However, the organization stressed that these negotiations must not be used to legalize paramilitary groups and guarantee their impunity and that of those who support them. In particular, Amnesty International is concerned at the possibility that members of these groups responsible for human rights violations could enjoy benefits such as amnesties or pardons and join new structures - including the peasant soldiers - created by the government to strengthen war efforts against illegal armed groups. Thus, instead of being demobilized, combatants would again be drawn into the conflict by disguising paramilitarism behind a new legal façade.
"Justice must be done in all cases of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. This is a key condition to achieve true peace and security in Colombia," Zúñiga warned. He also stressed that the experience of internal conflicts in Latin America and the world has shown that genuine national reconciliation is only possible through negotiated solutions rooted in truth, justice, and the acknowledgment of the right to reparation for victims of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and their families.
"Justice must be done in all cases of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. This is a key condition to achieve true peace and security in Colombia," Zúñiga warned. He also stressed that the experience of internal conflicts in Latin America and the world has shown that genuine national reconciliation is only possible through negotiated solutions rooted in truth, justice, and the acknowledgment of the right to reparation for victims of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and their families.