RECUPERAR EL BUEN NOMBRE, LA DIGNIDAD Y LA PALABRA. LA AUDIENCIA POR FALSOS POSITIVOS EN OCAÑA

This chronicle―ranging between descriptive and analytical―reconstructs the development of the first “acknowledgment of responsibility” hearing of Case 03, regarding “falsos positivos,” carried out by the JEP (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, Special Jurisdiction for Peace) between April 26 and 27, 2022, in Ocaña, Norte de Santander province in Colombia. It revisits the disposition of the judicial setting, including the emotions and tensions that drove and articulated the conduct of the hearing; the transition from written recognition, under confidentiality, to public ritual; and the moral cost in terms of exposure to scorn, in a setting crowded with observers and media. It explores iconic moments of its development regarding the contentious interactions, though mostly contained, among perpetrators, victims, and judges. The conclusion of the text includes summaries of the conversations that the project researchers held with military participants a month after the hearing, during which they were invited to reflect on their experience―whether real or imagined―of confessing and confronting judges and victims.