Features

December 22, 2006

PUBLICATION: Colombian Perceptions and Opinions on Justice, Truth, Reparations, and Reconciliation

Survey Shows Strong Demand for Accountability and Reparations and Low Support for Lenient Sentences

The ICTJ today released its latest publication, a 75-page report based on an extensive national survey that the Center conducted with more than 2,000 respondents in February and March 2006, in collaboration with a Colombian NGO-the Social Foundation-and an international consortium of donors known as the Project Counseling Service. The survey assesses perceptions of a range of transitional justice issues, as well as levels of violence suffered by civilians, many of whom have endured more than four decades of brutal armed conflict waged among government, left-wing guerilla, and paramilitary groups.

Among the report's findings are that Colombians are deeply distrustful of the current demobilization process, even though a significant majority expressed a favorable attitude toward real reconciliation. As many as 30% of the respondents believe that the conflict will "never be resolved" and an additional 28% said they didn't think it will be resolved in the next 14 years.

This attitude is matched by alarming levels of both physical and emotional victimization among civilians: more than 50% of those surveyed considered themselves either direct or indirect victims of the conflict.

While many of the report's statistics reflect the deep and long-unaddressed suffering of respondents, they also indicate a strong desire for justice and a sense of entitlement to basic human rights. This desire has clear implications for the current peace process and for prosecutions underway in the special courts for paramilitaries. According to the survey, respondents do not believe that peace must come at the price of justice: 75% believe that the government must prosecute members of illegal armed groups.

The report also indicates that among those surveyed:

• Nearly 90% believe that the victims of violations have a right to receive reparations from the perpetrators and their leaders, and nearly 70% believe the government is also partially responsible for providing reparations;

• 79% believe the Colombian people have a right to truth and want an impartial historical record of the facts and responsibilities for the violations suffered during the conflict. Yet among those, 39% percent are also afraid that truth-seeking may result in reprisals or in governmental inaction;

• 73.9% expressed a favorable attitude toward reconciliation, but victims directly affected by the violence made clear that they do not want to live in close proximity to former combatants or see them holding positions of power;

• 63% believe that both the leaders and the rank-and-file combatants must be prosecuted for their crimes. Furthermore, only 26% agreed that there should be any leniency accorded to leaders in meting out punishments, while 45% did not want any leniency to be granted. This statistic was especially high among women, with a full 67% pushing for the prosecution of both categories of offenders and more than 50% demanding full sentences.

To read the full report in Spanish, click here.