UN rights office condemns Colombia crackdown on protests

The UN says Colombian police in Cali ‘opened fire’ on protests sparked by a government tax proposal.

The United Nation’s human rights office (OHCHR) has expressed “deep alarm” over violence at the Colombian city of Cali, saying police “opened fire” on people taking part in days of protests against proposed tax changes. In comments made on Tuesday during a press briefing in Geneva, spokeswoman Maria Hurtado said the body was working to verify the exact number of casualties but reports suggested a number of people had been killed and wounded overnight in Cali. “We express our profound shock at the events there and stress our solidarity with those who have lost their lives, as well as the injured and their families”, she said.