Colombian Senator Iván Cepeda during the trial of former President Álvaro Uribe, July 2025. Photo: Sebastian Barros/Long Visual Press.
By El Ciudadano – Aug 25, 2025
Colombian Senator Iván Cepeda, a renowned human rights defender, confirmed on Friday, July 22, the hopes of various democratic sectors ahead of the 2026 presidential elections. In a speech in the city of Pasto, capital of the department of Nariño, the 62-year-old lawmaker responded to the calls of various movements that have asked him to run, confirming his pre-candidacy and thereby establishing himself as one of the favorites within the diverse coalition of progressive forces that make up the Historic Pact.
With profound symbolism, Cepeda began his speech by recalling his roots and his struggle: “I am a human rights defender, a survivor of political genocide, the son of a senator from the Patriotic Union who was assassinated for his commitment to the rights of the people.” His father, Manuel Cepeda Vargas, was murdered by soldiers and paramilitaries in Bogotá in 1994, in a crime that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights considered part of a systematic plan of extermination.
Convinced of his mission, the pre-candidate declared: “Today we take a firm step toward the future of our country. With commitment, conviction, and hope, we present this presidential candidacy, a voice born from the people and for the people.” This announcement formalizes a long-awaited aspiration of the ruling party’s rank and file.
From a position of humility and service, Cepeda stated: “As just another citizen, without arrogance or prepotence, today I put my name at the disposal of the Historic Pact and the Colombian people to continue building historic change together.” He portrayed himself as a natural representative of social organizations.
The pillars of his proposal are based on his life’s journey. “I deeply believe in truth and justice. I believe in the power of victims to defeat impunity, dignify communities harmed by violence, and build true national reconciliation,” the senator stated. He added: “I believe in peace as a path and in dialogue as a tool to end the cycle of violence that has marked our history.”
Who is Iván Cepeda?
He was born in Bogotá on Oct. 24, 1962. His resume supports his claim: with studies in philosophy and a master’s degree in international humanitarian law, he has dedicated 25 years to the defense of human rights. He has facilitated peace processes with the FARC-EP and the ELN and the prosecution of the “Gulf Clan.” He is the founder of the Defendamos la Paz movement, and his work has been recognized with prestigious international awards.
With an extensive legislative career as a representative in the House and a two-term senator, Cepeda has consistently been voted one of the country’s best congresspeople. His candidacy thus builds on a life of consistency, dedicated to the pursuit of peace and the unwavering defense of victims’ rights.
The National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE) has highlighted the steadfast and unwavering voice of Iván Cepeda, who, over the course of two decades, has embodied with rare consistency the conviction that politics must stand on the side of victims. The movement emphasizes that Cepeda has not used the defense of human rights as a rhetorical device but rather has transformed it into a vital practice, confronting power, denouncing state violence, and persevering in the search for truth as a major political act.
Faced with the erosion of public trust and the persistence of violence, MOVICE firmly affirms that Iván Cepeda should be the presidential candidate, not as a political favor, but as a natural recognition of a career that has always been on the right side of history. With the power of its collective voice, the movement calls on society to see in Cepeda not only a political leader, but also an indispensable ethical model for founding a democracy based on memory and justice.
(Diario Red)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
