IACHR endorses changes in police after 2021 protests

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights presented its first follow-up report on the recommendations it made to Colombia on Friday, after finding “serious violations of human rights” during the massive protests anti-government of 2021.

Of the 28 recommendations analyzed by the IACHR in its report, 11 are still pending compliance, 14 were partially fulfilled, and in three the State has adopted relevant measures, but they have not yet been completed.

In its report, the IACHR highlighted that the State reported on a process of transformation of the Police and created the figure of the Human Rights Commissioner within the institution, although “it must work to ensure practical, adequate and general compliance with its regulatory framework by the public forces.

He also recognized the transformation process of the police anti-riot group —indicated of excessive use of force— which has the vocation of giving more importance to the peaceful resolution of social conflicts.

In June 2021, the IACHR went to Colombia at the request of civil society and received more than 300 testimonies from all sectors about the acts of violence that occurred in the protests that began on April 28 promoted by a government tax reform that, although it was withdrawn, aroused deep claims for inequality, unemployment and the right to protest freely.

The IACHR then expressed concern due to the high number of deaths and injuries, as well as reports of disappearances, sexual violence, ethnic-racial discrimination, attacks on journalists and medical missions, and arbitrary arrests.

Although the days of protest lasted for two months, they were mostly peaceful. However, there were episodes of violence and the UN managed to verify 46 deaths, the majority from firearms or tear gas projectile impacts, and concluded that in 28 cases the police could be involved.

The Commission also assured that it shares the concern of civil society about the “generalized situation of impunity for human rights violations” in the protests, given that the vast majority of open cases continue in previous stages of fact-finding. .

After learning about the report on Friday, the government of President Gustavo Petro —the first leftist in Colombia— agreed with the IACHR to create a follow-up mechanism for the recommendations that also includes the participation of civil society.

IACHR Commissioner Joel Hernández García assured the press that at the meeting President Petro’s “vocation for cooperation with the IACHR and the Inter-American Human Rights System” was notorious, in what he described as a “positive response” from the government. about the report.

The creation of this monitoring mechanism had been rejected by the previous government of the conservative Iván Duque (2018-2022), in disagreement with several of the recommendations made by the IACHR, such as the one that asked to separate the Police and its anti-riot group from the Ministry defense. “Nobody can recommend to a country to be tolerant with acts of criminality,” Duque claimed.

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