I am writing to ask you guarantee the Colombian people’s right to peaceful protest. The deployment of the military, police forces and the ESMAD to repress people protesting in the streets calling for better social and economic measures, has caused at least 37 deaths, 222 injuries, 831 arbitrary detentions, and 10 reports of sexual violence, according to civil society reports.

I urge you to enable an environment where people’s right to peaceful assembly is fully respected; ceasing the militarization of cities and rural areas and ending the repression against demonstrators while condemning and deescalating the violent response from law enforcement officers against people taking the streets.

Kind regards,