Are the Canadian-made Huron APCs sold to the National Police in Colombia being used against the National Strike?

Photo by El Tiempo.

As concerns grow about the use of violence by Colombian national police against the ongoing national strike protests, questions are emerging about the possible use of Canadian made vehicles in human rights violations.

In a virtual meeting with Global Affairs Canada and the Embassy of Canada in Colombia yesterday, the Regional Corporation in Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) called on Canadian officials to stop military exports to Colombia.

Those exports have included 24 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) manufactured in London, Ontario and sold to the Colombian Army in 2014.

They also include vehicles sold to the Colombian National Police.

On May 20, 2014, Toronto-based INKAS Armoured Vehicles Manufacturing announced a new armoured personnel carrier (APC) highlighting that the company “will supply the first four vehicles to the National Police of Colombia.”

In April 2015, PLANT also reported: “The manufacturer is still building behemoth armoured personnel carriers (APCs). In fact, there’s a tendered order for 26 of its Huron vehicles, at about $450,000 a pop, for the National Police of Columbia.”

That article adds: “The Huron is built on a Kenmore T370 chassis and will be outfitted with a cannon to wrangle unruly rioters with foam, tear gas, dyes and water.”

It then quotes Phillip Daskal, vice-president of sales for the armoured vehicle division at INKAS, who says: “Who would have thought Canadians would be building this stuff?”

It’s not clear where these vehicles have been deployed or how they have been subsequently used, though The Globe and Mail did report in June 2014 that the first four Hurons were “en route to Cartagena.”

This video and this video and this Amnesty International video suggest reason for concern about how the National Police have been using similar armoured vehicles against the national strike protests this past week.

For the Huron vehicles to have been sold to Colombia, an export permit would have been needed from Global Affairs Canada.

For that permit to have been issued, Global Affairs spokesperson Natasha Nystrom has previously stated: “Regional peace and stability, including civil conflict and human rights, as well as the possibility of unauthorized transfer or diversion of the exported goods and technology, are actively considered.”

As Colombian human rights defenders call on the international community to uphold the right to peaceful assembly, we express concern about the report that the Canadian made Hurons exported to Colombia may have been equipped “with a cannon to wrangle unruly rioters with foam, tear gas, dyes and water.”

Photo: One of the first Hurons delivered to the Colombian police.