So the Truth Commission’s president, Jesuit priest Francisco de Roux, handed the report and its recommendations to Petro instead. The presentation ceremony was not attended by President Ivan Duque, who was in Portugal for the UN Ocean Conference. Petro has also called for reforms to Colombia’s defense forces, suggesting he police should stop being used for military operations and be placed under greater civilian oversight. The leftist senator, who was once a member of a rebel group, said during his campaign that he will re-establish diplomatic relations with neighboring Venezuela whose socialist government is not recognized by the United States. President-elect Gustavo Petro attended the ceremony where the report was presented to the public and said its recommendations would “effectively become part of Colombia’s history.” But some will likely be implemented by Colombia’s new government which will take over in August. The Truth Commission’s recommendations are not legally binding. The report called for major changes to Colombia’s military and police forces, which have received more than $8 billion from the U.S. It also mentioned that more than 7 million people were forced to flee their homes and that 56,000 civilians were killed by Colombia’s armed forces, including 6,300 people who were murdered in remote areas and presented to authorities as rebel fighters killed in action. The 900-page report said 50,000 people were kidnapped between 19 as a result of Colombia’s armed conflict, often by rebel groups who kept hostages for ransom. The commission’s final report is based on interviews with 30,000 war victims, military leaders, former guerrilla fighters and five former Colombian presidents. The commission also issued a series of recommendations aimed at stopping future conflicts from taking root in Colombia, including changes to drug policy and transformations in the nation’s military forces.
It was tasked with documenting war crimes and publishing its findings in a digital format that will be available to the public.
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