NOMADESC upholds the right of mural painting in Cali, denounces police violence and genocide

On September 15, the Association for Research and Social Action (NOMADESC) posted:

“In recent months, the various scenarios of peaceful mobilization that took place in the city, such as the muralist day on 5th Street, conceived from the dignity and respect for the memory of the victims, have been spaces of harassment by various officials of the mayor of Cali violating freedom of expression. This is why we make a public complaint about the imposition of impunity and failure to clarify the genocidal acts committed by the security forces.”

In this 7-minute video, Lina Pelaez of NOMADESC says:

“Interested in this exercise of the defence of human rights and within the framework of the muralist minga that took place this weekend in the city of Cali, we come to denounce the threats that the mayor’s office against the muralists.

 Also against all the mobilized citizens who have been accompanying these exercises in fact before the media and is a threat that violates freedom of expression saying that it is going to erase the murals with political content without clarifying what is the political content to which it refers, putting at risk all the people in the exercise of our fundamental right to a social protest to a mobilization are in these actions within the framework of the national strike.

With brushes with colours show that there is something some facts to report police brutality we will continue to denounce police violence. We will continue to denounce it. We will continue to say stop the genocide because it is an action that claims the lives of many who have died not only in this national strike but in the context of all the violence that has occurred in this country, and we continue to fight for our lives.

We do not want the security of the secretary of security and justice in the head of the man continues to affect our right to freedom of expression when we are intervening. There is no reason to approach citizens who are in their free exercise.

Today we as human rights defenders denounce the pressure of the mayor’s office, we declare that we will take legal action if necessary and we stand in solidarity, we support of all artists and the artists from Cali who have made this same muralist a peaceful and dignified scene of mobilization and who respect and remember the victims.”

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has accompanied NOMADESC since 2011 and its president Berenice Celeita since 1999.

Another video about the painting of the murals can be seen here.