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Amnesty criticizes violence against demonstrators in Colombia

2021-07-30T06:03:27.508Z


After a strike call in Colombia, the protests have not stopped since the end of April. Special forces act brutally against the people. Amnesty accuses the government of trying to stir up fear.


After a strike call in Colombia, the protests have not stopped since the end of April.

Special forces act brutally against the people.

Amnesty accuses the government of trying to stir up fear.

Bogotá / Berlin - Around three months after the protests began in Colombia, Amnesty International has accused the government of the South American country of illegal practices against demonstrators.

The documented cases represent hundreds of other reports and show the violent crackdown by security forces across the country, according to a report the human rights organization released on Friday.

It is based on 500 recordings and other material and goes into three cases of human rights violations in Cali, the epicenter of the protests.

The focus is on the special unit Esmad, which, according to Amnesty, used excessive force during the protests.

"What happened in Cali makes the violent reaction of the authorities to the protests abundantly clear and reveals the real goals behind the repressive approach: to stir up fear," said Matthias Schreiber, regional expert of the German amnesty section.

Since a strike was called at the end of April, there have been protests in various cities in Colombia, which also led to rioting.

Protesters destroyed infrastructure facilities, blocked important access roads and attacked police stations.

On Wednesday, the initially peaceful demonstrations were followed by violence, vandalism and chaos.

At least two dozen people have been killed in the protests so far, most of them as a result of police violence.

Cali was particularly affected

Initially, the protests were directed against a controversial tax and health reform, both of which have since been withdrawn. Most recently, trade unionists, indigenous peoples and students demonstrated for fundamental reforms in the country. The government of President Iván Duque relied primarily on harshness and condemned the vandalism during the protests. dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-07-30

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