CALI (Colombia), May 23 (NNN-TELESUR) — Colombia’s Institute for Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ) denounced the forced disappearance of Cali citizens by the Mobile Anti-riot Squadron (ESMAD) agents.
On Thursday, the victims were detained in a supermarket in the city without the presence of local authorities. According to INDEPAZ, this was an illegal procedure and a violation of human rights.
Members of the Attorney General’s Office visited the store Saturday morning and assured that they found no signs of violence. This information, however, contrasts with the statements of some witnesses, who assured that traces of blood were found in the mall.
Witnesses also claim that garbage trucks and other suspicious vehicles left the premises in the early hours of Friday morning.
People’s Congress representative Magaly Pino rejected the disappearance of this still undetermined number of protesters.
“Authorities have not started searching for these people nor investigating the excessive use of force by the ESMAD during the protests,” Pino said and pointed out that at least 150 people have disappeared in the last weeks in Cali.
Since the protests broke out on April 28, the organization Temblores has reported 1,645 arbitrary detentions nationwide. Most of the detainees were taken to non-institutional locations, such as warehouses and supermarkets.
Colombia has been protesting in the streets for 23 days. As the weeks have passed, the people have joined the calls for national strikes.
Two months ago, the multinational company that operates the Cerrejon mine carried out a massive dismissal of over 200 people without compensating the workers.
The excuse for this dismissal was the pandemic, although the multinational was benefited from government subsidies. Today, Cerrejon’s former workers have joined the national strike to demand their rights.
