MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Total Peace” bill signed into law in Colombia

Petro confirmed negotiations will be handled separately with the Judiciary and the Executive

Colombian President Gustavo Petro Friday signed into law the “total peace” bill which allows authorities to undertake ceasefire negotiations with remnants of FARC and ELN groups still active in the country, just one day after the initiative was passed by both Houses of Congress.

”There will be people who will negotiate with the Government the options to end an insurgent war for many decades, which must end definitively without echoes for the Colombian society to be the true owner of the country (...) the real and peaceful democracy we need. So the law is signed,“ Petro said.

The new law also allows for negotiations with the Judiciary to peacefully dismantle the criminal organizations, Petro explained.

During his campaign, Petro had announced he would promote the beginning of peace talks with armed and political organizations and end ”the bloodbath“ to which the country has been subjected for more than 50 years.

Under the new law, young people will have the possibility to perform social service as a complement to compulsory military service.

”We are ready to release in the coming days all the young political prisoners of the Social Outbreak”, tweeted Colombia's Presidential Council for Youth.

The original bill included provisions pardoning people convicted of crimes during the demonstrations of the National Strike of 2021 and another granting additional power to the president, but neither made it through the Parliamentarian debate.