UN Human rights leader on Cali crackdown

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, expressed her concern on Sunday about the clashes in the Colombian city of Cali, which left more than a dozen dead and called for dialogue and an independent investigation.

“It is essential that all persons who allegedly caused injury or death, including state officials, are subject to prompt, effective, independent, impartial and transparent investigations, and that those responsible are accountable to the law,” Bachelet said in a statement.

Cali, with some 2.2 million inhabitants, is the epicenter of violent protests and roadblocks that exasperate part of the population.

Cornered by the protests, the Colombian president, Iván Duque, deployed the army in the city under the umbrella e of military assistance that allows soldiers to support the police in surveillance tasks.

Thirteen people died in different episodes, including a public prosecutor who killed two protesters blocking a road with his weapon. The mob pounced on the man – who was off duty – and lynched him.

The High Comissioner indicated that her office received information about armed individuals, including the off-duty officer, who had fired in the direction of protesters, journalists, and passers-by, as well as the death of the officer.

“I ask that all forms of violence, including vandalism, be put to an end, and that all parties continue to speak, so that respect for the life and dignity of all people is guaranteed,” said the former Chilean president.

Bachelet thus called for dialogue to resolve the demands of the protesters and those who oppose the protests and celebrated “the commitment expressed by various actors, in Cali, and at the national level, to find a negotiated and peaceful solution.”

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia indicated that it had received information from at least 30 people detained on May 28. Bachelet thus urged to guarantee “a fair trial” and to prevent disappearances.

Since April 28, crowds have mobilized daily to protest against the government for police abuses and the handling of the economic crisis that the pandemic brought.