Mapping Colombian people's positions regarding the acceptability of political amnesties

• Published date: 01 June 2021
• Author: Claudia Pineda Marín,José Luis López,Manuel Beltrán Espitia,Etienne Mullet
• Date: 01 June 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21300

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Mapping Colombian people's positions

regarding the acceptability of political

amnesties

Claudia Pineda Marín

1

| José Luis López

1

|

Manuel Beltrán Espitia

2

| Etienne Mullet

3

1

Department of Psychology, Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz, Bogotá, Colombia

2

Department of Humanities, Fundación Universitaria Claretiana, Quibdó, Colombia

3

Department of Ethics, Institute of Advanced Studies (EPHE), Paris, France

Correspondence

Etienne Mullet, Department of Ethics,

Institute of Advanced Studies (EPHE),

Paris, France.

Email: etienne.mullet@wanadoo.fr

Abstract

This study mapped the different personal positions of

Colombian adults regarding the determinants of the

acceptability of political amnesties in post-conflict con-

texts. A total of 380 Colombian adults between the ages

of 18 and 80, living either in the capital or in rural areas

(Cundinamarca and Chocó), were presented with

24 scenarios describing the situation of an amnesty

applicant. They were composed according to a four-

factor schema: the personal willingness to be part of

the rebel group at the time of recruitment, the quality

of information the applicant was willing to disclose, the

presence of an apology, and the level of punishment

already suffered. Through cluster analysis, five qualita-

tively different positions were found: Never acceptable

(20%), Almost always acceptable (13%), Depends jointly

on the quality of information and repentance (45%),

Depends on repentance and volunteering (8%), and

Depends only on the quality of information (2%). The

remaining participants (12%) did not express a position.

For a majority of participants, whether they live in the

capital or in rural areas, granting a political amnesty to

a combatant is not unacceptable as a matter of

Received: 17 September 2020 Revised: 22 February 2021 Accepted: 22 February 2021

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21300

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