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As the peace talks progress between the Colombian government and FARC representatives in Havana, many Colombians are increasingly hopeful that the country will be able to put an end to more than 50 years of armed conflict. Despite broad support by many different sectors of society, the negotiations have been controversial, and some people still oppose a political deal with the biggest insurgent group in the country. With the aim of reinforcing the legitimacy of the peace process, which could lead to a historic compromise that would deeply influence the future of the country, thousands of Colombians marched to express their support for the discussions, for peace, and for democracy. Their motto was: “We are the majority: Now is the time for peace!” In 2012, the victims’ law established April 9th as the National Day for Memory and Solidarity with Victims. “On Victims’ Day, we demand peace. This is a necessary condition for real guarantees of non-repetition. ICTJ supports the march because we believe that it is possible to reach just and sustainable peace in Colombia,” stated María Camila Moreno, head of ICTJ’s Colombia office. Mass gatherings took place in all major cities of the country. Hundreds traveled from towns near Bogotá to participate in the national march thattook place in the streets of the capital. One meeting point was the Center for Memory, Peace, and Reconciliation, which was also officially opening to the public for the first time this day. In the Center, before the march started, a series of artistic presentations paid homage to the victims of the armed conflict. Among those exhibitions, there was the photography exhibition “Images to Resist Oblivion,” organized jointly by the Center for Historic Memory and ICTJ. Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, and the mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, marched together from the Center for Memory, Peace, and Reconciliation, as a symbolic act of invitation to overcome political and social polarization, and to support a political resolution to the armed conflict.

With the aim of reinforcing the legitimacy of the peace process, which could lead to a historic compromise that would deeply influence the future of the country, thousands of Colombians are marching today to express their support for the discussions, for peace, and for democracy. Their motto is: “We are the majority: Now is the time for peace!”

A new ICTJ report on truth and memory in Nepal sparked discussion – and calls for victim-centered policies – at national and local launch events.

Throughout the week of April 23, I have been attentively following the news to know what would be the impact of this Friday’s hirak (Arabic for protests or mass rallies) in Algeria. The tenth consecutive Friday of protests that began on February 22 is a reaction to the announcement made by an invalid president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, from a hospital in Geneva, of his intention to continue holding his position for a fifth term.

For more than two decades, some 40 women have been protesting every Wednesday against government inaction on the disappeared in front of Algeria’s official human rights commission. They stand on the sidewalk holding photos of their disappeared relatives — their children, fathers, and husbands — breaking the silence at a dangerous time in Algeria.

After a society is torn apart by conflict or repression, who decides whether to remember or forget the painful past? Can forgiveness happen without acknowledgement of wrongdoing? Is there a difference between forgetting and denial? Join us as ICTJ debates the impact of remembrance on reconciliation with David Rieff and Pablo de Greiff.

This Wednesday saw the beginning of formal peace talks between the Colombian Government of Juan Manuel Santos and the leadership of the left-wing FARC guerrillas. This op-ed from ICTJ Vice President Paul Seils argues that a successful outcome will not be measured simply in the effective demobilization of roughly 8,000 militants. Durable peace will require a reimagining of the Colombian state, which has become both victim and perpetrator in a conflict now over half a century old.

The one-day forum “Latin American Experiences with Truth Commissions,” organized by the International Center for Transitional Justice in Bogotá on July 22, brought together leading experts to discuss experiences and lessons learned from truth-seeking processes that shed light on massive human rights violations in four countries: Argentina, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Peru.

The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission held its first public hearing in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland, on October 2, 2021. The event, broadcast live from Emmanuel Episcopal Church, brought together commissioners, panelists, and guests to acknowledge and memorialize the tragic lynching of 18-year-old Robert Hughes (aka William Burns) in Cumberland in 1907. In the coming months, the commission will convene several more of these public hearings in counties across the state of Maryland.

This report explores pathways for transitional justice in Yemen, emphasizing victims’ experiences, political dynamics, and existing justice mechanisms. It examines national and local efforts, including mediation and reconciliation initiatives, and highlights the role of Yemeni civil society.