressively repress those who dared proclaim it.
Read MoreShopping in Bogotá
For this new year of 2014, I decided to leave behind my usual cheapness. On Christmas Eve, keeping in mind that the traditional wishes for peace and harmony never come true, my wishes took a radical turn.
Read MoreThe Struggle for the Law
The objective of law is to bring peace, but the way to get there is through struggle.
Read MoreDaydreaming
At this point, with a few hours left until it is time for the traditional grapes and apple cider, the risk-takers have made all the political predictions for next year. Some have already re-elected Santos, other have reached a peace agreement, elected a new Congress and formed parliamentary coalitions.
Read MoreRural Development that Favor Whom?
The rural development model proposed by the National Government, far from facilitating the “democratization” of the land, promotes its concentration and use in favor of large investors.
Read MoreJustice and State Legitimacy
In “The City of God”, San Agustin tells the story of how Alejandro Magno captured a pirate and asked him why he robbed in the seas.
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