Protesters ask for intervention as violence increases in Colombia’s countryside
Protesters ask for intervention as violence increases in Colombia’s countryside
posted by Steven Cohen
Aug 23, 2013
Colombia’s ministers of agriculture and the interior joined a diplomatic mission to Tunja, the capital of Boyaca on Thursday, to negotiate with protest leaders and attempt to calm the most pressing situation facing the country since national protests broke out Monday.
In four days of protests that have, so far, seen well over 100 demonstrations nationwide and a reported 98 arrests and 82 injured police officers, the most violent clashes between the government and protesters across the country occurred in the department of Boyaca, where roads in and out have been effectively closed off since late Tuesday.
By Wednesday, the combination of violence and economic paralysis had gotten so bad the governor of Boyaca declared a state of emergency, calling on President Juan Manuel Santos to negotiate with the protesters. But even from the start of Monday’s coordinated national strikes, things have been particularly tense throughout the department.
In an interview with Colombia Reports, Luz Dary, an organizer for the Boyaca agricultural movement, said that well before road blocks were set up in parts of the department, the government was deploying “totally exaggerated” and “inhumane” force to intimidate protesters.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/protesters-boyaca-ask-human-rights-intervention-violence-increases-colombias-countryside/