Human Rights Watch says Colombian police are responsible for the deaths of 20 people during civil unrest that has raged for weeks.
An international monitoring group Wednesday accused police officers in Colombia of being responsible for the deaths of 20 people and other violent actions against protesters during recent civil unrest, including sexual abuse, beatings and arbitrary detentions.
Human Rights Watch said in a report said that it has “credible evidence” indicating police killed at least 16 protesters or bystanders with “live ammunition fired from firearms,” while three other people died when police used non-lethal weapons. The report said another person died after being beaten repeatedly.
“These brutal abuses are not isolated incidents by rogue officers, but rather the result of systemic shortcomings of the Colombian police,” said José Miguel Vivanco, the group’s director for the Americas. “Comprehensive reform that clearly separates the police from the military and ensures adequate oversight and accountability is needed to ensure that these violations don’t occur again.”
The report presents a panorama of more widespread violence than Colombian authorities have acknowledged. It says Human Rights Watch has received “credible information” reporting a total ofColombia’s government has reported 18 deaths related to the protests and says an additional nine are under investigation. The country’s human rights ombudsman, meanwhile, reported late Monday that it had confirmed 58 deaths related to the protests.
Thousands of Colombians have turned out across the country for mostly peaceful protests against the administration of President Iván Duque. The protests started over proposed tax increases on public services, fuel, wages and pensions, but they have morphed into a general demand for the government to do more for the most vulnerable in society, such as Indigenous and Afro Latino people.
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