Militia groups in Colombia are carrying out killings to prevent the spread of Covid-19, human rights groups claim. [Reuters]Armed militia groups have carried out a string of brutal executions in order to enforce Covid-19 lockdowns in Colombia, it is claimed. Armed groups have imposed curfews, lockdowns and restricted movement to stop the virus spreading, and enforced them with violence, Human Rights Watch said. Fighters from the National Liberation Army (ELN) distributed leaflets saying they would be “forced to kill people in order to preserve lives” because the population had not “respected the orders to prevent Covid-19". “In communities across Colombia, armed groups have violently enforced their own measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Source: Standard Digital July 19, 2020 11:26 UTC