By P360P Editor
Members of Colombia's National Police have committed "extremely serious" abuses against mostly peaceful demonstrators during protests that began in April 2021, Human Rights Watch said.
In light of this, the Colombian government should take urgent steps to protect human rights and initiate a thorough police reform to ensure that officers respect the right to peaceful assembly and that those responsible for abuses are brought to justice, the organization said.
Human Rights Watch directly called on the government of President Iván Duque, including the director of the National Police, to take immediate steps to ensure respect for and protection of human rights and to begin to repair the harm perpetrated against thousands of people who expressed their thoughts.
These damages, the organization said, were the unequivocal condemnation of human rights violations, including cases of excessive use of force and sexual violence by police officers, as well as cases in which they failed to take action to stop attacks against demonstrators.
It is therefore necessary, he said, to present an apology, on behalf of the Colombian state, for police abuses committed during the protests.
In addition, ensure that all government officials avoid using language that could be perceived as stigmatizing to protesters, and ensure that the police, including the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD), protect peaceful protests, do not disperse them, and prioritize mechanisms that do not involve the use of force in all their actions to lift blockades.
In turn, it has called on them to prioritize disciplinary investigations into police abuses, at least those committed since the 2019 protests, and commit to publicly and periodically report on the progress of these investigations.
Disciplinary investigations should ensure the accountability of officers who committed abuses during the protests, as well as unit and police commanders in charge of operations who may have ordered the commission of such abuses or who may be responsible for failing to take appropriate measures to prevent crimes or hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
On the other hand, he called for the suspension of the use of kinetic impact projectiles and the Venom until an independent review is conducted on the risk of these weapons, the protocols for their use and the training police officers have received to use them.
Also, provide reparations, as well as access to health services, to victims of police violence, including comprehensive services for victims of sexual violence.
Since April 28, thousands of people took to the streets in dozens of Colombian cities in protest against a tax reform bill. The government withdrew the proposal a few days later, but demonstrations continued for reasons including economic inequality, police violence, unemployment and lack of adequate public services.
Police have repeatedly dispersed peaceful demonstrations in an arbitrary manner and used excessive and often brutal force, including the use of lethal ammunition.
"The human rights violations committed by the police in Colombia are not isolated incidents of undisciplined officers, but the result of deep structural failures," said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, at the time.
"Serious reform is needed to clearly separate the police from the military and ensure adequate oversight and accountability to prevent these abuses from happening again or going unpunished," he added.
The organization has pointed out that although most of the protests have been peaceful, some individuals have committed serious acts of violence, such as burning police stations and attacking police officers, two of whom have been killed.
