After the murder of six Inpec guards, attacks against them and threats, the entity’s unions announced an indefinite protest, with a cessation of activities, to draw the attention of the authorities, reject the acts of violence and ask for respect for their lives. .
The Union of Penitentiary Workers, which has representation in 103 sections of the country, issued a statement to inform that starting at 00:00 on February 12, a national day of protest for the lives of the personnel who work in the prisions.
The national board of directors of the UTP made the decision to call a strike in an extraordinary assembly in which the 106 sectional sub-directors participated, due to an escalation of violence that was recorded in the previous days against several Inpec officials.
The union attributed the events to a group called Death to Oppressive Guardians “Mago”, which would be behind several of the homicides and threats that have been recorded. Among them the murder of Jesús Cárdenas Barrera, in a prison in Cartagena, and Carlos Sandoval murdered by hitmen in Cúcuta.
Likewise, this group allegedly attacked Nancy Canencio, inspector of the El Pedregal prison in Medellín, who was shot at in her truck, according to Óscar Robayo, president of the UTP, through his social networks on December 6. February.
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Added to these events is the attack against the dragoneers Juan Rosero and Diego Espinoza in the municipality of La Plata, Huila. As well as another hitman attack recorded in Jamundí against the guard Andrés Agredo who remains in intensive care at the Valle del Lili Clinic.
The violent attack includes terrorist attacks, one against an institutional vehicle in Buga, as well as seven shots fired in the Armenian prison facilities. All these events have put the security of the officials on alert, which is why they decided to call the demonstration.
“We will carry out this day in order to vigorously reject this escalation of murders and threats against our colleagues, making use of our constitutional right in each of the penitentiary and prison establishments with a cessation of activities while these days of protest continue” said the UTP.
The purpose of the conference will also be to promote preventive security measures for the integrity of the guards and other workers. They clarify that they will also seek to safeguard the rights of people deprived of liberty who are in their custody, while carrying out protest actions.
“We raise our voice of protest, we demand the attention of the national government and public institutions so that these acts do not remain unpunished, and the development of our functions is guaranteed, guaranteeing our lives,” said the union.
In their declaration, the Inpec union representatives also asked the national government to decree a state of prison emergency, as well as allocate resources and guarantees for officials.
They maintain, however, that they share the initiatives to fight extortion in prisons, which are apparently part of the measures by which the gangs have undertaken the violent attack, as well as the humanization of the system.
“We call on all social organizations and prison workers to support us by actively participating in our information assemblies, categorically rejecting these acts of violence and that we mobilize peacefully for life,” said the UTP.
The Minister of Justice, Néstor Osuna, assured that he contacted the director of Inpec, Colonel Daniel Gutiérrez, to declare the emergency quickly and thus have tools to address the situation of insecurity against officials.
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