Colombian president must hide graphic social media videos, says court

Bogota, Colombia - A Colombian judge has mandated President Abelardo de la Espriella to remove social media videos that allegedly depict him among the bodies of suspected criminals, according to a court document. De la Espriella, who assumed office recently, has been vocal in his war against Colombia's drug trafficking guerrilla groups, receiving US military support.

Since taking office, Colombian military forces have conducted three bombing raids, resulting in at least 42 deaths, including six minors, in the Amazon region and on the Venezuelan border. The Colombian president faced backlash after posting several gruesome videos on the presidency's official Instagram account, showing him walking among bodies in white plastic bags.

A Green Party lawmaker in Bogota filed a petition for the removal of these videos from social media. The court provisionally ordered the concealment of these posts while awaiting a final decision, clarifying that it did not equate to a definitive deletion. Colombia is the world's leading cocaine producer and is currently experiencing its most violent decade in history.

The nation has joined the Shield of the Americas, an anti-cartel alliance led by US President Donald Trump, comprising Latin American countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, and El Salvador.