The word peace is now wounded by this Government that threatened with the idea that there will be terrorism in cities and more taxes, in order to justify his surrender to terrorists.
The word peace is now wounded because Fidel Castro's Communist dictatorship and Hugo Chávez's and Nicolás Maduro's bloody tyranny have been validated.
The word peace is now wounded since FARC terrorist group has been given the status of State partner, or parastate or paramilitary, on the pretext of fighting other criminals.
The word peace is now wounded by accepting that those responsible for crimes against humanity (e.g., kidnapping, car bombing, recruitment of children, and rape of girls) shall not spend one day in jail and may be elected for public offices. These awards for crime result in further violence. What can now be said to thousands of prisoners sentenced for less serious crimes than those committed by FARC and, apart from being deprived of freedom, not entitled to be elected? What can now be said to those who lost their political rights forever? What can now be said to the paramilitaries – whose origin is the fault of both the guerrillas and the lack of authority – who were jailed or extradited for the same serious crimes?
The word peace is now wounded because Colombia is now ignoring that both the statute of the International Criminal Court provides for jail and the American Convention on Human Rights provides for severe penalties for those responsible for crimes against humanity. Impunity, apart from being the midwife of further violence, makes compromises reached in Havana incur violation of both the Colombian Constitution and international treaties to which Colombia is signatory.
The word peace is now wounded by accepting that ringleaders from FARC, the world's biggest cocaine cartel, shall not spend one day in jail, are not extradited, and may be elected for public offices. What can we think of this injustice if, from 2002 through 2010, around 1,200 individuals wanted for drug trafficking were extradited?
The word peace is now wounded because FARC, the world's third richest terrorist group, is not being urged to give up its money to reparate the victims. The money they may keep will enable them to buy all weapons to replace those they may decommission.
The word peace is now seriously wounded by a plebiscite that will include only one question and, in the event that is not passed, is resulting in Colombian official authorities threatening with the idea that there will be terrorism in cities. It is a plebiscite based on the current Colombian administration's overspend on advertising – as it happened during the presidential election –, on officially denying funds to those wishing to say no or to abstain, on pressure on town mayors and department governors either to support it or to face national budget cuts, and on reducing the vote threshold initially provided by law.
The word peace is now wounded by a Government that has been deceiving the people and manipulating judicial standards in order to change the Constitution to FARC's liking, in spite of being a terrorist group that, under official approval, subdues institutions instead of submitting to them. Those peace deals are being included in the Constitutionality Block, based on the daring idea that they become unamendable, that is to say, the Constitution is being abused and the key is being thrown away in order to prevent future necessary corrections.
The word peace is now seriously wounded because democracy and liberty are under threat in the fashion of Castro and Maduro who, in the name of social justice, have oppressed and impoverished their peoples. Colombian Government ignited a machete war among peasants and accepted to negotiate the model of democracy, economic liberties, and social policies with terrorists.
The word peace is now wounded because many civilians and members of the Armed Forces serving our democracy shall submit to the above-mentioned terrorist group's court and admit to crimes not committed, in order to be exempted from jail. Many are to imply that glorious history starts by capitulating to a terrorist group. And the whole nation is facing the threat of its Armed Forces destroyed or jailed and the terrorists in power. Those efforts to train a nation for democracy will become unknown or disapproved in the fashion of Castro, Chávez, and Maduro.
The word peace is now wounded when the Government, so as to sign a deal with the above-mentioned terrorist group, is complaisant to Venezuela's tyranny despite that Maduro uses another terrorist group's acronym, that of the Eln, to knowingly keep the Government subdued.
The word peace is now wounded by permitting that FARC terrorist group becomes a political party and continues to commit crime under the ELN and other related groups. The unilateral truce called one year ago resulted in more drug trafficking, more blackmail, and more land control by terrorists.
The word peace is now wounded by a head of state who, in order to disguise his surrender, underestimates both the Democratic Security policy based on which he was elected and the generous reintegration [of paramilitaries and guerrillas] conducted without impunity, without granting eligibility for politics and public offices, and without negotiating the national agenda.
However, thousands of Colombians who are calmly resisting the advertising power, a pantomime of a dictatorship, are preparing to defend democracy and freedom and fight for conditions leading to a peace that is different from that of the Government, which is based on surrendering to criminals and threatening people with terrorism in cities and more taxes.
Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Medellín, June 23, 2016
(The end)