Toronto – May 7, 2021 – Together with members of UNI Global Union, UFCW Canada condemns the current violence in Colombia and events unfolding since the national strike on April 28, 2021.

On May 3 in the city of Cali, several demonstrators were killed by the Colombian national police. Between April 28 and May 4 there have been 28 deaths, 234 injuries, 726 arbitrary detentions, and more than 100 people disappeared resulting from the brutal repression unleashed against demonstrators.

In a statement on May 4, UNI Global Union called on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to urgently intervene in Colombia to stop the brutal police violence and human rights violations that continue to escalate.

UNI Global Union also demands that the government of Ivan Duque address the demands of the National Strike Committee that has led the nation-wide protests.

To read the full statement (in Spanish), click here.