“We stand in solidarity with the people of Colombia. Human rights violations must end, ”environmental activist and influencer Greta Thunberg said from her Twitter account.
At the same time, from her Twitter account, she shared Amnesty International’s call for action to be taken to end “the repression of freedom of expression.”
In addition, responding to reports of violent attacks against the Indigenous Minga in Cali, which has injured several people belonging to the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, has stated:
“The attacks by armed civilians, some in the presence of the police, against the Indigenous Minga in Cali are a reflection of dynamics of violence that do not cease in Colombia and that have been accentuated in the context of social protests within the framework of the National strike. Since April 28, dozens of people have been reported dead, hundreds of injured and missing, sexual torture and scenes of horror due to repression of demonstrations, mostly peaceful, without the government of Iván Duque not even publicly acknowledging the violations of rights. humans.”
“Historically, Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples have suffered disproportionately the consequences of violence, armed conflict and the lack of protection from the State. It is unacceptable that urgent calls to the authorities to prevent armed violence were not immediately heeded; on the contrary, various authorities, including the National Police, issued stigmatizing statements about the Indigenous Minga and those who were demonstrating peacefully in Cali. “
“The attacks by armed civilians, some in the presence of the police, against the Indigenous Minga in Cali are a reflection of dynamics of violence that do not cease in Colombia and that have been accentuated in the context of social protests within the framework of the National Strike ”.
“To the excessive repression is added the constant stigmatization of those who demonstrate, which incites and justifies the violent response against them. The Indigenous Minga fears for the lives of its members, including those who are hospitalized. We make an urgent call to the government of Iván Duque to stop the repression, the stigmatization of the protest and to guarantee that the Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples who accompany the National Strike have all the guarantees and protection of their human rights ”.
According to a joint report by the NGO Temblores and Indepaz, 47 murders are reported within the framework of the National Strike from April 28 to May 9. Of these cases, 36 occurred in Valle del Cauca (35 in Cali and one in Yumbo). In this report it is denounced that the security forces and control organizations have not heeded the calls of the citizens to avoid attacks by armed people against protesters, plainclothes policemen among protesters and repression of peaceful demonstrations.