INDECOM: 28 Killed in First Three Months Of 2023

As per the initial quarterly report of 2023 released by INDECOM, a total of 52 individuals were involved in fatal and non-fatal shootings related to the security forces during the first three months of the year. This number is only one less than the corresponding figure of 53 for the same period in 2022. Out of these incidents, 28 citizens lost their lives between January and March, a slight decrease compared to the 30 fatalities recorded during the same period in 2022.

Though public attention on the role of Indecom is usually focused on fatal shootings concerning the security forces, a potentially underappreciated aspect of its mandate includes improving accountability at state agencies with authority over citizens – in a custodial setting. The Indecom’s first quarterly report of 2023, highlighted the level of compliance within the Department of Correctional Services, DCS, after the commission found that aspects of discipline administered at the Rio Cobre Juvenile correctional facility infringed on basic human rights.

The DCS reports that child rights are now strictly enforced, and notes that there have been no similar complaints from the Juvenile Correctional Centres since the 2020 INDECOM report on the Rio Cobre Juvenile Facility. However the commissioner believes that legislative gaps remain, that may prevent circumstances from being improved further.