Columns & Blogs

We do not have to look far to find immediate reasons against clientelism in justice. The judge selection for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) has just given us two lessons that should be applied throughout the judicial system.

In Sucre, the Montes de María paramilitary bloc forced gay men to star in boxing fights, only to publicly humiliate them. This is proof of why the peace process and its implementation should have a gender focus.

It is not enough to say that cultural industries are important because they can generate dividends and jobs. In the end, it is not an exaggeration to say that art and culture can save lives.

Judicial reform is of little use as long as there are no profound changes in judicial habits and, more specifically, in the moral integrity of magistrates.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace must be composed of people selected with criteria and procedures free of suspicion. Specially at a critical time for justice, when there is an arrest warrant against former Supreme Court President Francisco Ricaurte.

The people from the palafitic communities of the Cienaga Grande of Santa Marta are claiming their rights to food and water from the Colombian justice system, after years of living in the midst of one of the country's worst environmental tragedies.

The FARC should apologize to all LGBTI people for violating the human dignity of a historically discriminated population, and to explain if this was an institutional policy.

This mechanism is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate the structural transformation of the countryside in order to live better, reverse the effects of the conflict and contribute to reparation and reconciliation in the territories.

We need to understand that the person battling addiction is facing an illness that needs public health policies just as much as those facing the end of life. The experience of pain, whether we experience it ourselves or we watch a loved one suffer, should remind us of the fragility of life and the need for compassion and empathy.

From the Supreme Court scandal, the first thing that surprises is the mediocrity of the magistrates involved, but the signs of a network of corruption are the most serious. If confirmed, this would be the worst institutional horror of the last decades.

As we take deeper measures to deal with the serious judicial crisis that we are experiencing, the Courts and the General Attorney's Office must adopt immediate transparency actions to face corruption and regain citizens' trust.

I want to share a story with those who question the gravity of the breakdown of human rights and democracy in Venezuela.