The Colombian Senate proposed a bill which would allow anonymous testimony in cases regarding violations of international humanitarian law, newspaper El Espectador reported Thursday.
“Many people fear to make such allegations and therefore it must be anonymous,” said First Committee Chairman of the Senate Luis Fernando Velasco.
The bill would allow anonymous testimony in trials dealing with acts such as terrorism, hostage taking, and treachery, crimes which have been pervasive during Colombia’s decades-long conflict.
Velasco emphasized that anonymous testimony would only be allowed in cases dealing with human rights violations, saying they would be accepted “due to the gravity of these crimes.”
According to El Espectador, there is a rumor that at least 80 senators have signed a petition to prevent this bill from passing, allegedly because the bill would also allow anonymous testimony in cases against the legislators themselves.
The legislature is expected to vote on the proposed bill Thursday afternoon.
