Stand by Colombia's Victims of Violence

56 faith leaders in the United States and Colombia have joined to send letters to U.S. President Obama, U.S. Secretary of State Kerry, and Colombian President Santos calling for U.S. policy that prioritizes peace and human rights in Colombia. These two letters urge the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerilla group to stay the course and continue negotiations until a peace-accord is signed.  

These letters are part of the 2013 Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, in which people of faith and conscience across the United States and Colombia dedicate a portion of their weekend and worship service to pray for and take action for peace and justice in Colombia.

The letter to Obama and Kerry expresses support for the ongoing peace negotiations between the Colombian government and FARC. It urges the Colombian government to continue to seek out ways to include victims and civil society, to establish an independent truth commission, and to commit to strong measures of justice for perpetrators of atrocities or other gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Furthermore, the letter asks that U.S. policy support the peace process and the implementation of peace accords by reorienting assistance to support peace, rather than war.  The United States should provide support for the safe and sustainable return of land for internally displaced persons and refugees, integration support for displaced communities that do not wish to return to their places of origin, and alternative economic development programs that respect human rights and the environment and are developed in consultation with local communities. The letter argues that a return to violence could be prevented by a strengthened justice system, an independent truth commission, an independent mechanism to verify peace accord compliance, and better protection for human rights defenders and communities at risk.

A similar letter signed by members of religious communities across Colombia was sent to President Santos and the FARC-EP negotiators, asking them to not abandon the negotiating table in Havana until they have signed a peace accord, and reiterating the faith community’s desire to and willingness to work for reconciliation in a post-conflict Colombia. Copies of both the U.S. and Colombian letter were delivered to members of the Colombian Congress’ Peace Commissions at a peace vigil in Bogotá on April 29.

Signatories of the faith leaders' letter, for their part, urge President Obama and Secretary Kerry to recognize the crucial role of the faith community in assisting victims and helping to reweave the social fabric of local communities, as well as the opportunity for the United States to help foster and build a just and sustainable peace in Colombia.

To read the complete letter with signatories, please click here.

Time sure flies by. You and the LAWG Colombia team have had no time to rest, but when your goals to change U.S.-Colombia policy are as lofty as ours, we don’t have time to pause.

We have made an impact.

But we still need your help in driving our message home so that our government supports the peace process in Colombia, with truth and justice.  You did a great job in helping get Congress on board to support the peace process as 62 representatives have signed the congressional Dear Colleague letter. Now we need your help so that President Obama hears our call for peace. 

Earlier today, 62 members of the U.S. Congress sent a bipartisan letter led by Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry calling for a U.S. policy that emphasizes peace, development, and human rights in Colombia. Since October 2012, the Colombian government has been in negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas to end the decades-long conflict. The letter urges the Department of State to continue supporting the peace process and encourage the parties to remain at the table until an accord is reached. The letter emphasizes that truth and justice, and participation by victims and attention to their needs, is essential to achieve a lasting peace. The United States can promote the realization of peace by continuing its support for rule of law programs, advocating for the rights of victims, ending the culture of impunity, and assisting with the implementation of Colombia’s Victims and Land Law.

“Colombia is a model for the region,” then-Senator John Kerry told the public during his January 2013 confirmation hearing for Secretary of State. Thanks to an aggressive counterinsurgency program, aided by billions of dollars in U.S. funding, Kerry and others in Washington argue that Colombia has been transformed. Rather than a model, however, the Women’s Alliance of Putumayo and others prove that the region is a cautionary tale, documenting those changes the thousands of human rights abuses that occurred here.