The law currently exempts only political crimes and has been regarded as a beacon for postwar justice since coming into force alongside the 1996 peace accords. The new initiative is backed by former army generals angered by a wave of prosecutions that has resulted in the convictions of at least 33 military officers and militia members since 2008. One former guerrilla leader has also been convicted of human rights abuses. Michelle Bachelet, the UN human rights commissioner, condemned the move as a “drastic step backwards for the rule of law and victims’ rights”. But 93% of human rights abuses were committed by US-backed government forces, compared with 3% by guerrilla groups, according to the postwar Commission for Historical Clarification.

Source: The Guardian February 07, 2019 06:00 UTC