“Torture and unlawful killings by government forces”: strong allegations by the US State Department against Colombia

The Office of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the United States Department of State issued the annual report on different human rights practices in 2021, covering a large proportion of countries, within the nations studied by the United States country, is Colombia, in this case, Joe's administration Biden delivered a dossier that highlights different dynamics regarding respect for human rights in Colombia, both for authorities and civilians, revealing a worrying panorama.

This report clearly highlights different aspects that also highlight the belonging of the State in different aspects, since they point out that the National Government has heard different calls for attention that seek to highlight the protection of human rights, in addition, it highlights the political participation of different sectors that can be considered as opposition in the country, on the other hand, with regard to the panorama of social leaders, the participation of the Protection Unit is also considered to safeguard their lives in the belligerent context of the country.

This dossier outlines that the National Government has been receptive to the intervention of international organizations for violations of human rights and, likewise, the imposition of government sanctions in the face of corrupt procedures that may affect the normal development of Colombian politics has been noted, he also criticized the case of the Ministry of ICT, regarding the loss of money that was destined for the connection of populated centers.

In the meantime, we welcomed the management carried out in relation to temporary permits for the Venezuelan migrant population, which, as of August 2021, consisted of about 1.7 million people. In addition to the government benefits that favor them, highlighting the temporary protection system that extends up to 10 years.

The document of the Department of State pointed out to the Security Forces about various situations illegitimate in their actions, in turn, they highlighted the violation of the rights of the population by armed groups that resorted to recruitment and other dynamics of war, facing this it was stated: “The important issues of rights included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings; torture and arbitrary detention by government security forces and armed groups; rape and abuse of women and children.”

In the context of the national strike last year, complaints against the authorities were evident, although the National Government gave priority to some cases, many of them did not gain the necessary relevance, on the subject, it was stressed: “Members of the army and police accused of torture were generally tried in civil courts rather than military courts. NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, reported that protesters were sexually beaten and assaulted by police during national protests from April to June.”

Among the arrests related by the authorities at times of civil demonstration, many were considered arbitrary by different human rights organizations, in this regard, it was assured: “Other NGOs provided higher estimates of arbitrary arrests, reporting more than 2,000 cases of arrests arbitrary, illegal detention or illegal deprivation of liberty committed in the context of national protests”.

The issue of false positives also gained momentum, which in the last week was also the protagonist of the case in which the army allegedly executed several civilians in Putumayo. In this case, the report highlighted the allegations received and brought up the March bombing of the previous year in which several minors were killed, on the subject, the dossier stated: “The army was accused of some murders, some of which, according to military officials, were “military errors”. In other cases, military officials said they believed that an individual was fighting on behalf of an armed group, while community members said the victim was not a combatant. On March 2, the army bombed a site of FARC dissidents in Guaviare and reported the deaths of 13 FARC dissidents.”

In turn, NGOs, the press and the civilian population, pointed out to the State for various threats or harassments during the season of protests, in turn, the advertising muscle that the National Government used to highlight in the media was highlighted, noting “NGOs and journalists denounced an increase in harassment and threats by the of state officials, including police officers, during the coverage of protests throughout the country. Violence and harassment, as well as the criminalization of defamation, inhibited press freedom, and the government frequently influenced the press, partly through its large advertising budgets.”

This report also highlighted the interference that civilians had in their internet connection, since on many occasions the presence of network inhibitors was reported restricting total access to some communication networks. At the same time, questions are raised about the escalation of violence against social leaders and indigenous populations who have been hit by crime in recent months.

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