Police repression of social protests in Colombia leaves 27 people dead

Bogota, May 4 (RHC)-- The National Committee of the Colombian Strike has denounced that the repression by security forces during the demonstrations against the tax reform has left a provisional balance of 27 killed and some 124 injured.

In a balance sheet covering the period from April 28 to May 2, the entity indicated that 1,089 cases of police violence were reported and 27 protesters were killed, 12 of them in Cali, capital of the southwestern department of Valle del Cauca.

However, this balance is provisional, due to the fact that repression continued on Monday night in several sectors of Cali, especially in Siloé, where humanitarian organizations reported the death of at least two people.

The National Committee of the Strike added in its report that of the injured people, 13 had eye injuries. Also reported were six acts of sexual violence, 726 arbitrary detentions and 45 human rights defenders limited in the exercise of their functions.

The leaders of the strike assured that, despite the fact that President Iván Duque withdrew the controversial tax reform bill, the protest measures will continue against the militarization of the cities.

They also demand the withdrawal of the health reform, the dismantling of the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (Esmad) of the National Police, responsible for countless abuses of power, and a massive vaccination against Covid-19, among other demands.

For this Wednesday, May 5, a new national day of protests has been called, in which different social platforms and the central workers' organizations will participate.

On Monday night, the United Nations Office for Human Rights in Colombia denounced on its Twitter social network account that several members of the commission received threats and aggressions in the city of Cali.

"While we were following up on the human rights situation in Cali, there were no direct shots fired against the UN Human Rights team. However, other members of the commission received threats and aggressions, as well as shots fired by the police, without anyone being hit," said the international organization.