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German experts considered that Colombia's security forces have turned this Latin American country into a warlike zone.
Colombia's Justice and Peace Commission on Tuesday informed that four young people suffered eye injuries after Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD) agents repressed a protest in Bogota.
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Videos show agents cracking down on youths who were peacefully protesting at Portal Americas metro station. The agents threw tear gas canisters and fired bullets at the demonstrators, leaving at least 20 people injured.
According to the NGO Temblores, 33 people have suffered eye injuries since protests against President Ivan Duque broke out on April 28.
"Forty-three people have been killed by police officers, 18 female protesters have been victims of sexual violence, 2,387 have suffered police violence, and 548 people have disappeared during the protests," the NGO stated.
�� #URGENTE �� Escuadrones de la muerte del esmad disparan bomba aturdidora y le explotó en la cara a manifestante pacífico en #Colombia se reportan decenas de heridos con esta modalidad de represión que mutila ojos como en Chile #ColombiaAlertaRojapic.twitter.com/kp6jUdhUVM
— Tropa Digital Pablo Úbeda���� (@TPU19J) May 15, 2021
The police brutality caught the attention of German experts, who claim that the security forces have turned Colombia into a warlike zone.
"Colombian agents are trained to fight guerrillas and drug traffickers. They are used to violence and they don't know how to handle mass protests because they think they are an attempt to overthrow the government," political scientist Solveig Richter explained.
Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation also warned about the narrative struggle that is taking place amid the protests.
"The government is justifying the excessive use of police force by saying that protesters are 'vandals'," the organization pointed out.
#Colombia | Ivan Duque orders full police deployment. pic.twitter.com/QwoKA16nzF
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 18, 2021
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