Junior Jein, a renowned urban music singer from the Colombian Pacific, was shot dead in the early hours of this Monday (06/14/2021) by two men who attacked him in a nightclub in the city of Cali, according to authorities.
Harold Angulo – his first name – was 37 years old and was an Afro-descendant singer and activist who in 2020 had recorded the song with other artists Who killed them, in tribute to the victims of the massacres that have escalated in Colombia after the 2016 peace agreement.
Around midnight on June 13, two men – who are already in the hands of the authorities – shot the singer at the place where he was with other people. “Although he was transferred to a clinic, he died as a result of his injuries,” the police said in a statement, adding that a woman was also injured in the leg during the attack.
The authorities arrested the two alleged assailants who were carrying a rifle and a 9mm pistol. One of them belonged to the defunct FARC, the guerrilla that laid down its arms in 2016, assured the commander of the Cali Police, Juan Carlos León. The officer told the press that he does not know if Jein he had threats and that the motives for the murder are “a matter of investigation.”
For his part, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Colombia, Ernst Noorman, condemned the murder in a message on his account. Twitter and sent his condolences to Angulo’s family. The death of the artist further strains the security situation in Cali, the focus of the protests that broke out on April 28 in rejection of the government of Iván Duque.
loves (afp, week, national radio, the country)
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
Protests against tax reform
Since April 28, hundreds of people have demonstrated against the tax reform project and the Colombian health system. Various sectors of society participated in the protests, known as the National Strike. The government of Iván Duque withdrew the project, but possible changes to the health system and human rights violations have fueled protests.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
Civilians, police and military
In a statement on May 1, President Iván Duque offered “military assistance” to the National Police. Its implementation, which would be agreed with the mayors or governors, will continue until the events of disturbing public order cease. While the measure was implemented in Cali, the mayors of Bogotá and Medellín opposed the militarization of their cities.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
National Unemployment 2019 and 2021
Already in 2019, the National Strike of November 21 brought together students, peasants, workers’ centrals, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and members of the LGBTIQ community in mass demonstrations. They demanded the repeal of labor, tax and pension reforms planned by the government, respect for the lives of social leaders and the implementation of the Peace Agreement with the FARC.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
Social networks and alternative means of communication
With their own cell phones, citizens have documented the development of the protests. Human rights organizations, cartoonists and community media have gained prominence. Patata Caricaturas, a collective of journalists and cartoonists, has made illustrations that have become iconic. One of his most widespread works is the portraits of the victims of the actions of the police.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
Symbols of solidarity
The illustrations made by Patata Caricaturas of the people who have lost their lives since the start of the National Strike have become a symbol of solidarity with the victims of police violence. Since 2018, the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad of the Colombian National Police has been accused of abuse of force and held responsible for the death of protesters, such as the young Dilan Cruz.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
The victims
Various local and international organizations maintain the registry of people who have been violated in the course of the National Strike in Colombia. On May 9, the NGO Temblores, specialized in cases of police violence, reported the murder of 46 civilians and a police officer. With 35 people killed, the city of Cali is the place where more people have lost their lives due to police repression.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
Get used to the horror
The wave of violence has rekindled reports of forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, negligence in the protection of threatened citizens and even so-called “false positives”. According to Nicolás Fajardo, an organizer of the demonstrations in Germany, “the pain generated by the images of what is happening in cities like Cali has been there for a long time.”
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
“We are artists, not terrorists”
On May 9, a day of artistic demonstrations was held in Bogotá in support of the National Strike, and for the right to life and protest. The day passed peacefully, while acts of violence continue to occur in other cities. That same day, President Iván Duque ordered the “largest deployment” of public forces possible in the city of Cali.
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National Strike: Colombia shudders
The voices of the diaspora
Colombians living abroad and various international organizations have demonstrated against the violation of human rights in Colombia. The emigrants have called events to make visible the acts of violence and the circumstances that led to the National Strike on April 28. According to UNHCR, between 2010 and 2019, more than 3 million Colombians emigrated as refugees.
Author: Darío Berrío Gil
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