Politics · Other · 3 hrs ago
Colombian judge orders protection of artifacts removed from National Museum
A judge in Bogota ordered the Colombian government to protect more than 30 artifacts removed from the National Museum.
The objects include material connected to LGBTQ+ and feminist movements, the political left and Colombia’s conflict with guerrilla groups.
The removal came as President Abelardo de la Espriella’s conservative government seeks to change how the country’s history is presented in museums and schools.
Critics say taking the objects out of the exhibits risks erasing groups and events from the historical record.
The removals prompted protests outside the museum, and police broke up demonstrations with riot-control measures.
The judge said the objects must be kept safe and officials must stop removing other exhibits while a decision is made on whether the items should return to public view.
A Bogotá judge ordered Colombia’s government to protect more than 30 artifacts removed from the National Museum and not remove any more objects from its exhibits.
The objects must be kept in a safe place while a ruling is made on whether they should return to public display.
The judge said the removals could jeopardize Colombians’ rights to free expression and historical memory.
The artifacts relate to social movements, guerrilla fighters, feminist causes and LGBTQ+ history.
Their removal prompted protests outside the museum over the weekend, amid accusations that the government was trying to erase leftist and minority histories.
- Who
- Bogotá judge Cesar Enrique Osorio ordered the government to protect the artifacts.
- What
- The government must preserve more than 30 removed museum artifacts and refrain from removing more objects. Whether the artifacts should return to public display remains undecided.
- When
- The ruling was issued Monday. The artifacts were removed the previous Thursday.
- Where
- Colombia’s National Museum in Bogotá.
- Why
- The judge said the removals could jeopardize Colombians’ rights to free expression and historical memory.
Colombia’s government
Critics of the removals
Museum’s role
Colombia’s government
The government said cultural institutions should not promote a political doctrine or an ideological interpretation of history.
Critics of the removals
Critics said the removals imposed an ideological view of the country’s history and silenced the stories represented by the objects.
Guerrilla history
Colombia’s government
President Abelardo de la Espriella said cultural entities should not promote terrorism or treat guerrilla members as national heroes.
Critics of the removals
Critics objected to removing objects connected to the political left and the country’s peace process.
More than 30 objects were removed from exhibits at the National Museum.
Protests took place around the museum, with clashes between demonstrators and police.
Judge Cesar Enrique Osorio ordered the government to protect the removed artifacts and refrain from removing more objects.
- Number of artifacts
- More than 30
- Museum
- National Museum of Colombia, Bogotá
- Judge
- Cesar Enrique Osorio
- Removed object
- A copy of the first magazine published by Colombia’s LGBTQ+ community
- Peace agreement
- 2016 agreement between Colombia’s government and the FARC rebels
3 sources
What people are saying
The extreme left has permeated all facets of society for decades, particularly the cultural and academic spheres.
We have the duty to confront it, exalting the principles that Colombians value.
My father is a symbol of rebellion against tyranny.
We will not allow sexual minorities to be censored in Colombia, and for the memory, the life, of the leaders of the left to be persecuted.