Colombia recognizes responsibility for Palace of Justice massacre
Colombia recognizes responsibility for Palace of Justice massacre
posted by Taran Volckhausen
Nov 12, 2013
For the first time since the original incident, Colombia recognized responsibility for the problematic 1985 retaking of the Palace of Justice, in a session of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) Tuesday.
Adriana Guillen, Director of Colombia’s Agency of Judicial Defense of the Nation, admitted that the country deserves blame for its role in the deaths of and disappearances of dozens of Colombian civilians, saying “the Colombian state will not cease efforts to know the truth and create justice.”
Guillen added that “the wounds (from the incident) have not healed” and that “Colombia feels (the victims') pain.”
Twenty-eight years ago today, the M-19 urban guerrilla group took over Colombia’s Supreme Court in Bogota, taking the judges hostage and demanding that the president at the time, Belisario Betancur, present himself to stand before a symbolic trial. In response, police and military units stormed the building using tanks and bombs, in what has been criticized as an overreaction and unnecessarily violent response.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/colombia-recognizes-responsibility-palace-justice-massacre-international-court/