Corrupted justice and the schizophrenic state in Colombia
Part of a special issue on state terrorism and impunity in Latin America. The writer considers concrete cases of impunity from the perspective of a human rights nongovernmental organization linked to the poor in Colombia. He explains that as executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission, h...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1999
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| In: |
Social justice
Year: 1999, Volume: 26, Issue: 4, Pages: 31-54 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Part of a special issue on state terrorism and impunity in Latin America. The writer considers concrete cases of impunity from the perspective of a human rights nongovernmental organization linked to the poor in Colombia. He explains that as executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission, he has visited the judiciary's buildings in Colombia several times over the last ten years to petition that the oppressive acts carried out by state agents and paramilitary groups against thousands of powerless people be examined and punished. He asserts that the time has come to assess the results and determine what level of justice has been achieved. He outlines mechanisms of impunity in Colombia, contending that the crisis of justice in the country is deeper than one can imagine and that solutions demand consideration of not only administrative aspects but also the corruptions of the traditional rules of law. Finally, he concludes that justice must be rethought to confront the main problems of daily societal life and to incorporate elementary principles of ethics. |
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