In April, President Iván Duque’s government proposed an overhaul of the tax system. Colombians responded with a national strike later that month. The strike was met with disproportionate use of force and human rights violations by police, triggering a wave of protests across the country throughout May, June and July.
The massive participation in the protests surprised a government that was already under fire for its lethargic handling of the pandemic. The profound deficiencies of Colombian democracy became glaringly apparent, not least the fact that the national police force, including the Mobile Anti-Riot Squadron (ESMAD), is one of few in the Americas that sits under the defence ministry. After a recent visit to Colombia, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the “excessive and disproportionate” use of “lethal force” and called for the separation of the police and the military.
The Colombian government seems to be turning a deaf ear. Social tensions remain high and could flare up again at any moment, especially if the repressive violence that has already claimed dozens of lives continues.
