Colombia Confronts Unhealed Wounds on 40th Anniversary of Palace of Justice Siege

3 hours ago7 min read

Four decades after the M-19 guerrilla group stormed Colombia's highest court, the nation continues to grapple with the profound legacy of the Palace of Justice siege. The two-day assault in November 1985 saw 35 guerrillas take control of the neoclassical building in central Bogotá, holding hundreds of judges, employees, and civilians hostage.The siege ended in a devastating military raid and a fire that claimed nearly 100 lives, including eleven Supreme Court justices. To this day, the full truth of the event remains obscured, with the fate of those who disappeared after the army regained control—such as cafeteria worker Irma Franco and her infant daughter—still a source of anguish and demand for accountability.The siege was a direct attack on the judiciary, an attempt by the M-19 to put the state on trial, but it devolved into a national tragedy that exposed the fragility of Colombia's institutions. Condemned by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the event remains a dark symbol of the country's armed conflict and a ghost that haunts its ongoing peace processes, with the search for justice and reconciliation still unfinished.

#Colombia

#Palace of Justice

#M-19 guerrilla

#siege

#40th anniversary

#conflict

#Bogotá

#featured

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