What Are The Big Changes in Ecuador and Colombia?
Colombia has just elected its first leftist president while the people of Ecuador are protesting country's neoliberal policies
A lot has been happening in Latin America in 2022.
We had a number of elections and change of countries’ political directions, like in Peru, and, just this month, in Colombia: something we can place in a broader context of a progressive wave that’s rolling over Latin America.
In fact, in the case of Colombia, its people have voted for something truly historic: a leftist president and a first black vice president.
You may recall that Colombia was having massive protests in 2021 after the then government proposed a tax reform. You may also recall how violently the state responded to these protests.
The Human Rights Watch strongly condemned the actions of the Colombian National Police, calling for police reform in the country:
“Police officers have responded by repeatedly and arbitrarily dispersing peaceful demonstrations and using excessive, often brutal, force, including live ammunition. HRW has documented multiple killings by police, as well as beatings, sexual abuse, and arbitrary detention of demonstrators and bystanders.”
“These brutal abuses are not isolated incidents by rogue officers, but rather the result of systemic shortcomings of the Colombian police,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Comprehensive reform that clearly separates the police from the military and ensures adequate oversight and accountability is needed to ensure that these violations don’t occur again.”
In short, in addition to the immense suffering in the country during the decades of its civil war, the events of just the last years explain why one of Gustavo Petro’s promises - to bring peace to the country - is a big promise indeed.
Now, peace and a life of dignity is what the people of Ecuador are marching on the streets for.
In our webinar with Camila Escalante of Kawsachun News, talk about the nature of these protests and how the state forces have been responding to them, the policies that the people are protesting, and how that all fits into the broader context of Latin American politics.