Colombian police responsible for ‘massacre’ of 2020 protests: report | News

Police in charge of the three nights in the capital of Bogota in Bogota, which is responsible for the 5 deceased, says the UN report.

Colombian police In the custody of the police, a taxi driver exploded in Bogs are responsible for a “massacre” in the demonstrations, a report sponsored by the United Nations.

A 182-page report released on Monday said Colombian police were responsible for the deaths of 11 people in the capital from 9 to 11 September last year in demonstrations against police brutality.

“It was a massacre, and it is the responsibility of the national police,” said the report, which was funded by the UN Development Program.

Of the 14 people killed in the protests, 11 died as a result of police actions that clearly violated the rules on the use of force, the report said.

He also said that the violence was out of control because the officers were not prepared to handle the large number of protesters and the principals did not order the use of firearms.

Demonstrations erupt after the death of 44-year-old taxi driver Javier Ordonez.

On Sept. 9, a viral video showed Ordonez bending to the ground as police repeatedly shouted. He died that night from his wounds.

“The incidents of violence, ill-treatment and police brutality that began with the murder of Javier Ordonez members of the National Police on the morning of September 9 sparked one of the most serious human rights violations in history. Bogota, ”the report said.

According to the report, 75 people were wounded by gunfire in three nights. The police also filmed the destruction of private property. Seventeen police houses in the Colombian capital were set on fire and destroyed by protesters.

The findings come from police in Colombia face greater scrutiny after repression mass protests this year it was created across the South American nation because of the tax reform bill.

International observers and rights groups have accused officials of using “excessive” force against protesters.

Four police officers are facing charges of murder in the September 2020 protests, although there are no convictions yet. [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

Monday’s report was requested last year by the Bogota municipal government, and it did so a public event in which he apologized to the relatives of the victim. It is based on interviews with more than 90 witnesses, police and family members of the victims.

According to Alessandro Rampiet, from Bogota, the report details how police used “real and unrestrained” ammunition against protesters, especially in the poorest neighborhoods of the capital.

Rampietti said the “horrific” report accused the police of acting “as if these poor young people had been killed and fled”.

“He also blames the national government and the police for not stopping the officers,” he said. “And he also says that this is a failure of the justice system … to punish those responsible for the killings, as most of these officers continue to guard the streets of Bogota.”

A series of demonstrations against it President Ivan Duque the unknown government has claimed more than 40 civilian deaths since 2019, according to government data. Earlier this year, dozens of people were killed in protests over tax increases and inequality, mostly among peaceful crowds, including roadblocks and small pockets of violent protesters.

Monday’s report calls on the Colombian government to reform the country’s laws so that municipal governments have more control over police forces. Currently, the Colombian police force is run by the Ministry of Defense and only takes orders from the national government.

The report states that so far four police officers are facing charges of murder in the September 2020 protests, although there is still no conviction, and none of the officers charged with the murder are in jail.

He also calls on Colombian prosecutors to investigate the role that senior officials may play in the violent response to the protests.