Against the authoritarian drift of the Colombian government

The Steering Committee of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences ( CLACSO ) and the CLACSO Member Centers in Colombia express our profound rejection of the authoritarian drift of the National Government. Once again, a series of measures looms over critical thought, peaceful protest, and now, processes of memory, revealing an intention to undermine democracy, silence dissenting voices, criminalize peaceful social protest, and rewrite collective memory to suit the revisionist interests of the Colombian and continental far right.

First, on October 13, 2026, Decree 1.525 on social protest was issued, a measure that flagrantly violates the right to peaceful demonstration on the eve of the national march against the government. In several of its articles, it leaves open the interpretation of what constitutes a “violent act” by agents of the UNDMO (formerly ESMAD) and, above all, presumes that violent acts always stem from peaceful demonstrations, not from the intervention of these agents.

As was publicly denounced in the cases of Bogotá and Ibagué last week, the demonstrations were violently suppressed by the security forces and then justified as a “response” and a legitimate use of the state’s monopoly on force. We are deeply concerned that this decree flagrantly violates the presumption of innocence and grants powers to the security forces that are closer to dictatorial and/or authoritarian practices.

It is important to note that reports from the Truth Commission and investigations by members of the CLACSO network have shown that authoritarian tendencies lead to physical violence, criminalization through extrajudicial killings, and the deaths of protesters due to the excessive use of force, as well as the undermining of democracy. We denounce the arbitrary manner in which some protesters were detained in Ibagué and Bogotá. Furthermore, the creation of a new "Security Statute" has been announced, which takes us back to the dark years of Turbay Ayala and, in its provisions, further undermines the conditions for exercising the right to protest and reveals a complete subservience of the interests of Colombians to foreign geopolitical interests, as it seeks to guarantee access to strategic "natural resources."

We also denounce, in accordance with the public statements of several of our Member Centers, the removal of artworks from the National Museum of Colombia's galleries that address themes of the country's history of war, the vindication of sexual dissidence, and the expression of the multiple forms of violence we suffer. This represents an affront to collective memory and the right to peace enshrined in our country's political constitution. Likewise, we denounce the orchestrated attack against cultural institutions and the strangulation and transformation of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge, to the detriment of its core mission and constitutional functions.

As the Steering Committee and Member Centers in Colombia, we reject this wave of symbolic and physical violence that marks the beginning of the National Government. Against this authoritarian drift, we continue to build critical thinking, express our grievances, and fight for a just country, in democracy, and committed to memory, truth, and reparations for the victims.

CLACSO Steering Committee and
the CLACSO Network of Member Centers of Colombia
October 2026