Dealing with the Past

Prodeco advances on peace and reconciliation

18-10-2018Mining company Prodeco is leading by example by taking concrete steps that contribute to peace in Colombia. At a recent commemoration of victims in Estados Unidos, close to Prodeco’s La Jagua mine, CEO Mark McManus clearly voiced the company’s commitment to regional peacebuilding. PAX is positive about the actions taken by Prodeco as they are key towards building trust and a reconciliation dialogue.
Natural Resources, Conflict & Human Rights, Dealing with the Past, Colombia
Srebrenica genocide remembered

10-07-2018More victims of the genocide which took place on 11 July 1995 in Srebrenica are identified every year, even after 23 years.
Dealing with the Past, The Balkans
Reintegrating former combatants in Colombia

09-04-2018After years of war, former combatants in Colombia are returning to the communities they left when they went to fight. The weapons have been laid down and the wounds are slowly beginning to heal. But the reintegration of former combatants remains precarious. PAX supports the indigenous authorities in their call for community reintegration. “It is not just the individual that needs to be taken into account, but also the social context, the family and the community,” says Joris van de Sandt, programme leader at PAX.
Gender, Peace & Security, Dealing with the Past, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Colombia
Bishop Paride Taban wins Four Freedoms Award

06-02-2018South Sudanese Bishop Paride Taban will receive the Freedom of Worship Award, one of the Four Freedoms Awards presented every other year in Middelburg, the Netherlands.
Dealing with the Past, Community Based Security and Citizens Rights, Africa
Ratko Mladic convicted of genocide and war crimes

22-11-2017Today Ratko Mladic has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Yugoslavia Tribunal. 'The butcher of the Balkans' has been found guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Peace organisation PAX is pleased with this verdict and sees it as recognition of the grief of survivors and relatives.
Dealing with the Past, The Balkans
Vattenfall requires reconciliation between mining companies and victims

07-11-2017European energy giant Nuon-Vattenfall requires that mining companies take concrete steps towards a reconciliation dialogue concerning past human rights violations. This clear recommendation is made in a report on the human rights situation in the coal mining region in Colombia which was published today. In the report Vattenfall also makes clear that it is prepared to suspend its coal imports if mining companies do not take concrete actions.
Natural Resources, Conflict & Human Rights, Dealing with the Past, Colombia
Yezidis commemorate Srebrenica genocide

11-07-2017Four Yezidis from northern Iraq are attending today’s commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia.
Dealing with the Past, The Balkans
Yezidis from northern Iraq commemorate Srebrenica

07-07-2017Bosnia may not resemble Northern Iraq physically, but the group of Yezidis attending this year’s commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica may recognize the feelings expressed by Bosnian Muslims. Like the Bosnian Muslims in the 1990s, the Yezidi community in Iraq have been victims of horrible human rights abuses, including murder, rape, kidnapping and expulsion. The visit gives Bosnian Muslims and Iraqis the chance to exchange stories and learn from one another.
Dealing with the Past, Middle East, The Balkans
Another murder in blood coal region Cesar

15-02-2017On Saturday 4 February, 55-year-old Edilberto Cantillo Mesa was murdered in his home town of El Copey, located in the Colombian blood coal region of Cesar. Mesa was a community leader and a member of a local organisation that fights for land restitution on behalf of farmers who have been violently driven from their property. PAX is shocked by his death. Mesa is the fourth victim in Cesar in recent months.
Natural Resources, Conflict & Human Rights, Dealing with the Past, Colombia
Exhibition genocide Srebrenica opens on the 9th of February

27-01-2017The official opening of the exhibition ‘Srebrenica Genocide – the Failure of the International Community´ in the Potocari Memorial Centre in the former headquarters of Dutch Battalion UNPROFOR (1994-1995) close to Srebrenica, Bosnia takes place on thursday the 9th of February.
Dealing with the Past, The Balkans