In a solemn ceremony held on Sunday in Bolivar Square in Santa Marta, President Gustavo Petro led the recognition of the international responsibility of the Colombian state for the annihilation of the National Union, in compliance with the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court).
The event brought together victims, their relatives, survivors and government officials, in what was classified as an essential step within the compensation procedures ordered by the International Court. However, the president used the ceremony to question the lack of commitment from other state institutions, which set the political tone of the meeting.
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During his speech, Petro openly questioned the absence of the chief justices of the Supreme Court and Congress, who were invited to attend the event. The President expressed his expectation that all state authorities will be present in an act that represents international condemnation.
“The state is the executive authority responsible for the public power, the Congress of the Republic and the judiciary,” Petro said, recalling that the ruling of the Inter-American Court is directed not only at the government, but at the entire Colombian state.
Afterwards, he regretted that none of the heads of the other powers were present: “Here in Santa Marta, the heart of the world, there is not a single president of the judicial courts, not a single president of the Senate or the House of Representatives. Everyone has been invited,” he warned.
In a critical tone, the president asked himself: “What does this contempt of the state mean not only against binding rule, but also against genocide?”
The amnesty was carried out two years after the conviction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which held the Colombian state responsible for 14 human rights violations committed in the context of the genocide of the National Union.
The court decided that between 1984 and 2000, 6,938 political movement activists were killed in events that constituted systematic genocide. In its ruling, the court noted that the crimes were committed by state actors and third parties with state tolerance or consent, and that national investigations were inadequate or non-existent.
As part of the reparations procedures, the court ordered a public law to acknowledge responsibility, establish a memorial, award financial compensation, and promote spaces for historical memory and education.
Petro noted that the Inter-American Court condemned the Colombian state for 14 reasons, Where his joint responsibility for the killing of Patriotic Union fighters was acknowledged.
“In its ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned the Colombian state on 14 grounds of joint responsibility for the killing of 6,938 guerrillas of the National Union, a Colombian leftist party, in the period from 1984 to 2000,” the president said.
As highlighted, This act was not just a judicial formality, but rather a moral and political recognition of what had happened. Petro insisted that the state must apologize to the victims, as ordered by the court, but must also comply with other comprehensive reparations measures.
The President stressed that this political crime, committed more than a decade ago, constitutes one of the most serious genocides in the history of Latin America, and reiterated that his government does not evade the historical responsibility that the State bears towards the victims.
The event was held in Santa Marta after a failed attempt in October 2024, when Petro was unable to attend an forgiveness event scheduled in Bogotá. On that occasion, the President had promised to carry out the act at another date, which finally happened on Sunday.
During the ceremony, The families of the victims raised pictures and banners in memory of their loved onesWhile part of the international ruling was read. The scene reflects the long wait for justice and reparation on the part of a movement that has suffered thousands of murders, disappearances, and displacement.
The President stressed that recognition of the state should not remain a symbolic gesture, but rather should be translated into concrete measures for reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.
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