Colombia’s Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, has issued a landmark ruling limiting the legal protections afforded to protests that turn violent or block economic activity. The court ordered a community action group, the Corporación Juntas de Acción Comunal San Isidro de Chichimene, and its former legal representative to jointly pay damages to state-run oil company Ecopetrol for a series of blockades and acts of vandalism at the Chichimene oil station in Acacías, in the department of Meta, back in 2017.
According to the ruling, protesters demanding local job quotas forcibly entered the facility, damaging laboratory equipment, computers and offices, and forced staff to evacuate. The disruption halted scheduled maintenance, canceled seven supply contracts, and delayed extraction from 20 oil wells—an estimated 32,000 barrels—costing Ecopetrol roughly 4 billion pesos (about $1 million) in lost revenue, the company argued.
A lower tribunal had rejected Ecopetrol’s damage claims, citing inconsistencies in the loss estimates. But the Council of State reversed that decision, ruling that proving damage occurred is distinct from calculating its exact value. The judges emphasized that Colombia’s constitution protects peaceful protest, but that violent or obstructive demonstrations forfeit that constitutional shield—and can result in financial liability for organizers.
Read the full story at El Tiempo.
Source: Fallo clave del Consejo de Estado les pone freno a protestas que causen daño: pueden generar indemnizaciones (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Holger.Ellgaard.