Exactly four decades ago, 35 members of the April 19 Movement, a guerrilla group better known as M-19, stormed the headquarters of the country’s main judicial branch, located in the central Plaza de Bolivar in this capital city.

The armed operation, nicknamed “Antonio Nariño for Human Rights,” aimed to impeach President Belisario Betancur (1982-1986) for failing to uphold the peace promises and agreements signed in Hobo, Corinto, and Medellín a year earlier, as was later revealed.

According to the reconstruction of events released by the Truth Commission created for this purpose, starting in the early afternoon, the security forces launched an offensive with eight armored vehicles and three helicopters.

As a result, a bloody and prolonged battle ensued, causing numerous casualties on both sides, leading to the first fire in the basement, and characterized by the use of automatic weapons, bombs, and explosives.

The entry of tanks through the basement and the main entrance, the indiscriminate explosions, and the gunfire from both inside and outside the building—all occurring within a very short timeframe from the start of the violent takeover—made the situation desperate for those inside the palace, the Commission concluded.

It also documented that the hostages sent notes with messages saying they were there so the Army would rescue them, but these messages were ignored.

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