Calls mount on US government to do more to reign in Colombian police amid rising unrest
Calls from US politicians and Colombian-American groups are mounting for the US government to do more to curb police violence amid growing unrest in the country, one of America's closest allies in the region.
For nine days now, anti-government protests have rocked the South American country, with at least 24 people confirmed dead and dozens - although independent groups say the death toll is likely higher.
While a planned tax reform that sparked the protests has been cancelled by the government of President Iván Duque has been cancelled, the protests have continued.
Earlier this week, Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to President Biden and the National Security Council's Director for the Western Hemisphere, tweeted that "the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental freedom."
Image of Iván Duke collapses after protests left 19 dead
"Needless destruction is not," he said. "Violence that endangers lives is not. And proper observance of use of force standards is NOT negotiable."
Since then, a number of high-level US politicians have also condemned the Colombian government.
Gregory Meeks, the chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the Colombian government to end the heavy-handed police reaction to the protests, particularly from the National Police (PNC) and its specialized riot-control unit, known as ESMAD.
"I'm extremely concerned by the brutal PNC and ESMAD response to protests in Colombia," he said. "I'm particularly alarmed by developments in Cali and call on President Ivan Duque to deescalate the violence and make clear that excessive use of force is inexcusable."
In the US Senate, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez said that "Colombia is a close partner and ally whose stability and success is in the national interest of the US."
"I urge Colombian authorities and stakeholders to deescalate and create space for real dialogue to settle political differences and chart a better course for their country."
On Friday, protests against the Colombian government were expected in the New York City borough of Queens, which is home to an estimated 150,000 people of Colombian descent.
In an interview with LPO, Adam Isacson, the director of the Defense Oversight program at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) - and NGO aimed at promoting human rights and democracy in the Americas - said there is likely considerable internal debate in the US as to how to respond.
"The (Colombian police) are such a big part of our aid package and part of our relationship with Colombia," he said. "Their being, I think, too cautious about the consequences of burning their relationship with the police....I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that our relationship with Colombia's military and police is closer than it is with most civilian institutions in Colombia, and certainly with civil society."
Colombia is - by far - the greatest recipient of security and military aid in Latin America, with approximately half of the over $440 million in aid given to the country last year going to military and security programs.
According to Isacson, the large amount of aid given to Colombia gives the US considerable leverage.
"What they say can dramatically change the behavior of the Duque government and Colombia's security forces," he said. "A public expression of disapproval of some of the recent excesses, and call for calm and dialogue, would go a far longer way than any other international actor could have.
"People in the Duque government do listen to what Washington says, and Colombia's media hangs on every word that a US official says," he added. "I'd like them to say that while improper use of force is going on, we're at least going to review or maybe even suspend grants and sales of crowd control equipment."
Among those who have faced the anger of US-based activists and demonstrators this week was former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who on Wednesday was invited to speak on a webinar hosted by New York University entitled ‘Sustainable Colombia: Politics, Planet and Democratic Security."
In a since-deleted Tweet ahead of the event, Uribe said that he supports "the right of soldiers and police to use their weapons to defend their integrity and defend people and goods from the crime of terrorist vandalism."
While NYU has said that Uribe's appearance was not an endorsement and that they anticipated "a robust exchange" of ideas, many students and Colombian groups protested against the event.
In a recent letter, for example, the group Madres Falsos Positives de Colombia - which is made up of women whose children who were killed in the country's armed conflict - expressed its disapproval.
"We do not understand how it is possible that academic centers of such renown have such a level of ignorance of the nefarious social, environmental, economic, cultural and political consequences left by the government of Alvaro Uribe in our country and in the region" the letter said.
The event, however, was cut short due to repeated technical difficulties. NYU has not commented on whether the event will be held again, or whether it will be filmed and broadcast at a later date.
In his brief remarks, Uribe defended his tenure as Colombia's president.
"We advanced in security, we advanced in investment, and we advanced in social policies," he said, later denying that his administration violated human rights.
Before the event ended abruptly, Uribe also acknowledged he was far from universally popular in his country.
"There is a lot of criticism against me," he said. "I am very controversial."