On December 4, PBI-Colombia accompanied the painting the “Who gave the order?” mural in front of the General José María Córdova Military Academy in Bogotá.

The mural was first painted there by three young artists on October 18, 2019, but was covered with white paint within hours by members of the Army.

Photo: Campaign for Truth/El Pais.

That first mural portrayed the faces of five high-level military commanders under whose command 5,763 extrajudicial executions were committed between 2000 and 2010. These victims are referred to as false positives, youth murdered by the army but presented as guerillas killed in combat.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace has subsequently determined that at least 6,402 individuals were illegally killed and presented as killed in combat between 2002 and 2008.

After almost two years of legal actions after the first mural was painted over, the Constitutional Court ruled on November 9 that the mural must be protected for several key reasons including it “contributes to the construction of historical memory”.

The new mural painted earlier this month now reflects the 6,402 killed and the 14 high-level commanders who are allegedly responsible for their deaths.

The PBI-Colombia accompanied organizations that have backed this mural include: the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective, the Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace, and MOVICE.

More can be read about this in the PBI-Colombia article: “WHO GAVE THE ORDER?”: A CALL FOR JUSTICE AND TRUTH.

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    Colombia