Court orders de Espriella to remove "corpse videos"; offensive backed by US military support has killed 42

A court in Bogotá, Colombia, has ordered the temporary hiding of video clips posted on the president's official Instagram account by President Álvaro de Espriella, showing footage of him walking past bodies contained in white plastic bags.

According to court documents obtained by AFP, the court accepted a petition from a Green Party lawmaker requesting the removal of the videos. The court provisionally ordered that "the relevant posts be hidden until a final ruling is made," adding that this does not imply "final deletion."

Since de Espriella took office last month, he has launched a new offensive against armed groups involved in the cocaine trade, with his policies backed by US military support. According to reports from AFP and France 24, the Colombian military has carried out three bombing strikes in the Amazon region and on the Venezuelan border, killing at least 42 people, including six minors. The identities of the dead — officially referred to as "suspected criminals" or "suspected guerrilla members" — have not been independently verified.

Citing AFP, France 24 noted that Colombia is the world's largest cocaine producer, and according to AFP's assessment, the country is facing its worst violence in a decade. de Espriella sparked widespread criticism after posting multiple graphic videos on the official presidential Instagram account earlier this month. Colombia has joined the "Shield of the Americas" anti-cartel alliance initiated by US President Trump, whose member states also include Argentina, Ecuador, and El Salvador.