By Susana Pimiento On October 7, as the Occupy Wall Street movement was starting to get media attention in the United States, Colombian students held a big mobilization, inaugurating a series of massive nationwide protests and events. Despite a government smear...
nonviolence
Witness: Fall 2011
By FOR Saturday, October 1, 2011, 11:00am In this issue: “Growing the movement with deep nonviolence training,” by Janet Chisholm of Creating a Culture of Peace “Report from the 26th Veterans for Peace convention,” by Jim Murphy, FOR National Council “Sanctuary: The...
The Fifth Commandment
By John Lindsay-Poland Thursday, September 22, 2011, 6:39pm by María Elvira Bonilla Although the struggle to recognize conscientious objectors and put an end to the Colombian military’s illegal recruitment practices, is gaining ground and visibility, these practices...
Respecting Students: Will the Army Obey the Law?
By Liza Smith Thursday, September 22, 2011, 6:41pm August 24. It was a routine recruitment appointment in Medellín, meaning that young men with a pre-assigned number showed up to resolve their military status. A number of them arrived with a certificate of exemption —...
The Power of Granting Forgiveness
By Susana Pimiento April 9th marked the seventeenth anniversary of the killing of Manuel Cepeda Vargas, a Colombian Senator with the left-wing political party Union Patriotica (UP). For the first time, this year there was formal recognition of the wrong that occurred...
Monument to Impunity: Medellín Judge Acquits Officers Involved in Massacre
By Susana Pimiento Disregarding recent Supreme Court precedents on command responsibility, a judge in Medellin acquitted 10 officers investigated for the February 2005 massacre in which Peace Community members, including 3 children were brutally murdered. The ruling...