London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

HRW: Colombian police launch projectiles against the demonstrators from tanks

HRW: Colombian police launch projectiles against the demonstrators from tanks

The HWR asked the Ministry of Defense to "give explanations" on the use of this weapon against the demonstrations in Bogotá.
The police have launched "multiple projectiles" from tanks at people who have been protesting in Colombia for nine days and who, precisely, are claiming against the police brutality that, according to the NGO Temblores, has left 37 fatalities, Human Rights Watch denounced this Thursday ( HRW ).

"With eyewitnesses and digital verification of videos we have corroborated the use of tanks with multiple projectile launchers aimed at protesters. It is a dangerous and indiscriminate weapon," said the director for the Americas of HRW, José Miguel Vivanco, in a message published in their social networks.

Vivanco, who asked the Colombian Defense Ministry to "provide explanations" on the use of this weapon, published a video in which it is seen how police officers launch projectiles from a tank at a group of protesters in Bogotá.

It is the response to several videos that circulated earlier this week, and which raised doubts about its origin, as projectiles were seen being launched in Bogotá as if the demonstrations were a scene of war.

On the other hand, the director for the Americas of HRW assured on Wednesday that that NGO has received 31 complaints about deaths during the demonstrations , of which it has been able to corroborate 11, the same number of fatalities that the Colombian Prosecutor's Office has confirmed.

"The protests in recent years in Colombia raise enormous doubts about whether the Police - and especially the Esmad (Mobile Anti-Riot Squad) - are capable of fully respecting human rights in these circumstances," added Vivanco from HRW. in another message published this week on his social networks.

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

The HRW complaint joins the one made last Tuesday by Amnesty International (AI), which asked the Colombian authorities "to put an end to the repression of the demonstrations" and asked the Government to "stop the militarization of cities", implemented under the figure of "military assistance", and respect.

He also demanded that it be guaranteed that "human rights are at the center of any public policy proposal," including the tax reform that is proposed after the withdrawal of the initiative that sparked the protests.

AI's Digital Verification Corps evidenced, through audiovisual material, "the excessive and unnecessary use of force by the Colombian Public Force in controlling the demonstrations."

"The Colombian authorities must promptly, independently and impartially investigate all allegations of excessive and unnecessary use of force against protesters, which has resulted in dozens of people killed and injured, arbitrary detentions, acts of torture and sexual violence, and reports of missing persons, "said the director for the Americas of AI, Erika Guevara.

ATTACKS AGAINST THE MEDICAL MISSION

According to the Ministry of Health, of the 189 attacks against the medical mission so far this year, 126 have occurred since last April 28 when the demonstrations began, which were ignited by a government tax reform that has already been withdrawn.

"64 of these reports correspond to threats and direct injuries against health personnel and 62 more against ambulances, their crews and sometimes against the patients themselves," said the head of the Office of Territorial Management, Emergencies and Disasters of the Ministry of Health , Luis Fernando Correa.

He also denounced that there was a "restriction" in the transit of medicines and equipment, as is the case with trucks that transport oxygen.

The most affected departments are Valle del Cauca, with 58 cases and whose capital Cali has been the major focus of violence in the demonstrations, and Norte de Santander (bordering Venezuela), with 37.

"The health sector calls for respect, empathy and support from the protesters and their leaders towards the health personnel, since, without the free movement of patients, supplies and medicines, the health system will be without the capacity to respond that users require in the midst of a pandemic like the current one, "the official concluded.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×