There have been eight governments since the taking and retaking of the Palace of Justice in Colombia. All possible doors to justice have been tried but the perpetrators are still at large. And yet, the stigmatisation continues, and the families remain in a permanent state of internal mourning.

Disappeared. Yes. Bernardo Beltrán Hernández worked in the cafeteria at the Palace of Justice in Bogota at the time of the taking and retaking of the building on 6th and 7th November 1985. He was 24 years old when he was “forcibly disappeared, tortured and murdered”.

It was 27 hours of anguish that resulted in death, torture and disappearance in the lives of many. It happened in the Palace of Justice, between 6 and 7 November 1985, and stained the history of the Colombian people with blood. Years later, relatives of the disappeared are still asking where the disappeared are and who will punish those responsible for it?

In November 1985, the Palace of Justice in Colombia went up in flames. The then-guerrilla group, M-19, had taken over its facilities and, after confronting the government and military forces, tragedy erupted. The result was almost 100 dead people, with several tortured or disappeared. Eleven cafeteria workers never imagined that it was going to be the last time that they would see their families. Today the truth remains hidden.