Colombia: At least 10 people killed in anti-government protests in Cali

As Colombia enters its second month of demonstrations that have met violent repression, the death toll from police brutality has risen to 65.

The Colombian government announced on Friday it was deploying military troops to Cali while the country marked a full month of Colombia-wide rallies that have transformed into a broad anti-government demonstration.

“Ten people are dead, 'this is the toll we have this morning in events linked to Friday’s demonstrations,” Cali’s security secretary Carlos Rojas told Caracol radio.

According to Colombian police, eight of the 10 were shot dead.

A series of ongoing protests began in Colombia on April 28 against increased taxes, corruption, and health care reform proposed by the government of President Iván Duque Márquez.

The tax initiative was introduced to expand funding to Ingreso Solidario, a universal basic income social program established in April 2020 to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia, while the legislative Bill 010 proposed several changes in the health care system in Colombia.

Although the courts had anticipated the protests would be widespread, having annulled all existing permits out of fear of the further spread of COVID-19, the protests began in earnest anyway on 28 April 2021.

In large cities such as Bogotá and Cali, thousands to tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, in some cases clashing with authorities. Protests continued to grow over the coming days, and amidst promises by the president to rework his tax plan, they culminated into a large protest on 1 May, International Workers' Day.

On 2 May, President Duque declared that he would fully withdraw his new tax plan, though no new concrete plans were announced. Despite policy adjustments, protests continued, fueled by intense crackdowns and reports of police brutality.

Until now, Temblores, an NGO that monitors police violence nationwide, have reported more than 3,405 instances of police brutality, including 22 cases of sexual violence, and around 175 people had been reported missing.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch noted abuses by police against protesters, while former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez called on the people to support the actions of police and soldiers during the protests.

The protesters denounced the tax reform bill proposed by President Ivan Duque's administration and criticized the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many Colombians believe that the tax reform will leave them poorer in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. (ILKHA)