BBC:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56983865
• The UN human rights office has accused Colombia’s security forces of using excessive force against protesters
• They are particularly concerned about events in Cali on Monday, where police fired on protesters.
• The government had argued that new taxes were necessary to mitigate Colombia’s economic crisis.
• The “reform” would have lowered the threshold at which salaries are taxed.
• More than 800 people are reported to have been injured in clashes between police and protesters.
• The response is predictable. Officials claim that the police themselves were attacked and that the police were dealing with “criminal elements.”
Associated Press
• The Associated press is reporting 26 people killed in protests in Colombia in recent weeks.
• The police are arguing that rebel groups have infiltrated the protests and drug trafficking enterprises are funding the protests.
• Police are heavily armed from years of dealing with drug trafficking.
Scotsman (5/7/21)
• The Scotsman is reporting as many as 37 people killed in clashes with police in Colombia.
• The protests are also about the privatization of health care, something that wasn’t mentioned in the corporate media.
• The Scotsman is also reporting 89 people missing.
• Colombia is experiencing the third highest rate of covid deaths in Latin America.