The President of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, signed on Tuesday (13) a decree that changes the rules of police action during protests. The decision of the new government broadens the cases in which the police are authorized to confront popular demonstrations.
“Today I issued Decree 1525 of 2026 to strengthen the guarantees for those who demonstrate peacefully and to ensure that authorities act, within the framework of the law, toward those who intend to sow trouble,” Espriella wrote on X. The Interior Minister, Rodrigo Lara, defined the measure as “guarantee-oriented and democratic.”
In practice, the decree reverses a previous rule that gave priority to dialogue and mediation before any action by the police forces. Now, the decree lists the situations that authorize intervention, such as vandalism, carrying weapons and use of incendiary devices. The text maintains the idea that blocking roads, by itself, does not make a protest violent.
Hardening
The regulation gains momentum soon after the opposition to the De la Espriella government took to the streets for the first national day of demonstrations. The protests were called by left-wing parties and unions.
In Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, the predecessor of the new leader and the first left-wing president in the country’s history, walked through the crowd gathered in Bolívar Square, in front of the Congress.
Already on Thursday morning (15), thousands of demonstrators ignored the government’s new protocol and demonstrated in cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and others.
Among the protesters’ demands are calls for improvements in working conditions and education, as well as the defense of social rights in the country. Additionally, the opposition has protested the decision by Espriella to resume diplomatic relations with Israel, as well as denouncing U.S. interference in Colombia.
Right after taking office, De la Espriella celebrated a military cooperation agreement with Washington. Under the document, the U.S. committed to providing US$1 billion in security assistance to the new government. The agreement also provides for increased migratory control, as well as biometric identification systems, border security and networks of transnational criminal organizations.
Security
The security agenda has been at the forefront of the Colombian government, similar to the campaign proposals in Brazil by the PL candidate for the Presidency, Flávio Bolsonaro.
Shortly after the first round of the elections, Flávio participated in a live with the Colombian president. In it, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) pledged to include Brazil in the Americas Shield, a coalition created by the Donald Trump administration against drug trafficking.
The candidate also invited De la Espriella to a potential inauguration in January 2027. By declaring support for Flávio’s candidacy, the Colombian official took to social media and stated that “true change” would, in his view, be to “defeat the left” in Brazil.
