Taking Stock of the Participation of Third Parties in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP) is the justice component of the Colombian Transitional Justice Mechanism created as part of the 2016 peace accord with the FARC-EP. The SJP seeks to held accountable all actors of the conflict for their role in during the armed conflict (1958-2016). The responsibility of third parties, for example business people and landowners, in the conflict has been fundamental. Although their participation in the SJP has been praised by transitional justice experts, it has been highly contested and criticised by some sectors in Colombia. To implement this aspect of the peace agreement has moreover proved particularly challenging given the dearth of academic guidance and international precedent on how to achieve this. Furthermore, the original conception for their participation in the peace accord was modified by Colombia’s Constitutional Court.