The Forgiveness of the Mothers of Soacha, Victims of False Positives: An Analysis from the Philosophy of Hannah Arendt

Abstract

The phenomenon of "false positives" in Colombia represents one of the most serious expressions of human rights violations in the context of the armed conflict. This article analyzes the case of the Mothers of Soacha and their struggle for justice, examining this problem in the light of Hannah Arendt's theory of political forgiveness and evaluating the fulfillment of the ethical and political conditions that the author proposes so that forgiveness is legitimate. The methodology is qualitative and analytical, based on a documentary review of public hearings of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), official reports, testimonies of those responsible, and the text of the Eichmann trial. An analysis matrix was developed to contrast the conditions of forgiveness - full recognition of state responsibility and sincere repentance of the perpetrators - with the reality of the case. Finally, the results show that, although some perpetrators have expressed regret, full state recognition and comprehensive reparation are still insufficient, which limits the possibility of political forgiveness. Thus, it is concluded that for the Mothers of Soacha, forgiveness is only viable under the condition of justice, truth and memory.