The state recognizes judicial officers who are victims of violence

“In the Colombian armed conflict, the suffering of judicial officers is often overlooked. Between 1979 and 2023, the Solidarity Fund with Colombia’s judges has registered 1,262 acts of violence against them, including threats, killings and displacement.” This was mentioned on Friday, November 17, by the Minister of Justice and Law, Néstor Osuna, in the context of the act of recognition of the dignity of judicial officers and their families who, in the context of judicial work, have been victims of violence related relates to the armed conflict.

For the first time, the State recognizes the memory of these other victims of the eternal confrontations and events related to drug trafficking in the country.

The meeting took place at the National Museum and was attended by relatives of victims from cities such as Arauca, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Buenaventura, Cali, Cúcuta, Cartagena, Montería, Pasto, San Andrés and Santa Marta; and municipalities in the departments of Antioquia, Cesar, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Meta, Tolima and Valle del Cauca, among others. Also the Deputy Minister of Criminal Policy Camilo Umaña, son of the lawyer and human rights defender Eduardo Umaña Mendoza, murdered in 1998, and members of the United Nations Development Program UNDP and the Solidarity Fund with the Colombian judges FASOL.

For EL HERALDO, Minister Osuna said that, in accordance with the recommendations of the Truth Commission, “a process was conducted to recognize and commemorate these servants and their families.”

And he acknowledged that the armed conflict “not only affects officials personally and personally” but also “undermines democracy by undermining the ability to administer justice, creating impunity and distrust.”

According to the senior official, “it is essential to surround and recognize these judicial officers and honor their crucial role in democracy and justice through measures to prevent future human rights violations.”