International criminal prosecution of crimes committed during the National Strike in Colombia as a safeguard of democracy

Abstract

This article explores the possibility of referring the situation of the 2021 “National Strike” in Colombia to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Upon presenting a brief account of the relevant facts and confirming that they would fall outside the scope of the ongoing preliminary examination, the author indicates that there are reasonable grounds to believe that they could constitute crimes against humanity and that the potential cases stemming from them would be admissible. Subsequently, the paper suggests that the intervention of the International Criminal Court could signal repudiation for conduct that infringes upon democracy. The concluding remarks call for those regrettable occurrences not to go unpunished.