On May 20, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project tweeted: “PBI accompanied the Justice and Peace Commission in the Portal Americas humanitarian space. In its report on the violent intervention by the security forces, it reported dozens of injured people and members of its human rights commission were harassed.”

Among the incidents of May 18 reported by Justice and Peace, they note: “At 5:20 p.m., an ESMAD tanker with the Venom device entered the Portal de las Américas.”

The US-based manufacturer describes the VENOM device as “a lightweight, high capacity, non-lethal grenade launcher.”

The company further notes: “[It] delivers non-lethal flash and sound, smoke obscuration, irritant, and blunt trauma effects. These effects support the escalation of force, early warning to determine intent, crowd dispersal, and area denial objectives.”

In this video from May 6, one can see what appears to be the VENOM launcher being fired at people on the street. And in this tweet about the video, José Miguel Vivanco, the Executive Director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, comments: “It is a dangerous and indiscriminate weapon.”

Describing the space where the vehicle and launcher were deployed, PBI-Colombia has previously noted that Portal Americas, a bus rapid transit station in the locality of Kennedy in Bogota, is “where youth and grassroots organizations in the area have created a humanitarian space for participation in the social protests.”

Teusaradio further explains the space has been as “a place of artistic, cultural and political debate that resists constant police repression.”

The full report by Justice and Peace on the incidents of May 18 at the Portal de las Américas in Bogota can be read here.

PBI-Colombia has also reported on its accompaniment of the Justice and Peace Commission in the humanitarian space on May 6, 11, 12, and 13. For a photo-journal of PBI-Colombia accompaniments during the national strike, click here.

Image by CRIC of a police tanker/armored vehicle with a VENOM launcher mounted on it.

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