The government’s apology did not calm the anger of the protesters. Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo asked ” sorry “, Friday September 11, after the death Wednesday of Javier Ordoñez. The brutal arrest of this 43-year-old man, broadcast on social networks, is at the origin of two days of riots against police violence, which left 13 dead, mostly young people aged 17 to 27 killed by bullets in Bogota and its surroundings, while in the late evening clashes resumed in Bogota, according to journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
President Ivan Duque, who said he regretted “These acts of vandalism and violence”, vowed to investigate alleged law enforcement abuses while condemning attacks on police. Authorities also reported 209 civilians and 194 police and military personnel injured. Some 2,000 police and soldiers have been called in to strengthen the security of the capital.
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“This ‘forgiveness’ is just a lie”
Protesters responded in the evening to calls to demonstrate in the capital under the slogan “We are massacred”. “This “sorry” is just a lie we don’t believe. What is a “sorry” when someone shoots you in the back ”, enraged a 26-year-old teacher, who refused to reveal his identity for fear of reprisals. “I’m sick of police abuse. It’s time to show that people are furious ”, told AFP Camilo Medina, a 20-year-old musician, who once again held a demonstration on Friday evening.
After his arrest, Javier Ordoñez, this 43-year-old engineer who was finishing his law studies, was taken to a police station where he was the victim of “Medical complications”, police said, before dying shortly after in hospital.
According to his family’s defense, the police have “Slaughtered” this father of two, beating him up. “I have photos (…) it’s an aggravated homicide and an offense of torture, at least an abuse of authority”lawyer Vadith Gomez told local radio station Blu Radio. The autopsy report has not yet been made public.
According to the Minister of Defense, in addition to the criminal investigation, an internal investigation was carried out “For alleged abuse of authority and homicide”. A total of seven police officers were suspended.
“Blind use” of force
The mayor of Bogota, Claudia Lopez, opponent of the conservative president, has identified 68 civilians in the capital with gunshot wounds and said she has evidence “Solid” of a “Blind use” of the force. Videos posted on social media show people in uniform responding with their firearms to attacks.
“They disobeyed the express and public instructions of the town hall. So who do they obey? We need justice, action and reform! “, wrote Mme Lopez Friday on Twitter. What happened in the last few days “Is brutal, it is serious, it is a real massacre of young people in our city”, she added later.
According to political scientist Sandra Borda, the police “Has a very high degree of militarization” due to the long conflict with the guerrillas and the fight against drug trafficking, which influences his vision of maintaining order. The police “Should not fall” of the Ministry of Defense, which demands results “In the face of enemies”, while “Faces citizens”, estimates with AFP Sebastian Lalinde, of the NGO Dejusticia.
Bitterness towards law enforcement
The police had never been the object of such social anger in Colombia. The institution enjoyed great popularity during the armed conflict, especially against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). But since social movements severely repressed in 2019, the antagonism is significant.
The viral video in which Javier Ordoñez begs the police to stop shocking him with their electric pulse pistols has exacerbated popular anger against the police, already at its highest since the Covid-19 epidemic.
Cases of people beaten or even killed, such as a 19-year-old in Cali in May, because they did not respect confinement, have heightened the bitterness towards the police. According to official data, police arrested 940 people in 2019, and 7,791 between March and May 2020.
“It had to explode, M analysisme Borda. People are openly suspicious of the police, and the police think the enemy is the citizens who come out to demonstrate. “
