Special Jurisdiction for Peace

Logo of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (in Spanish: Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, JEP), also known as Special Justice for Peace, is the Colombian transitional justice mechanism through which FARC members, members of the Public Force and third parties who have participated in the Colombian armed conflict are investigated and put on trial.[1][2]

The JEP, justice component of the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition,[3] addresses crimes committed before the November 24, 2016 signing of the peace agreements between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrillas. The JEP was approved in the Senate in March 2017 and has been in force in Colombia since then.

Its creation was agreed by the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrillas in the framework of the peace agreements signed in Havana as an accountability system with the objective mainly of satisfying the rights of the victims, with the task to clarify "in the context and because of the armed conflict, in particular the most serious and representative crimes" to put an end to more than half a century of armed conflict.[4]

This agreement accepts that there are crimes committed in the context and because of the armed conflict that are so serious that they cannot be subject to amnesties and pardons, and that the transition from the armed conflict to peace in Colombia will be made by guaranteeing the right to Victims to justice.[3]

  1. ^ Santiago Vargas Niño (2 December 2021). "When a Preliminary Examination Closes, a New Era Opens: The OTP's Innovative Support for Transitional Justice in Colombia". Opinio Juris. Wikidata Q118499621. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023.
  2. ^ "ABC Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz" (in Spanish). Bogotá: Office of the High Commissioner for Peace. Retrieved February 12, 2020.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Preguntas y respuestas sobre el Sistema Integral de Verdad, Justicia, Reparación y no Repetición" (in Spanish). Bogotá: Office of the High Commissioner for Peace. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "¿Qué es y por qué es tan importante la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz en Colombia?". CNN en Español (in Spanish). Atlanta: CNN. March 15, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2020.