Colombia has a moment of important political decisions nowadays. The Colombian Congress passed a law granting amnesty to FARC rebels, this milestone took place this wednesday. This is part of the country's peace deal and it has been hailed by the government as historic.
President Juan Manuel Santos said on Twitter that he thanks the Congress which approved the amnesty law. This is seen by the Colombian President as the first step to reach peace.
This is a great moment in the political life of Colombia because the measure grants special legal treatment, amnesty and pardon to members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This movement has been accused of crimes and we have to add that not all the people agree with this amnesty law.
Anyway, the House of Representatives approved it 121-0,then, the Senate passed the bill 69-0. This amnesty bill is part of the November 24 pact whose purpose is end five decades of conflict in Colombia.
Alvaro Uribe opposed fiercely to the agreement with the FARC
Former president Alvaro Uribe opposed fiercely to the peace deal with FARC, he saw this as unfair. The negotiations with the FARC took almost 4 years to end more than half a century of armed conflict in Colombia, a war that has caused a lot of pain and suffering.
The former president and his allies believe that the deal gives impunity to the rebels. The members of FARC are guilty of war crimes and abuses against people, but they will get seats in Congress instead of going to prison.
At first, voters rejected the earlier deal by a narrow margin, but later the Colombian Government and FARC renegotiated it. Both decided to have it ratified in Congress instead of risking in a second referendum. The conflict has killed more than 260,000 people and left 45,000 missing.
