How cuts under Colombia’s de la Espriella threaten a key human rights court

President Abelardo de la Espriella has pledged to slash spending on JEP, Colombia's transitional justice court. But war crimes victims fear the cost.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is a transitional justice court in Bogota, Colombia, that handles cases of war crimes and other conflict-related abuses [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] Colombian Magistrate Alejandro Ramelli of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) speaks during a sentencing on September 18, 2025 [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

Bogota, Colombia – Angela Cordon was only a teenager when her father and uncle disappeared.

They were among a string of farmers and merchants to go missing in the southwestern department of Huila in Colombia.

First came her uncle Reynaldo Cordon Herrera's kidnapping. A grocer by trade, he had been travelling by truck on January 22, 2003, when he went missing.

The next month, Guillermo Cordon Herrera — Angela's father — set out to discover what happened to his brother, tracing his whereabouts through rural Colombia.

Guillermo called home one night with news: He had made contact with the rebel fighters he believed to be responsible for his brother's abduction.

It was the last time his family would ever hear from him. His body was never found, nor was his brother's.

Angela's father and uncle are among the more than 450,664 people killed as part of Colombia's six-decade-long internal armed conflict.

In the 23 years since their disappearance, Angela and her family have sought any information they could find about their loved ones' last days. "I have dedicated my life to this search," she told Al Jazeera.

She credits one institution in particular with helping her find answers: Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a transitional justice court.

Set up in 2016 as part of a peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest rebel group at the time, the court handles the prosecution and investigation of crimes committed during the conflict.

But victims, their loved ones and even some former fighters fear that budget cuts could gut JEP, leaving the court unable to fulfil its mission.

This month, the administration of right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella announced it would enact a 2027 budget with dramatic reductions for government bodies like JEP.

The total cuts to JEP were valued at around 181 billion Colombian pesos, or roughly $57m.

On Wednesday, a Senate committee also advanced a bill to eliminate JEP altogether by March 2028, with a proposal to transfer its functions to the general court system.

Angela, however, credits JEP with offering closure that the criminal justice system was never able to provide. She worries that slashing the court's funding — much less shuttering it entirely — could derail its work.

Through JEP, Angela learned about her father and uncle's time in captivity, as well as the site of their execution. JEP has also worked with former FARC members to try to locate their remains.

"Fewer resources mean fewer missions to the field to find answers, less humanitarian personnel," Angela said, bracing for the cuts.

"It probably means that we will never be able to return to the site."

Demonstrators rally beside a banner that reads, 'I believe in the JEP,' in Bogota, Colombia, on October 9, 2026 [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] Demonstrators rally beside a banner that reads, 'I believe in the JEP,' in Bogota, Colombia, on October 9, 2026 [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

A 'duty to manage spending'

De la Espriella has framed the budget reduction as necessary to combat Colombia's rising public debt, which exceeds $370bn.

"It is my duty to manage spending, demand results, and allocate the government's limited resources to a justice system that serves everyone," de la Espriella wrote in a September statement, defending his decision to trim JEP's funding.

He estimated that its payroll budget alone was north of 404 billion pesos, or $127m, in 2026.

Critics, however, have questioned whether austerity is the motive for the downsizing.

At around 634 trillion pesos or $200bn, de la Espriella's 2027 budget increases spending overall.

Passed by presidential decree, the budget is considered the largest spending package in the history of the country.

But de la Espriella has targeted JEP for reasons beyond its cost. He has repeatedly criticised JEP as slow and ineffective, failing to deliver on its promises of justice.

He has also slammed the court's investigations as biased against military members — and too lenient on rebels.

In an interview with the radio show Recap Blu, he accused JEP of "persecuting the heroes of the homeland" while "washing the hands of the guerrillas who committed crimes against humanity".

A ceremony held by JEP on November 28, 2024, pays tribute to the victims of extrajudicial executions carried out by the Colombian army [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] A ceremony held by JEP on November 28, 2024, pays tribute to the victims of extrajudicial executions carried out by the Colombian army [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

'Disastrous for victims'

But many victims' rights advocates dispute that assessment.

Ana Maria Rodriguez, a lawyer who represents victims of Colombia's conflict, described the accusation of bias as "patently false".

She pointed out that JEP has convicted some of the top leadership in the FARC, the rebel group that disarmed as part of the 2016 peace deal.

“It hasn’t been perfect or complete,” Rodriguez said of the JEP's work. "But the peace process here has become a model studied by other countries around the world. We have to keep this process functional.”

She believes that cuts to the court's budget will lead to fewer convictions, furthering impunity rather than preventing it.

“Many of the [perpetrators] have never faced any justice mechanisms outside of the JEP,” Rodriguez said.

In its effort to close unsolved cases, the court has offered leniency to soldiers, rebels and other fighters in exchange for cooperation with ongoing investigations.

Those cases typically result in rehabilitation work instead of a prison sentence, with defendants asked to engage in community service.

Those kinds of sentences have fuelled some of the criticism against JEP. But Rodriguez feels such trade-offs are necessary to offer resolution to victims' families.

After all, more than 100,000 people have been reported missing in Colombia's conflict. Their fate remains unknown.

“It isn’t clear how cases will be able to proceed without witness cooperation programmes," Rodriguez said.

She predicted that shrinking JEP's funding will be "absolutely disastrous for victims".

Demonstrators rally against budget cuts in Bogota, Colombia, on October 9, 2026, with signs that read, 'I embrace JEP' [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] Demonstrators rally against budget cuts in Bogota, Colombia, on October 9, 2026, with signs that read, 'I embrace JEP' [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

A fear of jeopardising investigations

Ahead of the anticipated cuts to JEP this month, more than 20 Colombian Congress members signed an open letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC), asking for help.

The ICC shares a similar mandate as JEP, as both are charged with investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

The international court was also supportive of the 2016 peace deal that gave rise to JEP's creation.

"We are concerned that [the budget's] approval will jeopardise investigations, trials and the execution of sentences for crimes under the court's jurisdiction," the lawmakers wrote to the ICC, in a request for support.

Alberto Yepes, a spokesman for the Colombia-Europe-United States Coordination Group, a human rights coalition, is among those rallying against the JEP cuts.

He sees a connection between the attacks on JEP and de la Espriella's heavy-handed approach to law enforcement.

De la Espriella, he explained, has modelled his security platform on hardline programmes in countries like El Salvador and Ecuador, where police and soldiers have been granted expanded powers.

Yepes believes that, by weakening JEP, the president may seek to prevent the future prosecution of military leaders in cases involving state crimes.

"These policies accompany aggressive new security measures, and combined, I think it seems very clear that this government is seeking impunity for the military," Yepes said.

In addition to reducing JEP's funding, de la Espriella's government is reportedly weighing a 116-page "counterterrorism" bill that would increase penalties for certain offences, criminalise some forms of protest, and make it more difficult to suspend military operations.

In Yepes's view, the ultimate goal is to shield law enforcement from accountability.

"De la Espriella is making decisions for a minority of the people that will benefit from these policies," he said.

哥伦比亚总统阿韦拉多·德拉埃斯普里利亚承诺大幅削减哥伦比亚过渡时期司法法院（JEP）的开支。但战争罪行受害者担心此举会造成巨大损失。

哥伦比亚和平特别法庭（JEP）是位于哥伦比亚波哥大的过渡时期司法法院，负责审理战争罪和其他与冲突相关的侵犯人权案件。[图片：路易莎·冈萨雷斯/路透社] 2025年9月18日，哥伦比亚和平特别法庭（JEP）法官亚历杭德罗·拉梅利在宣判时发表讲话。[图片：路易莎·冈萨雷斯/路透社]

哥伦比亚波哥大——安吉拉·科顿十几岁时，她的父亲和叔叔就失踪了。

他们是哥伦比亚西南部乌伊拉省一系列失踪的农民和商人中的一部分。

首先是她的叔叔雷纳尔多·科尔东·埃雷拉被绑架。他是一名杂货商，2003年1月22日，他乘坐卡车外出时失踪。

下个月，安吉拉的父亲吉列尔莫·科尔东·埃雷拉出发去寻找他哥哥的下落，一路追踪到哥伦比亚的乡村。

一天晚上，吉列尔莫打电话回家带来了一个消息：他已经联系上了他认为应对他哥哥被绑架负责的叛军战士。

那是他的家人最后一次听到他的消息。他的遗体始终没有找到，他哥哥的遗体也没有找到。

安吉拉的父亲和叔叔是哥伦比亚长达六十年的内部武装冲突中丧生的 450,664 多人中的两位。

自亲人失踪以来的23年里，安吉拉和她的家人一直在寻找任何有关他们最后日子的信息。“我把一生都奉献给了这项寻找，”她告诉半岛电视台。

她特别感谢一个机构帮助她找到了答案：哥伦比亚和平特别管辖区（JEP），一个过渡时期司法法院。

该法院于 2016 年成立，是政府与当时哥伦比亚最大的反叛组织——哥伦比亚革命武装力量（FARC）之间和平协议的一部分，负责处理冲突期间所犯罪行的起诉和调查。

但受害者、他们的亲人甚至一些前战士都担心，预算削减可能会削弱特别和平法庭，使该法庭无法履行其使命。

本月，右翼总统阿韦拉多·德拉·埃斯普里利亚的政府宣布将实施 2027 年预算，大幅削减 JEP 等政府机构的预算。

对 JEP 的总削减额约为 1810 亿哥伦比亚比索，约合 5700 万美元。

周三，参议院一个委员会还推进了一项法案，拟于 2028 年 3 月彻底取消 JEP，并提议将其职能移交给普通法院系统。

然而，安吉拉认为，JEP 提供了刑事司法系统永远无法提供的慰藉。她担心，削减法院的经费——更不用说彻底关闭它——可能会使其工作陷入停滞。

通过JEP，安吉拉了解到了她父亲和叔叔被囚禁的经历，以及他们被处决的地点。JEP还与前哥伦比亚革命武装力量成员合作，试图找到他们的遗骸。

“资源减少意味着前往实地寻找答案的任务减少，人道主义人员也减少，”安吉拉说道，她已经做好了裁员的准备。

“这可能意味着我们永远无法重返该遗址了。”

2026年10月9日，在哥伦比亚波哥大，示威者聚集在一条写着“我相信正义与和平党（JEP）”的横幅旁。[路易莎·冈萨雷斯/路透社]

“管理支出的责任”

德拉埃斯普里利亚认为，削减预算是应对哥伦比亚不断增长的公共债务（超过 3700 亿美元）的必要之举。

德拉埃斯普里耶拉在9月份的一份声明中为他削减JEP资金的决定辩护时写道：“我的职责是管理支出，要求取得成果，并将政府有限的资源分配给一个服务于所有人的司法系统。”

他估计，到 2026 年，仅工资预算一项就将超过 4040 亿比索，即 1.27 亿美元。

然而，批评人士质疑，裁员的动机是否真的是财政紧缩。

德拉埃斯普里利亚的 2027 年预算约为 634 万亿比索（约合 2000 亿美元），总体支出有所增加。

该预算案经总统令通过，被认为是该国历史上规模最大的支出计划。

但德拉埃斯普里利亚攻击特别检察官办公室的原因并非仅仅在于其成本。他多次批评特别检察官办公室行动迟缓、效率低下，未能兑现其伸张正义的承诺。

他还抨击法院的调查对军方成员存在偏见，对叛军过于宽容。

在接受广播节目 Recap Blu 的采访时，他指责 JEP “迫害祖国英雄”，同时“为犯下反人类罪行的游击队员洗脱双手”。

2024年11月28日，JEP举行仪式，悼念哥伦比亚军队法外处决的受害者。[图片：路易莎·冈萨雷斯/路透社]

“对受害者来说是灾难性的”

但许多受害者权益倡导者对这种评估提出异议。

代表哥伦比亚冲突受害者的律师安娜·玛丽亚·罗德里格斯称这种偏见指控“显然是错误的”。

她指出，特别和平法庭（JEP）已经对哥伦比亚革命武装力量（FARC）的一些高层领导人定罪，该反叛组织已根据 2016 年和平协议解除武装。

罗德里格斯在谈到特别和平小组的工作时说：“这项工作并不完美，也不彻底。但这里的和平进程已经成为世界其他国家学习的典范。我们必须保持这一进程的有效运作。”

她认为削减法院预算会导致定罪率下降，从而助长有罪不罚现象，而不是阻止有罪不罚现象的发生。

罗德里格斯说：“许多（犯罪者）从未在特别执法小组之外面临过任何司法机制的制裁。”

为了侦破未破案件，法院向士兵、叛军和其他武装人员提供宽大处理，以换取他们配合正在进行的调查。

这些案件通常以改造工作代替监禁判决，被告人会被要求参加社区服务。

这类判决加剧了人们对JEP的部分批评。但罗德里格斯认为，为了给受害者家属提供补偿，这样的权衡是必要的。

毕竟，据报道，哥伦比亚冲突中已有超过10万人失踪，他们的命运至今仍是个谜。

罗德里格斯说：“如果没有证人合作计划，案件将如何进行还不清楚。”

她预测，削减 JEP 的资金对受害者来说将是“绝对的灾难”。

2026年10月9日，在哥伦比亚首都波哥大，示威者举行集会，抗议预算削减，他们举​​着写有“我支持JEP”的标语。[路易莎·冈萨雷斯/路透社]

担心危及调查

在预计本月对 JEP 进行削减之前，20 多名哥伦比亚国会议员签署了一封致国际刑事法院 (ICC) 的公开信，请求帮助。

国际刑事法院与特别和平法庭有着相似的职责，两者都负责调查和起诉战争罪行。

国际法院也支持 2016 年的和平协议，该协议促成了特别和平法庭的成立。

议员们在致国际刑事法院的一封请求支持的信中写道：“我们担心（该预算的）批准将危及对法院管辖范围内犯罪的调查、审判和判决执行。”

哥伦比亚-欧洲-美国协调小组（一个人权联盟）的发言人阿尔贝托·耶佩斯是反对削减特别和平计划（JEP）预算的人士之一。

他认为对JEP的袭击与德拉埃斯普里利亚的强硬执法方式之间存在联系。

德拉埃斯普里耶解释说，他的安全平台是效仿萨尔瓦多和厄瓜多尔等国的强硬派方案建立的，在这些国家，警察和士兵被赋予了更大的权力。

叶佩斯认为，总统削弱特别检察官办公室（JEP）的目的是为了阻止未来对涉及国家犯罪的军事领导人进行起诉。

“这些政策伴随着激进的新安全措施，两者结合起来，我认为很明显，本届政府正在寻求军方免于惩罚，”耶佩斯说。

据报道，除了削减特别和平部队（JEP）的资金外，德拉埃斯普里利亚政府还在考虑一项长达 116 页的“反恐”法案，该法案将加大对某些罪行的处罚力度，将某些形式的抗议活动定为犯罪，并使暂停军事行动变得更加困难。

在耶佩斯看来，最终目标是保护执法部门免受问责。

他说：“德拉埃斯普里耶拉所做的决定，只会让少数人受益于这些政策。”