Colombian Congress Proposes Steep Cuts to Transitional Justice Funding

Allies of President Abelardo De La Espriella are proposing significant budget cuts to Colombia's transitional justice system as Congress works toward an October 20 deadline for the 2027 budget. Joint committees from the Senate and lower house have initially approved reducing the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) court's funding by nearly 17 percent and the Search Unit for Disappeared People (UBPD) operational funding by nearly 22 percent.

Senator Enrique Gomez, a primary proponent of the reductions, described the JEP as a bureaucratic machine and an operational failure that ensures impunity for crimes against humanity. These proposals align with previous promises by President De La Espriella to dismantle the court.

JEP Magistrate Catalina Diaz warned that the funding drops would compromise victims' rights and hinder hearings in rural areas, while also jeopardizing security for former combatants. Simultaneously, the UBPD stated that the cuts threaten DNA collection and approximately 10,000 planned exhumations of the 137,000 people disappeared during the Colombian conflict.