The assault on Colombia’s Palace of Justice, the judicial branch’s headquarters, took place on Nov. 6, 1985, when 35 commandos of the M-19 guerrilla movement violently entered the building in downtown Bogotá. Their alleged purpose was to demand that the Supreme Court invoke a public trial of then-president Belisario Betancur. In their words, Betancur “betray[ed] a national desire to end the war through negotiations and public participation,” which was agreed upon with the signing of a ceasefire and the establishment of a national dialogue on Aug. 24, 1984.
Within minutes Armed Forces reacted with a deployment of about 5,000 army and police members with heavy weaponry. According to the Truth Commission's report a massacre took place resulting in the estimated loss of at least 100 lives, the disappearance of 11 people, and the torture of several more at the hands of these security forces.
In this lecture, Helena Urán Bidegain will focus on the question, “Why have the wounds caused by the attack on the Palace of Justice in Colombia not yet healed?” Her research contributes to the debate over how official and alternative narratives influence the recognition of victims and transitional justice in Colombia.
Panelists:
Helena Urán Bidegain, serves as an advisor for the Comprehensive System of Peace on measures for non-repetition. Her professional background includes working as a ministerial advisor at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a researcher at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund on peace-related issues, and a parliamentary advisor on foreign policy (Latin America) in the German Bundestag, among others. She is the author of the book, "Mi Vida y el Palacio" (2020), a political-autobiographical account and investigation into the worst institutional tragedy of political violence in Colombia’s history. She has also contributed as a columnist for Revista Cambio, El Espectador, and ElDiario.es.
Salina Kafle, Notre Dame human rights L.L.M. student
Monica Nuño Nuño, Notre Dame human rights L.L.M. student
Josefina Echavarría Álvarez, professor of the practice and director of the Peace Accords Matrix
Photo: The Palace of Justice during the 1985 siege. Credit: El Tiempo archive
Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.