Amnesty International and PBI-Colombia accompanied organizations call for reform of repressive police

PBI-Colombia accompanied organizations – including the Association for Research and Social Action (Nomadesc), Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) and the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (CCAJAR) – in collaboration with Amnesty International continue to call for police for on the second anniversary of the start of the National Strike.

Their joint statement says:

“Legitimate social expression was met with police violence and multiple human rights violations, such as the criminalization of peaceful protest and racial profiling. In figures reported by organizations such as the Campaign to Defend Freedom Subject of All, 89 homicides were documented, 1,929 people injured, 116 eye injuries, 343 attacks on human rights defenders and 106 complaints of gender-based violence.”

“The high number of victims is compounded by the high level of impunity. According to data from the Attorney General’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, of the complaints received for abuses of authority, only 1.34% are under investigation, 4.2% in trial, 0.54% in execution of sentence, 0.02% in early termination and only 0.7% of cases have been issued rulings.”

“In the last year, the Police and the Ministry of Defense have promoted a process of transformation of the ESMAD towards the consolidation of the UNDMO (National Unit for Dialogue and Maintenance of Order), once again, without counting on civil society and victims of police violence to establish dialogues and generate proposals in a joint and binding manner. This has led the new Unit to retain structural problems.”

“We call on the National Government to publicly recognize the acts committed during the National Strike by the Public Force, and likewise to be responsible for establishing routes of attention and accompaniment for the victims of police violence throughout the country, to advance actions for their reparation and for the non-repetition of events that may put at risk the life and integrity of the Colombian population, especially those that deserve special constitutional protection.”

The call for police reform

Amnesty International highlights:

“This cannot be allowed to happen again. That’s why Colombian civil society organizations, survivors of the violence, and Amnesty International joined together to urgently call for far-reaching changes! Our reform proposal would demilitarize the police, change their functions, strengthen citizen control, and put human rights guarantees at the core of policing.”

By clicking here, you can send this message to the Colombian government:

Dear President Petro and Minister Velásquez,

“We urge your office to initiate structural reform of the police with the participation of Colombian civil society.

The Police Reform Roundtable, a group made up of Colombian civil society organizations, has worked in coordination with victims and regional allies to develop a proposal for police reform that must be central to the creation of a police force that respects the human rights of all. The participation of this coalition in the reform process must be ensured.”

The full statement from Colombian organizations can be read at A dos años del estallido social de 2021 ¡Exigimos una reforma policial ya!

#Today Two years after #NationalStrike2021 Colombian organizations and platforms continue to demand #truth and #justice about the violations of #humanrights that occurred against the protesters in addition to  #PoliceReform that provides guarantees for peaceful social protest