Report links Colombian police to deaths of 10 protesters

BOGOTA – Colombian constabulary killed astatine slightest 10 radical during protests that broke retired successful September of past year, pursuing the decease of a taxi operator who was beaten to decease portion successful constabulary custody, a study backed by the United Nations found.

The 182-page study published connected Monday says that connected Sept. 9-11, 2020, constabulary successful Colombia committed a “massacre” against civilians successful debased income neighborhoods. It says unit spun retired of power due to the fact that officers reacting to protests successful beforehand of constabulary stations were unprepared to grip ample crowds and were not fixed orders by their superiors to refrain from utilizing firearms.

According to the report’s authors, 75 radical were injured by firearms during the 3 nights of protests successful which constabulary officers were besides filmed destroying backstage property, and a full of 14 radical were killed by police, protesters who hijacked a autobus and civilians utilizing firearms.

Seventeen constabulary stations successful Colombia’s superior metropolis were acceptable connected occurrence and destroyed by protesters connected Sept. 9-11 aft videos emerged connected societal media of 2 policemen detaining a 44-year-old taxi operator who was drinking connected a sidewalk, and beating him repeatedly portion an onlooker begged for them to stop. Taxi operator Javier Ordoñez died that nighttime from his injuries.

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“Everyone made mistakes connected the 9th and 10th of September, but for the victims of this tragedy,” said Carlos Negret, a lawyer and quality rights adept who led the fact-finding report. “Police acted with disproportionate usage of unit and went aft the poorest radical successful the city,” helium said.

The study was commissioned past twelvemonth by Bogota’s metropolis government, which held a nationalist ceremonial wherever it asked for forgiveness from the victim’s families.

It is based connected interviews with much than 90 witnesses, constabulary officers and members of the victims’ families and received method assistance and fiscal enactment from the United Nations.

The findings travel arsenic constabulary successful Colombia look greater scrutiny for their behaviour during protests and antithetic sectors telephone for the betterment of an instauration that has agelong been deployed to combat cause trafficking gangs and guerrilla groups successful agrarian areas, and is poorly equipped to grip ample crowds of civilians successful municipality areas.

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Earlier this year, dozens of radical died successful protests implicit taxation hikes and inequality that included roadblocks and tiny pockets of convulsive protesters, mixed among mostly peaceful crowds. According to grounds gathered by Human Rights Watch, constabulary successful Colombia could beryllium implicated successful 25 of those deaths.

Monday’s study calls connected the Colombian authorities to betterment the country’s laws truthful that municipal governments person greater power implicit constabulary forces. Currently, Colombia’s constabulary forces are tally by the Ministry of Defense and lone takes orders from the nationalist government.

The study points retired that truthful far, 4 constabulary officers are facing execution charges for the deaths that occurred successful the September 2020 protests, though determination are inactive nary convictions and nary of the officers charged with execution is successful prison. The study besides calls connected Colombian prosecutors to analyse the relation that high-ranking officers whitethorn person had successful the convulsive effect to the protests successful September.

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