Études de cas
Justice réparatrice
* For image references, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
Author of case study: Marcela Torres Molano
Geopolitical location of space:
Carrera 9 #12C-10
Bogotá, Colombia
Extant? Yes
Start date: January 2019
End date: Before the pandemic started, the deadline for the Truth Commission’s mandate was 2021.
The office of the Truth Commission is a space dedicated to the collection of testimonies of victims, witnesses and perpetrators of violent acts occurred during the Colombian conflict (1964-2016). The mandate of this office is to provide a physical, safe space where individuals can share their stories, deal with traumatic consequences of the conflict and dialogue about the possibilities for individual and collective reconciliation.
As a result of the signing of the Colombian Peace Accord in 2016, the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition was established. This set of extra-judicial mechanisms include The Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition Commission (i.e., the Truth Commission), the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, and the Unit for the Search for People Presumed Disappeared, all vital institutions for a comprehensive and effective transitional justice process. The Commission’s goal is to contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of the victims, the clarification of the truth, the accountability of what has happened, and the recognition of the responsibilities from those who participated in the internal armed conflict.
Yes. Although the holding of encounters between victims and perpetrators is not the principal activity taking place in this space, many encounters between victims, their families, officials from public institutions, and perpetrators have been organised by the Truth Commission. The Commission’s work includes testimony collection, archive consultation, and public hearings, all of which are part of Colombia’s transitional justice strategy.
In 2019 for instance, 30 former combatants from different armed groups* presented the Declaration for Life, Peace and Reconciliation in the Truth Commission of Bogotá (ICTJ, 2019).
*Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN); ELN Replanteamiento; Ejército Popular de Liberación (EPL); Movimiento 19 de Abril (M19); Corriente de Renovación Socialista (CRS); Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores (PRT); Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) y las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).
Yes, the process of listening to a testimony opens a space for the recognition and dignity of the victims. Any testimony collected in the space is confidential and exclusively used by the Commission. The information is received and stored under strict safety protocols and it is not shared with any individual or other governmental organisations.
Any victims or witnesses of violent acts occurred during the Colombian conflict.
The building is loaned for use to the Truth Commission, which is a governmental institution. Before being occupied by the Commission, the space was one of the offices of the Comptroller General of Colombia. As such, the Truth Commission office has certain institutional visual elements such as signs and logos, but these are not representative elements and they do not physically modify the space since they are informative in nature.
The Truth Commission office is located in downtown Bogotá, reusing an old building from the Republican* era. The building initially belonged to the Ministry of Justice and was later leased by the office of the Comptroller General of Colombia. The building is a 10-floor structure with a stone façade. On the ground floor there is a double height atrium, where many of the public initiatives and hearings take place. The upper floors have a traditional spatial distribution for office spaces.
* The first buildings designed in Colombia for state use are usually identified with the so-called Republican Architecture period, which lasted from 1880 to 1930.
The building is located in a very commercial and bustling neighbourhood of Bogotá, within walking distance of governmental institutions such as the Central Tax Office (DIAN), the Central Bank (Banco de la República), the Supreme Court, the Colombian Congress and the Presidential House. It is located in a complex urban area, that includes formal and informal commerce, institutional buildings, hotels, and some residential spaces.
This central part of the city is very often the main scenario of protest and demonstration against the national government, which usually includes protesting against the government’s lack of interest in the Peace Agreement. As such, the building has been the target of graffiti, however this is very common for public and private buildings in this part of the city.
est auteure, conférencière, chroniqueuse et podcasteuse dans les domaines de l'architecture et des arts décoratifs. Elle termine sa maîtrise en histoire de l'art à l'Université Concordia, à Montréal, et détient un baccalauréat en commerce avec une majeure en marketing de la John Molson School of Business. Elle a étudié la psychologie industrielle à Los Angeles, en Californie. Sicotte est l'auteure de deux ouvrages publiés sur le design (2015, 2018) aux éditions Cardinal.
est candidate colombienne au doctorat au Département d'histoire de l'art de l'Université Concordia. Elle a une formation en design architectural et en activisme communautaire et détient une maîtrise en bâtiment et design urbain de la Bartlett School of Architecture à Londres, en Angleterre. Ses intérêts se concentrent sur l'art socialement engagé, les mouvements sociaux, l'activisme collaboratif dans des scénarios post-conflit, l'art produit collectivement et l'art produit en relation avec le cadre bâti.
est candidat au doctorat en sciences humaines à l'Université Concordia. Ses recherches portent sur l'agentivité spatiale, l'esthétique sociale, les récits des jeunes et les représentations graphiques de la mémoire urbaine. Il a publié sur la relation entre les enfants, le jeu et l'espace public à Carthagène, en Colombie. Il a également travaillé comme éditeur sur des projets littéraires, dont Territorio Fértil, qui a reçu le prix María Nelly Murillo Hinestroza pour la littérature afro-colombienne.
est professeure agrégé et Chaire de recherche du Canada en architectures de justice spatiale (niveau 2) à l'École d'architecture Peter Guo-hua Fu de l'Université McGill, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Ses intérêts de recherche comprennent le logement à loyer modique et le design participatif, la protestation civile et le design urbain, ainsi que les paysages des campus et la race. Ses publications incluent le livre co-édité, Orienting Istanbul (2010) et le livre (auteure unique), Istanbul Open City (2018).
est artiste et professeure d'histoire de l'art à l'Université Concordia. Ses travaux portent sur les femmes et l'histoire du cadre bâti, les paysages urbains, la recherche-création et l'histoire orale. Elle a publié sur l'histoire spatiale du mouvement pour le suffrage des femmes, l'art public, les jardins et les politiques du changement urbain. En plus de ses recherches sur les espaces de justice réparatrice et transitionnelle, elle dirige un projet d'histoire orale sur les mémoires urbaines des montréalais et montréalaises.
est un ancien titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en interprétation de l'histoire orale (2016-2021). Il est professeur agrégé au Département de théâtre de l'Université Concordia et codirecteur du Centre d’histoire orale et de récits numérisés (CHORN) de Concordia. Sa subvention de la Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation en infrastructure lui a permis de créer le Laboratoire d'écoute active (ALLab) en 2018. Basé au CHORN, l'ALLab est un centre de recherche-création de premier plan pour le pouvoir transformateur de l'écoute.
