A new case of vigilante justice has Medellín at the center of the debate, after two men accused of committing theft were subjected to public punishment by the community.
The alleged criminals were forced to walk naked through several streets in the northwest of the city, with messages painted on their bodies, amid insults and recordings that quickly went viral on social networks.
The events took place in the El Picacho neighborhood, in the area surrounding a Metrocable station, where the two subjects were allegedly surprised after illegally entering a home.
According to preliminary information, the men were detained by residents of the area after, apparently, they forced the lock of a house and stole several valuable objects.
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Witnesses claim that, before the authorities arrived, a group of people decided to take control of the situation. They held them, took off their clothes and used paint to write ‘RAT’ on their bodies.
Subsequently, they were forced to walk several blocks completely naked, while other citizens recorded the scene with their cell phones.
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The Metropolitan Police of the Aburrá Valley confirmed that they were alerted about the case and went to the place, where they found the two men held by the community and the victim of the theft, who would have fully recognized them.
Those identified were captured and transferred to a police unit to protect their physical integrity and carry out the corresponding judicial process.
The episode has generated a strong division of opinion. While some citizens consider that this type of punishment works as a “shaming” against repeat crime, others warn that forcing people to parade naked constitutes a violation of human rights and due process.
The Prosecutor’s Office is analyzing whether to open investigations against the people who led the public humiliation.
Photo taken from social networks.
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