translated from Spanish: Colombia: protests grow after allegations of suicide of young woman abused by police

Protesters took to the streets after the death of a 17-year-old woman in that town south of Cali, investigating it as a suicide after being arrested and sexually abused by the police, according to the complaint by human rights agencies already analyzed by the Attorney General’s Office.President Ivan Duque yesterday gave the order to the Minister of Defense , Diego Molano Aponte; and the Minister of the Interior, Daniel Palacios; to move to Popayán to solve the crisis that adds to the rest of the demonstrations that shake the country and whose strong repression has already left more than 40 dead. The new deceased was identified as Sebastian Quintero Múnera, a 22-year-old student who lost his life from the impact on the neck of a stun grenade thrown by members of the Riot Squad, according to the balance collected by Caracol Radio.In addition, a police tanker overwhelmed a group of protesters and some of them were seriously injured, according to the same medium that resulted in about 20 total injuries. Previously, there was an attack on the facilities of the Immediate Reaction Unit (URI), where, according to the complaint of human rights defenders, the young woman would have been raped, the newspaper El Tiempo reported.In addition, they burned down the Department of Legal Medicine where suicide and abuse are being investigated. In a video that went viral with the complaint, the young woman is seen screaming as she is immobilized with her feet and hands and taken to the small police station, now on fire, to the cry of let me go that you’re stripping me naked,. According to the Commission on Guarantees and Human Rights, a front of organizations that accompanies the protests that had been cornering the Government for two weeks, the youngest stated that she had “been beaten” and had “lacerations in her hands.” Human rights defenders who led the protest in Popayán said four minors were arrested last Wednesday night, including two teenage women, the one who died and another young woman who filed a formal sexual abuse complaint against four police officers today. For his part, the commander of Region Four police, General Ricardo Alarcón, confirmed that the uniforms who transferred the young woman were identified and separated from the force while the investigation was carried out, indicated the news agency Europa Press.One of the agents, who spoke with local media on condition of anonymity, denied the allegations. On the other hand, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) yesterday announced its request for a working visit to Colombia to observe in the field the human rights situation around social protests. The Commission notes that it received information on a number of offences such as the existence of deceased and missing persons, acts of sexual violence, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against protesters, abuses of defenders and attacks on indigenous people, among others. These allegations are part of the wave of demonstrations that has been unfolding in the country since April 28, first in rejection of a tax reform promoted by Duke, already withdrawn, and which then remained against the militarization of the country and the fierce repression unreleased during the protests that left 42 deaths to date.

Original source in Spanish