The legal framework for the peace process in Colombia and the precarious role of transitional justice

Niklas Eckhardt

doi:10.5771/0506-7286-2016-4-368

Contents
- Chapter Expand | CollapseAuthorsPage
- 337–338 Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis 337–338
- 339–415 Abhandlungen / Articles 339–415
  - 339–367 Conceptualizing authoritarian constitutionalism Roberto Niembro Ortega Roberto Niembro Ortega 339–367
  - 368–392 The legal framework for the peace process in Colombia and the precarious role of transitional justice Niklas Eckhardt Niklas Eckhardt 368–392
  - 393–415 Environmental justice and slow violence: Marikana and the post-apartheid South African mining industry in context Caiphas Soyapi, Louis J. Kotzé Caiphas Soyapi, Louis J. Kotzé 393–415
- 416–430 Berichte / Reports 416–430
  - Der Verfassungsgerichtshof der Republik Gabun Dimitrios Parashu Dimitrios Parashu
- 431–448 Buchbesprechungen / Book Reviews 431–448
  - Amy Young Evrard, The Moroccan Women's Rights Movement, Syracuse University Press, New York, 2014, 300 pages, 39,95 $, ISBN 978-0-8156-3350-1 Tanja Herklotz Tanja Herklotz
- 449–460 Bibliographie / Bibliography 449–460
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VRÜ Verfassung und Recht in Übersee , page 368 - 392

The legal framework for the peace process in Colombia and the precarious role of transitional justice

Autoren

Niklas Eckhardt

DOI
- doi.org/10.5771/0506-7286-2016-4-368
- ISSN: 0506-7286
- ISSN online: 2941-9603
Abstract

Four years ago the Colombian government has entered into peace negotiations with the guerilla group FARC in order to terminate the armed conflict which has been raging in the country for more than fifty years. The most controversial issue has continuously been the incentives that the government would grant the guerilla group in the form of penal benefits in order to demobilize and reintegrate them into the Colombian society. As Colombia is a democracy based on the rule of law, these penal benefits seem to conflict with the legal standards provided for by the constitution. In order to meet this challenge, the Colombian parliament opted for a constitutional amendment, stipulating a particular framework for “instruments of transitional justice”. The first part of this article will focus on the adaption of the concept of transitional justice to the Colombian situation. Its application in Colombia demonstrates differences to paradigmatic cases of transitional justice. The concept obtains the function of a legal term which serves to justify deviations from legal standards. This entails adjustments of components and objectives of transitional justice and causes the risk of confusion or abuse of this term. In the second part, the legal concept of transitional justice, which has been established by the Colombian constitutional court, will be analyzed. As will be shown, it reveals a lack of structure and demonstrates legal deficits. An alternative model will be presented, which may serve to maintain the case law of the constitutional court and to avoid these defects. Based on this model, the scope of application of the legal framework regarding the inclusion of other actors in the peace agreement is evaluated as a critical factor.
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