Colombia’s war crimes tribunal JEP announces steep measures after being forced to cut $53M from its budget – Colombia News

The president of the JEP announced radical cuts in the war crimes tribunal’s spending, which was forced to cut $53 million (COP170 billion) from its annual budget by Colombia’s Congress.

In a press statement, JEP president Danilo Rojas said that the court would abandon its 15,000m² main office in Bogota and move to a much smaller building in March of next year.

The court president additionally announced that it would eliminate 85% of its temporary employees and force staff to absorb administrative, technical defense, and psychosocial tasks previously handled by external contractors.

Many of the remaining workers will largely be working from home to facilitate the aforementioned move.

The court will also abandon personal security details for magistrates and the court directors and ask the National Protection Unit to take on the protection of victims, witnesses and defendants.

Last but not least, the court announced partnerships with universities, the Inspector General’s Office and local governments to secure regional presence, which is necessary to investigate war crimes.

The radical austerity measures became a necessity after Congress agreed with President Abelardo de la Espriella and hi far-right National Salvation party to slash the JEP’s budget.

The war crimes tribunal seeks justice for millions of victims of the military and the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC, which agreed to demobilize and disarm in 2016.

The JEP has long been the target of criticism of the far-right, which has historically downplayed the war crimes committed by the State and regional elites that used the armed conflict to accumulate wealth.