HRW: Colombia National Police abused protesters News
© WikiMedia (National Police of Colombia)
HRW: Colombia National Police abused protesters

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday that the Colombian National Police “abused the mostly peaceful demonstrators” who had been protesting in 2019.

HRW noted that most of the protests were peaceful, but some protesters were violent against both police officers and property. However, HRW stated that “[i]n several cases, the police used excessive force against protesters, including beatings and improper use of ‘less-than-lethal’ weapons during crowd-control operations.”

HRW also described evidence that the Colombian National Police “arbitrarily detained peaceful demonstrators and bystanders” and were even abusive against demonstrators and bystanders.

HRW called for “those responsible for violations” to be held accountable for their actions.

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