World · 5 d ago
Colombia's budget cuts threaten a key human rights court
Roughly cut from the court's 2027 budget
57 US$ million
President Abelardo de la Espriella's 2027 budget cuts about 181 billion pesos from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), roughly US$57 million. The court was set up under the 2016 peace deal with the FARC to prosecute crimes from the armed conflict.
"It is my duty to manage spending, demand results, and allocate the government's limited resources to a justice system that serves everyone," the president said in September.
— President Abelardo de la Espriella
President
Slow, ineffective, biased
Victims' lawyer
Cuts mean fewer convictions
The president calls the court slow, ineffective and biased against the military. Victims' lawyer Ana Maria Rodriguez calls the bias claim "patently false" and says the cuts will mean fewer convictions.
What's next
On Wednesday, a Senate committee advanced a bill to eliminate the JEP by March 2028 and move its functions to the general court system.
