Lucas Villa, symbol of peaceful protests, was shot dead and is in critical condition

The images of the attack on the student of the Technological University of Pereira, together two other companions also injured, was recorded in several videos that quickly gained momentum on social networks. In the videos, there were also images of Lucas dancing during the protests of the past nine days, shaking hands with police and shouting the phrase that has become the motto of protests around the country: “They are killing us”.

Martha Viviana de las Salas, the aunt of the young man, assured that her parent has never participated in violent actions, he repudiated them and went to the steps of Pereira (the coffee region) with a spirit of celebration and joy, as he sought a profound social change for the country.

“For those who carried out this attack, I wish with all the strength of my love for my nephew that he will not go unpunished, that those responsible will be brought to justice, that they assume the consequences of these events and that in no case will this type of attack be repeated attacks against people demonstrating peacefully, ”said de las Salas.

The mayor of Pereira, Carlos Maya, today offered a reward of over $ 10,000 for information to catch the killers. The president’s response was harsh, after giving a public speech a few days ago that was interpreted as violent.

“We are going to summon all the unions in the city and members of the private security to form a common front with the police and the army to restore order and public security. The city of Pereira is not stopping and it will not stop. And we are I will not leave it in the hands of the violent, “Maya broke.

This Thursday, the regional president denied that his message was a call to arms and assured that they should be in the power of the state.

According to the Office of the Ombudsman, To date, the protests have left 24 casualties, including 23 civilians and one police officer.

This entity, in charge of the defense of human rights, assured that in at least 11 cases the suspects of these deaths are police officers and that most of the crimes were committed with firearms.

However, the Ombudsman’s death figures are timid compared to the data kept by various NGOs. The Institute for Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz) says that between April 28 and May 4, 31 people were killed, 1,220 injured and 87 missing.

While the NGO Temblores recorded 37 “victims of homicidal violence by the police”, 831 arbitrary detentions, 222 injured, 22 cases of people injured in the eyes and 10 sexual assaults, all events attributed to uniformed men.

General Jorge Luis Vargas, said that his institution recognizes the “failures of the authorities” only in the cases attributed to them and that information on police violence, which has been recorded in dozens of videos uploaded to social networks in which even he saw the police the police officers shoot, it is “important” and “we received it”, but it is necessary to “check”.

The officer assured that the Colombian police are “transparent”, asked that the number of patrollers injured in the demonstrations be also taken into account and referred to the version in which the government has persisted for days: the violence is produced by “vandals” that they are due to alleged criminal structures that seek to destabilize the country.

During protests in November 2019, riot police gunned down young Dilan Cruz, who had participated in a peaceful march in Bogotá. In September 2020, two police officers overpowered lawyer Javier Ordoñez with electric guns, despite his calls to no longer oppose the arrest, he died soon after.

This death provoked the reaction and the protests of the citizens of Bogotá which were retaliated by gunshots and repression of the police; 13 people died.

“We continue to give transparent orders,” Vargas assured W Radio and warned that “the police cannot ignore their work and Colombians cannot tell us to stop doing our part when a crime is committed “.

“We condemn what happened in Pereira with the young Lucas Villa and his companions as they walked peacefully on the viaduct. @DirectorPolicia Vargas, we must find the whereabouts of the culprits and bring them to justice. We do not tolerate these acts of violence and we reject them, ”President Iván Duque said on Twitter, who, through meetings, seeks to quell protests his government has launched with failed tax reform.