Sexual abuse: Colombian prosecution investigates the case of a minor who committed suicide after being detained by the police | International

The Colombian prosecution is investigating the case of a minor who committed suicide after being detained by police during protests against the government. The 17-year-old girl denounced on her social media that four riot police sexually assaulted her at the time of her arrest, which was recorded in a video.

It happened on Wednesday in the city of Popayán, in southeastern Colombia, one of the most violent scenes of the strike that held the country on suspense for 15 days. Outrage over what happened led to protests and unrest outside the police station where the attack could be carried out. A protester recorded the minor being dragged by four police officers. The author of the video told police, “You can’t have anything explosive in your backpack because the backpack even threw it away. And he said if they wanted to review it. “

Then one of the four policemen, who carry her by the hands and feet, lets go of one of the minor’s legs. She says to them, “They take off my pants, idiots.” Four, four with a woman, he shouts at them. “Do you want to give your name or something for human rights?” The protester who records with his cell phone intercedes again. Therefore, it is difficult for him to convey what is happening because a fifth policeman cuts him with a shield. Someone off camera tells her that the girl has been knelt down to be restrained. The next thing he records is the juvenile brought to a neighborhood police station, which is here called the immediate reaction unit.

The minor was released a few hours later. On Facebook, she wrote that she was not participating in the protests, but was on her way to a friend’s house when she found herself in the midst of the riots. “I didn’t even run because it was worse,” he said, “all I did was hide behind a wall and just because I was filming they grabbed me . In the middle of that, they pulled my pants down and groped me to the core ”. When police reviewed the documentation, she said, they realized she was the daughter of a body member. “I fully support the strike and the demonstrations, but yesterday I was not with the marches,” he concluded.

The next day, he committed suicide at home. His body is currently at the forensic medicine institute in that city, where an autopsy was performed last night. Authorities will release the report to the family today. A prosecutor specializing in childhood and gender traveled from Bogotá on Friday to investigate the case. Family and friends celebrated the vigil this afternoon.

Feminist organizations are very aware of the case. “We have triggered an impunity alert. We don’t want the report to be fabricated. We want to know exactly what happened, ”says Sara Tejada, member of the organization Articulación Feminista de Popayán, by telephone.

The region’s police commander, Ricardo Augusto Alarcón, admitted that the young woman had been arrested and then transferred to the local police station. But he assures that as soon as they found out he was 17, a protection protocol was activated and his family called. “It was delivered in optimal conditions to the maternal grandmother at 10:51 p.m.,” said Alarcón, who called the spread of sexual abuse “false, vile and mean news”.

Human rights organizations demonstrated throughout the day in front of the police station. There was a reaction with police accusations and clashes in the streets. The minor’s family lawyer, Lizeth Montero, says the minor was in fact picked up by her grandmother. “But beaten and bruised. At home, the family tells us, he had a psychological and emotional crisis. In the morning, he tried his life. We see a clear case of sexual violence, ”explains the lawyer.

During protests that have been increasing across the country for more than two weeks, 42 people have died. The international community has shown its concern at the disproportionate action of the police, implicated in at least four killings.

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