Colombia: Police officer accused of killing teenager in protests

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – An officer of the Colombian police force was accused of murdering a 17-year-old boy with a shot in the head during the massive protests against the government of Iván Duque, the Prosecutor’s Office reported Thursday, May 13.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office account, Luis Angel Piedrahita was “kicked by the teenager” and reacted by firing “with his service weapon on two occasions.”

“Using his advantage and the situation of inferiority, he descended from the motorcycle and while standing, aimed his gun at the teenager’s body, shooting him in the occipital region and causing his death,” said the prosecutor in charge of the case during the hearing.

The officer was charged with the crime of manslaughter, but denied guilt. A judge will rule on Piedrahita’s responsibility in the death of the young man in Cali when protests began against a tax reform initiative that has now been withdrawn.

The police officer “was not supported by any cause of justification (…) He is not covered by legitimate self-defense,” added the prosecutor. In Colombia, homicide is punished with sentences of between 13 and 25 years imprisonment.

Colombia is currently experiencing the bloodiest protests of any government since the signing of the peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas in 2016. As in the 2019 and 2020 protests against Duque, the performance of the police is under criticism for the disproportionate use of force against groups of demonstrators.

According to the Ombudsman’s Office, which oversees human rights, only one of the fatalities involved a member of the security forces.

The international community has denounced the gross excesses committed by the security forces in protests and riots that in over two weeks have left at least 42 dead and more than 1,500 people injured, according to official figures.

Source: DW