Cali: In The Epicenter of Repression
Date of Publication
2021 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Human Rights
Keywords
Human Rights, Americas, Colombia, unlawful detention, indiginous people, human rights defenders and activists, unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, police repression, human rights, freedom to protest
Description
Since 28 April 2021, in the city of Cali, capital of the department of Valle del Cauca in western Colombia, there have been mass demonstrations. At the same time, the gravest human rights violations and crimes under international law committed in the country in this period have been concentrated in this city. Hundreds of reports and urgent appeals from local human rights organizations and complaints from victims and their families, many of which Amnesty International has been able to verify, detail the violent repression of young protesters on the streets of Cali at the hands of the security forces and armed civilians.2 A law on tax reform, which contained economic measures that were not seen as fair by the public, triggered a wave of demonstrations throughout much of the country, which quickly encompassed historical social claims and demands. In one of the most unequal countries in the region, 3 protesters have demanded greater equality and guarantees of economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to health, education, work and social security, challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, thousands protested against the non-compliance with the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 and the worsening violence against human rights defenders and civil society leaders.
Cali: In The Epicenter of Repression
Since 28 April 2021, in the city of Cali, capital of the department of Valle del Cauca in western Colombia, there have been mass demonstrations. At the same time, the gravest human rights violations and crimes under international law committed in the country in this period have been concentrated in this city. Hundreds of reports and urgent appeals from local human rights organizations and complaints from victims and their families, many of which Amnesty International has been able to verify, detail the violent repression of young protesters on the streets of Cali at the hands of the security forces and armed civilians.2 A law on tax reform, which contained economic measures that were not seen as fair by the public, triggered a wave of demonstrations throughout much of the country, which quickly encompassed historical social claims and demands. In one of the most unequal countries in the region, 3 protesters have demanded greater equality and guarantees of economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to health, education, work and social security, challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, thousands protested against the non-compliance with the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 and the worsening violence against human rights defenders and civil society leaders.
Comments
Also available in Spanish.