CAPAZ at event on truth and exile with Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva And Vice-President Francia Márquez
The event “Truth in Exile: The Road to Peace in Colombia” was held in Germany on February 17, AT the Gasteig HP8 Hans-Preißinge Cultural Centre in Munich. The event brought together the Vice President of Colombia, Francia Márquez, Colombian Chancellor Álvaro Leyva, representatives of the CAPAZ Institute, and part of the Nodo Alemania team supporting the Truth Commission.
The central theme was exile. There were exchanges of views and reflections on this topic, as well as artistic presentations and commemorations to thank and honor the people who gave their testimony to the Truth Commission in order to prepare the “Colombia outside Colombia” chapter of the Final Report and thus set a precedent for truth commissions around the world. CAPAZ academic director, Stefan Peters, emphasised this fact when he said that “the voices of exile have been denied for a long time. What the Truth Commission did marks a before and an after: putting exile in such a central place is unprecedented in the world”.
The Colombian government was also present. For his part, Foreign Minister Leyva expressed his solidarity with the victims who have had to flee the country because of the armed conflict in Colombia. Leyva, then, empathised with them by saying:
”I know what it means to be on the outside. And the longing to return to the homeland. We are working to implement a return policy”.
This message was reinforced a few minutes later by Vice President Francia Márquez who added that one of the priorities of the government of Gustavo Petro is for people in exile to be able to “return to the country with dignity. For this we need a different Colombia. This is what we are working for, so that Colombians in exile are guaranteed their rights. Colombia needs them”.
One of the attendees at the event was the former German Ambassador to Colombia, Mr. Peter Ptassek, who was decorated with the Order of San Carlos by Chancellor Leyva during the event.
Finally, in a commemorative act, the members of Nodo Alemania offered the Vice President an embroidered tribute to honor the resistance struggles and the work Francia Márquez has done for the country’s marginalised communities.
Photos: Peter Ptassek