Colombia suspends police officers who fired into crowd, leaving six dead

Colombia suspends police officers who fired into crowd, leaving six dead
Six farmers were killed and 20 wounded in south-western region of Tumaco
Authorities initially blamed dissident Farc guerrillas for violence
Sibylla Brodzinsky in Bogotá
Monday 9 October 2017 14.49 EDT

Colombia’s police force has suspended four officers who fired into a crowd of protesters in a confused incident that left at least six farmers dead and 20 others wounded in the south-western region of Tumaco.

The move comes a day after police in the area fired into the air and launched stun grenades against a humanitarian commission made up of human rights activists and local journalists as they attempted to reach the remote site of the killings.

President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday called the episode “regrettable” and promised a thorough investigation of both incidents, which have highlighted the continued threat of violence in the country even after a peace deal with Farc rebels.

The six farmers were killed on 5 October during a protest by growers of coca leaf, used in making cocaine, against forced eradication efforts. Security forces first blamed a dissident faction of the Farc for the deaths but local activists said the police had opened fire on the protesters. Preliminary forensic testing showed the six farmers were killed by high-velocity long-range bullets.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/09/colombia-suspends-four-police-officers-deaths-coca-farmers

LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141886356