How cuts under Colombia’s de la Espriella threaten a key human rights court

Colombia's right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella plans to slash funding for the country's transitional justice court, a move victims' families warn could doom the search for tens of thousands of people still missing from six decades of conflict.

This month, de la Espriella's administration announced cuts to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the court created under the 2016 peace deal with the FARC rebels, worth around 181 billion pesos — roughly $57 million. On Wednesday, a Senate committee advanced a bill that would eliminate the court altogether by March 2028.

De la Espriella has framed the reduction as a debt-fighting measure, saying it is his duty to manage spending, and put JEP's 2026 payroll at more than 404 billion pesos. But critics note his 2027 budget, passed by decree at some 634 trillion pesos ($200 billion), is the largest in Colombia's history — and increases spending overall. The president has repeatedly accused the court of bias against the military and leniency toward former rebels.

The court matters deeply to families like Angela Cordon's. Her father and uncle were kidnapped in the department of Huila more than two decades ago and were never found. Through the JEP, she learned details of their captivity and the site where they vanished. "Fewer resources mean fewer missions to the field to find answers," she told Al Jazeera. "It probably means that we will never be able to return to the site."

Victims' lawyer Ana Maria Rodriguez called shrinking the court's funding "absolutely disastrous for victims," warning of fewer convictions and deeper impunity. The International Criminal Court and more than 20 members of Colombia's Congress have also raised concerns that the cuts will jeopardise investigations and trials.