Commissioning Truth: An Exploration and Assessment of an Alternative Approach to the Production of Truth in the Aftermath of Violence Laly Catalina Peralta A Thesis In the Humanities Program Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Humanities) at Concordia University November 2017 © Laly Catalina Peralta, 2017 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Laly Catalina Peralta. Entitled: Commissioning Truth: An Exploration and Assessment of an Alternative Approach to the Production of Truth in the Aftermath of Violence and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor Of Philosophy (Humanities) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final examining committee: Chair Dr. Martha Langford External Examiner Dr. Rene Provost External to Program Dr. Pablo Gilabert Examiner Dr. Eric Reiter Examiner Dr. Matthew Barker Thesis Supervisor Dr. David Howes Approved by _ ___________________________________________________ Dr. David Howes, Graduate Program Director Tuesday, December 19, 2017 _______ Dr. André Roy, Dean Faculty of Arts and Science Abstract Commissioning Truth: An Exploration and Assessment of an Alternative Approach to the Production of Truth in the Aftermath of Violence Laly Catalina Peralta, Ph.D. Concordia University, 2018 The first chapter of this thesis presents a review of the literature on the meaning of truth in the aftermath of violence. There, I argue that, historically, scholars have tried to justify the quest for truth in such circumstances (1) by reference to the benefits it brings, which is a type of instrumental justification; and (2) for its own sake, a type of intrinsic justification. Following my description and analysis of these two ideal typical accounts, I present my own alternative approach to truth in the aftermath of violence, which is a middle point between the two ideal types. This alternative approach provides a synthesis between knowing facts and telling testimonies; showing how the instrumental and intrinsic justifications of truth are actually closer than they appeared to be at first glance. The second chapter explores how this alternative approach could be materialized through a particular truth seeking mechanism such as a truth commission. The third chapter presents a methodological matrix, which systematizes my own vision of a bona fide truth commission. The matrix is made up of a series of consideratoions that are illustrated by analyzing two international experiences: the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) of South Africa and Sierra Leone. The fourth and last chapter seeks to demonstrate the utility of the proposed matrix by applying it to a particular case: the nascent truth commission of Colombia. III Para Felipe, con quien hemos hecho de todos nuestros sueños, proyectos familiares. IV Contribution of Authors Chapter 3 Co-Authors: Eduardo Gutierrez Contributions: Eduardo Gutierrez helped to conceive and implement the study design and collected and analyzed data. He also wrote the first draft of the South Africa and Sierra Leone section and provided feedback on early drafts of the methodological matrix. V Table of Contents| Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ viii Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1. Approaches to Truth in the Aftermath of Violence .............................................. 8 1.Historical Approaches and Justifications of of Truth in the Aftermath of Violence........... 11 1.1 Truth as Telling Testimonies .......................................................................................... 11 1.1.1 The Instrumental Importance of Truth: Building Narratives of the Past. ................... 15 1.2. Truth as Knowing Facts................................................................................................. 19 1.2.1. The Intrinsic Importance of Truth: Knowing Criminal Acts ........................................ 22 2.Risks of Historical Approaches to Truth in the Aftermath of Violence .............................. 25 2.1 The Risky Side of the Instrumental Importance of Truth ............................................... 27 2.2 The Risky Side of the Intrinsic Importance of Truth....................................................... 32 3.Conclusion: Telling and Knowing as Alternative Approach to Truth in the Aftermath of Violence ................................................................................................................................ 38 Chapter 2. Truth Commissions: Definition and Justification ................................................ 43 1.What is a truth commission? ............................................................................................. 47 1.1 Components of the definition.......................................................................................... 47 1.2 Speech situations during Truth Commission implementation ....................................... 63 2. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 67 Chapter 3. What should a TC do?: Possible objectives to accomplish, .............................. 71 1. Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 72 1.1 Why South Africa and Sierra Leone TRCs? .................................................................. 73 2. Methodological Matrix....................................................................................................... 76 3. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 118 3.1 Context and background .............................................................................................. 119 3.2 Criminal Act and Implicated Actors .............................................................................. 120 3.3 Impact ........................................................................................................................... 123 Annexes .............................................................................................................................. 126 Chapter 4. Colombia: A new truth commission .................................................................. 134 1. The Colombian Conflict: Summarizing Five Stages. ..................................................... 135 2. Colombian Attempts to Find Truth ................................................................................. 138 2.1 Historical Memory Group and National Historical Memory Center.............................. 139 2.2 The Historical Commission of the Conflict and its Victims........................................... 141 2.3. Historical Memory Initiatives........................................................................................ 142 VI 2.4 The Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Repetition (CEV)……………………………………………………………………………………………..144 3. Colombian Commission for the Clarification of Truth: Setting Precise and Achievable Goals ................................................................................................................................... 146 4. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 167 Annex 1. Map of Colombia (world, 2017).......................................................................... 174 Annex 2. Colombian Commission for the Clarification of Truth: setting precise and achievable goals (Executive Summary) ............................................................................. 175 Final Considerations ........................................................................................................... 177 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 184 VII Abbreviations Truth Commission TC Truth and Reconciliation Commissions TRC South Africa Truth and Reconciliation SATRC Commissions Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation SLTRC Commissions South Africa Amnesty Committee AC National Commission for Disarmament, NCDDR Demobilisation and Reintegration Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee (R&RC) Historical Memory Initiatives. HMI The Commission for the Clarification of Truth, CVCR in its Spanish acronym Coexistence and Non-Repetition Historical Memory Group GMH in its Spanish acronym Single Victims Registry RUV in its Spanish acronym Special Jurisdiction for Peace JEP in its Spanish acronym VIII Introduction Beginning in the early 1980s, many Latin American countries underwent a change from authoritarian to democratic regimes. This change was far from peaceful. In some instances, it was a decades long, bloody contest, with many casualties, and it would take a peace agreement to bring an end to the hostilities between the state and various insurgent groups (e.g. Argentina, Chile, Peru, among others) (Teitel, 2003, p. 75). In these transition processes, the question of impunity constantly cropped up among parties seeking to strike an unattainable