According to Colombian police, at least 70 people were arrested in the country’s latest round of anti-government protests.
The Colombian authorities announced the news on the 21st. A day ago, Colombians once again took to the streets to protest. In April of this year, Colombians launched a protest against a tax reform plan. Subsequently, the protest turned into a broader movement against the right-wing government led by the current President Duke.
On the 20th of this month, demonstrations were held on the streets of Colombia again to oppose the government’s submission of a new and gentler tax reform plan to the parliament. This also marked the end of the suspension of demonstrations that had lasted for several weeks.
The United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the deaths, and the Colombian government said the death toll is about one-third of the number announced by the agency.
Colombian authorities said that in the cities of Bogota, Medellin and Cali, clashes between riot police and protesters caused 50 injuries, including 24 civilians and 26 agents.
The government said that the latest round of protests was basically peaceful, but officials have repeatedly accused armed groups of infiltrating the demonstrations.
The allegations faced by those arrested on the 20th included blocking public roads, destroying property, throwing dangerous objects or objects, and possessing guns.
Police Reform and Poverty Alleviation
The demonstrators also called for an end to police repression and a more supportive public policy to alleviate the impact of the new crown epidemic on the country’s economy. It is reported that more than 40% of the country’s 50 million residents live in poverty.
The government submitted a bill on police reform to parliamentary lawmakers on the 21st, and the latter was accused of suppressing civilian protesters.
The bill recommends better training for police and penalties for those who fail to identify themselves when performing arrests or who refuse to take video cameras when performing tasks.
But the bill does not recommend removing the police from the control of the Ministry of Defense, as the protesters demanded.
Police officials stated that the police must remain in the military to combat crimes such as violence, drug trafficking and smuggling.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and other organizations condemned Colombia’s “disproportionate” and “fatal” response to the protests and recommended that the police be separated from the military.
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