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Colombia: new protests against police violence

2020-09-22T03:31:54.077Z


Thousands of Colombians protested again Monday against police violence and government policies, eleven days after protests sparked by the death of a man at the hands of police. Trade unionists and students took the lead in rallies and marches that resulted in clashes with security forces in central Bogota, the main theater of these protest movements. Protesters threw stones at police officers who


Thousands of Colombians protested again Monday against police violence and government policies, eleven days after protests sparked by the death of a man at the hands of police.

Trade unionists and students took the lead in rallies and marches that resulted in clashes with security forces in central Bogota, the main theater of these protest movements.

Protesters threw stones at police officers who responded with tear gas and stun grenades, an AFP journalist said.

Riot units intervened to contain

"violent"

actions

in Bogota as well as Medellin and Pasto, respectively in north-west and south-west Colombia, said police chief General. Oscar Atehortua.

At least nine people have been arrested for participating in the ransacking of bank branches and public facilities, according to General Atehortua.

Police said 5,600 people participated in a total of 142 rallies, but by the end of the day attendance appeared significantly higher.

Read also: Insurrectionary climate in Colombia, 11 dead

After an eleven-day break, students wearing masks again took to the streets to express their anger at the police.

In mid-September, Bogota had witnessed several days of protests after the death on September 9 of a 43-year-old engineer, Javier Ordonez, who died after being abused by two police officers.

A video that has gone viral shows how Ordonez, while on the ground, received multiple shocks from an electric pistol and beatings which, according to the prosecution, are the causes of his death.

Justice on Monday ordered the preventive detention of the two police officers, who are charged with torture and aggravated homicide.

During the demonstrations following the death of Javier Ordonez, members of the security forces opened fire, killing twelve people.

Investigations are underway against several dozen of them.

There were also thousands of injured, including many members of the security forces, and dozens of police stations were destroyed.

On Monday, protesters marched towards central Bogota with slogans against police violence, against a recent wave of massacres linked to the conflict between drug traffickers and authorities and against the economic crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Read also: Colombia: the government asks for "forgiveness", new calls to demonstrate

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-09-22

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