At least 42 people have been killed in near-daily protests against the Colombian government since April 28, the country’s human rights ombudsman said Tuesday. All but one — a member of the armed forces — were civilians, the ombudsman’s office said.
The updated toll made these the bloodiest demonstrations since Colombia signed a peace agreement with the FARC guerilla group in 2016, ending decades of civil war.
It is lower than the 47 deaths reported by NGOs, who claim at least 39 were the direct result of “police violence”.
The defense ministry has reported 849 police officers injured in clashes — 12 by gunfire — and has not updated the number of civilians wounded since May 3, when it stood at 306.
President Ivan Duque said Tuesday that the security forces had acted with “absolute obedience to the constitution” and that any “violations due to individual conduct” would be investigated.
Student leader Jennifer Pedraza on Tuesday accused Duque’s government of being “complacent about the excessive use of public force,” and joined a call for fresh protests on Wednesday.
The protests, initially against a proposed tax reform, soon morphed into a broader demonstration of anti-government sentiment in a country battling ongoing violence and economic hardship made worse by the coronavirus epidemic.
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