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30 April 2021: Flames rise from a burning barricade behind a riot police officer during confrontations after a protest in Cali, Colombia, against neoliberal reforms and growing poverty. (Photograph by Luis Robayo/ AFP) Colombian security forces have killed more than 40 people since recent protests began on 28 April, according to Temblores, a Colombian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that documents state violence. Along with countless cases of torture and sexual assault, around 500 people remain missing since the protests began and could have been “disappeared”, a reality all too familiar to Colombians. The actual number of deaths is likely higher as chaos and uncertainty unfolded during the continuing general strike, with President Iván Duque threatening to declare martial law if the protests continue. The military was deployed onto the streets of major cities across the country and distressing videos of police brutality continue to flood social media. ....
The deadly violence by police and paramilitary groups against protesters in Colombia is made possible by the military aid of the government's Western allies. ....
Shocking police violence and repression in Colombia must stop 07 May 2021 The Colombian government must respect its people and their right to protest peacefully. The ITF joins the international community in expressing profound shock at the violent tactics used by Colombian authorities in failed attempts to disrupt lawful protests by the country’s citizens. As protests in Colombia enter their tenth day, the ITF joins other unions, governments, the UN and the EU in condemning the violence, calling for calm and insisting the government urgently intervenes to withdraw the police officers perpetrating the brutal violence. “Freedom of protest and assembly, and the freedom of association for workers, and the freedom of movement are all inscribed in Colombia’s constitution,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the ITF. “Yet the Colombian authorities are running roughshod over these basic liberties. The ITF demands the government guarantees those right ....