BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s government on Tuesday modified a set of guidelines that dictate how police should react to street protests, giving officers greater leeway to break up demonstrations in which protesters are vandalizing public property or disrupting access to essential services through actions like roadblocks.
The modifications made by the government of conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella have been criticized by activists and opposition politicians, who are concerned that the new guidelines can be broadly interpreted by officers and could lead to more cases of police violence.
The new guidelines were published late Tuesday, just hours before de la Espriella’s government faces its first major protest. On Wednesday, opposition parties, trade unions, Indigenous groups and social movements are expected to mobilize in several cities to protest de la Espriella’s economic and security policies.
In a nationally televised address Monday night, de la Espriella said the right to protest will continue to be guaranteed, adding that “law enforcement will not get in the way of people marching peacefully.”
But the conservative leader, who was sworn into office in August, said that the rights of those who do not protest should also be respected and roadblocks that stop people from going to work and disrupt commerce will no longer be acceptable. Those actions could be considered acts of aggression under the new guidelines, which call on police and protesters to establish “humanitarian corridors” during demonstrations.
“For years we allowed roadblocks to stop food and medicine” from reaching communities, de la Espriella said Monday. “And we wrongly called that a right. That is not exercising a right, and in my government it ends.”
In rural Colombia, Indigenous communities sometimes block major roads to protest government policies or delays in the implementation of social programs. In some cases, these rural roadblocks have lasted for weeks.
The new protocols, which also refer to vandalism of public property as an act of aggression, have been rejected by social movements and human rights groups who argue they give police too much power to break up protests.
In 2021, at least 46 people were killed in anti-government protests sparked by growing economic inequality following the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports published by human rights groups blamed police officers for many of those deaths.
Under the old guidelines governing police action, officers were required to resort to dialogue and mediation to stop violence in protests before intervening with force. The new guidelines say that when acts of aggression or vandalism are taking place, dialogue and mediation are an “optional” measure.
Jennifer Pedraza, an opposition senator, said the new guidelines could lead to a situation in which police violence is once again on the rise.
“The government is trying to repress people and finding ways to justify it,” Pedraza said.
FILE - Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella speaks during a bilateral agreements signing ceremony with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, Pool, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Tuesday ordered a halt to tree-cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course until Oct. 26, putting a further pause on work at the historic D.C. course that has been part of President Donald Trump’s plans to remake the city.
Reyes issued the order one day after a tense three-hour hearing in which she harshly criticized the government for having deceived her with its actions over the holiday weekend.
At the Monday hearing, Reyes ordered a 24-hour pause that could be extended to 14 days if necessary. It was limited to one day while the government tried to find a key Trump administration official to discuss why a massive tree-cutting at the park needed to occur over the holiday weekend, with little notification to plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to halt renovation plans or the judge.
The judge also ordered during that period the government “must provide the court and plaintiffs three business days’ written advance notice prior to making any irreparable modification to any permanent form or feature of the East Potomac Golf Course.”
The DC Preservation League and two local golfers are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
The co-counsel in the case, Democracy Forward, thanked Reyes for stepping in and halting what the group called the “mad rush” to turn the public recreation space into a high-end golf course. “We are pleased that the court intervened and will prevent additional work while we seek more lasting relief,” the group said in a statement.
The Monday hearing and Tuesday order were prompted by the National Park Service ordering the cutting of hundreds of trees at the golf course after filing the court notification only minutes before the close of business on Oct. 9 on a holiday weekend, giving the plaintiffs little time to respond. At least 400 trees were cut down over the weekend with plans for several hundred more.
In explaining her order, Reyes said the court, based on limited information so far, concluded that government officials raced to undertake a tree management plan at the park “because President Trump demands haste on his redesign, and not because of some newfound zeal to implement a small part” of a 2019 National Park Service Cultural Landscape Report that suggested work was needed at the district's public golf courses.
The historic park, especially the golf course, caught the eye of Trump, who wants to turn it into a world-class golf venue. It’s part of his grand vision for Washington, D.C., where he has multiple projects underway, including a $400 million White House ballroom and the soon-to-begin construction of his triumphal arch. He began talking about the city's public courses in late 2025.
“When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events,” Trump posted on social media in June.
The course has been the subject of multiple emergency hearings, including one in May in which Reyes was out of the country, because of concerns from the plaintiffs that the administration would move ahead with work despite the pending lawsuit. In each instance Reyes declined issuing temporary stop orders out of trust for the government's attorney in the case.
“Every single time I have given the government the benefit of the doubt and every single time I made absolutely clear that I want notice,” Reyes said at Monday's hearing. “What has happened has cost the government all credibility with me.”
A golfer walks past the stump of a large tree at the East Potomac Golf Links, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Golfers hit from the fairway near log sections cut from trees at the East Potomac Golf Links, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A golfer walks near log sections cut from trees at the East Potomac Golf Links, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Golfers hit from the fairway near log sections cut from trees at the East Potomac Golf Links, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The trunks of large trees are wrapped in caution tape at the East Potomac Golf Links, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
