COLOMBIA: OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT IVN DUQUE ABOUT THE SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS IN COLOMBIA
COLOMBIA: OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT IVÁN DUQUE ABOUT THE SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS IN COLOMBIA
14 May 2021, Index number: AMR 23/4121/2021
In this letter Amnesty International expresses deep concern about the serious human rights crisis facing Colombia in the context of the “national strike” and the massive demonstrations across the country since 28 April. Our organization has documented excessive use of force by the security forces leading to human rights violations and crimes under international law.
Reference: AMR 23/4121/2021
President Iván Duque Márquez
President of the Republic of Colombia
14 May 2021
Your Excellency,
I am writing to express Amnesty International’s deep concern about the serious human rights crisis facing Colombia in the
context of the “national strike” and the massive demonstrations across the country since 28 April. Our organization has
documented excessive use of force by the security forces leading to human rights violations and crimes under
international law, including enforced disappearances and sexual violence amounting to torture and ill-treatment. I call on
you to intervene immediately to put an end to these human rights violations.
The massive and mostly peaceful demonstrations are the result of increasing social discontent over the failure of the
Colombian State to respond to historical demands against deep social and economic inequalities. They reflect too outcry
against failure to respond to the devastating consequences of the ongoing internal armed conflict. Those matters have
been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially called for by several trade unions to continue social demands that
had been postponed since 2019, the “national strike” has developed into a broad popular rejection of the tax reform
proposal to address the effects of the pandemic that was presented by your government but without broader consultation.
Despite withdrawal of the proposed fiscal reform, people continue to take to the streets largely in protest against violent
repression by security forces and the lack of engagement from your government with legitimate demands for fair access to
economic social, and cultural rights, the full implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and genuine action to stop the
murdering of human rights defenders and social leaders.
Amnesty International has received evidence in the form of videos and testimonies, and through our rigorous research,
analysis and digital verification of more than 100 audio visual items, has further confirmed, that in several parts of the
country, Colombian security forces used lethal weapons and resorted to indiscriminate use of tear gas, water cannons and
other less lethal weapons against demonstrators. International human rights standards are clear in requiring that the use
of force by the police when handling demonstrations should be a last resort and should be guided by the principles of
legality, necessity, proportionality, precaution, and accountability. The use of force to maintain order in situations that do
not pose a direct threat to the life or physical integrity of others is considered a disproportionate use of force. Any resulting
death constitutes arbitrary killing for which the State is responsible.
According to civil society organizations, there are credible reasons to believe that as of 9 May, 39 people have been killed
during demonstrations as a result of action by security forces, a further 28 have sustained eye injuries while 963 people
have been detained. There are also reports of 913 cases of excessive use of force against protestors, some of which could
constitute torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. In addition, there were reports of sexual violence
against at least 12 women. The Attorney General's Office and the Ombudsman's Office have activated the Urgent Search
Mechanism (MBU) for 168 requests they received about persons reported missing, in the context of the “national strike”.
More:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr23/4121/2021/en/