Colombia claims organized protest equates to organized crime

Colombia’s prosecution has stepped up the criminalization of anti-government protests, claiming that protesters who organized must be tried as organized crime groups.

The controversial argument was made by a prosecutor in the city of Neiva who is trying to imprison eight people on terrorism charges for their alleged participation in anti-government protests last year.

The detainees are a clown, a community leader, a human rights defender, a union leader, a journalist and three student leaders, according to human rights organization CCAJAR, which claims the detainees are the victims of political persecution.

During the protests, the detainees allegedly organized a “Frontline” group in response to brutal police repression, which the prosecutor equated to creating an Organized Crime Group (GDO).

According to Colombian law, a GDO is “an organized group of three or more persons, existing for a period of time and conspiring with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences established in accordance with the Palermo Convention, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.

Groups like paramilitary organization AGC and guerrilla group ELN are deemed Organized Armed Groups (GAO) because their criminal activities would not be economically motivated.

By NC ScoutPublished On: May 5, 2022Categories: AP Staff, Intelligence1 Comment

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at brushbeater@tutanota.com or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .