Colombian Government Supports Judges for Peace

On Tuesday, Justice Minister Nestor Osuna ratified the support of President Gustavo Petro's administration to the judges of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) in the face of threats against them.

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"The Government repudiates violence or any harassment against the judiciary, without exceptions and without extenuating circumstances," Osuna said during a joint press conference with JEP president Roberto Vidal.

"The JEP is very close to imposing a system of sanctions that will allow us to build a much better and more decent way of coexistence than the one we have had... We cannot waste that opportunity and fall into the hands of some thugs who want to hide the truth," he stressed.

"Colombian society must support the JEP, which is an example that many countries in the world would like to have," the Justice Minister added.

Over the weekend, the main narco organization operating in this South American country, the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), also known as the Gulf Clan, threatened judges Alejandro Ramelli and Hugo Escobar.

They are in charge of a case of exhumation of persons disappeared during the armed conflict who were victims of "false positives" in the Dabeiba municipality in the Antioquia department.

In Colombia, the term "false positives" designates the civilians that the soldiers murdered to pass them off as guerrillas killed in combat and thus obtain benefits within the military institution.

On June 27, the JEP will hold a public hearing in which eight members of the public force will participate, who acknowledged their participation in the disappearance and murder of 47 civilians who were presented as guerrillas killed in combat between 2002 and 2006.