“Over recent days, the Colombian national police have killed a number of civilians protesting a proposed tax hike on basic goods. Many more civilians have been injured, and Colombia’s riot police reportedly sexually assaulted a woman.”
“Though numbers remain unclear, human rights group Isais Cifuentes de Cali has estimated up to 14 people have died.”
“Documents obtained by The Canary can reveal that the UK’s College of Policing has been training Colombian police over the past three years. This is despite Colombia being one of only 30 countries the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCD) lists as “Human rights priority countries”.”
“Colombia’s unpopular president Iván Duque has been rocked by a national strike. The strike is in response to proposed tax hikes on everyday items. According to a recent poll, his disapproval rating has fallen to 69% – the lowest level since he was first elected in 2018.”
“Characteristically, the Colombian police, a long-time recipient of US and British assistance, have responded with grim brutality.”
“In a particularly disturbing video, a police officer in Colombia’s third largest city, Cali, is seen shooting a protester as he runs away. The protester died later.”
“According to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the UK’s College of Policing has been training Colombian police. This has been happening over the past three consecutive years – 2018, 2019, and 2020. All of the training took place in Colombia.”
“The issue is of public concern in light of the UK government’s possible complicity in human rights abuses abroad. But the College has refused to disclose where exactly the training occurred, the nature of the training, and the cost.”
“What’s more, the College insisted that it “can neither confirm nor deny whether the above information represents all the information held that would meet the terms of your request”, citing National Security concerns. To this end, the College absurdly claimed that it didn’t know how many Colombian police officers it had trained during 2018-2020. In response to an internal review, it was unable to offer even an estimate.”
“Given that Colombia is a resource-rich nation in a strategically valuable location, the UK’s current national objectives there can be deduced.”
“UK training is particularly concerning given the Colombian security forces’ longstanding links with paramilitary groups. These are groups that are responsible for the armed elimination of social organisations. Indeed, former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, a key ally of the UK during Tony Blair’s tenure, publicly encouraged the violent crackdown of protesters.”
“Colombian human rights group INDEPAZ now estimates that 57 social leaders have been killed in 2021. That’s alongside 22 signatories to the government’s peace agreement with the FARC, formerly the country’s longest-running guerrilla insurgency.”
Read more: Colombian police are killing civilians. British police are training them.
2021-week21
