SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: December 10, 2024

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):National University of Colombia

Region & Country:Americas | Colombia

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On December 10, 2024, a group of unidentified hooded individuals clashed with police officers from the Unit for Dialogue and Maintenance of Order (UNDMO) in front of Universidad Nacional de Colombia. During the clash, several of the hooded individuals forcibly entered a building where a graduation ceremony was taking place.

Videos show hooded individuals, near the university gates, throwing Molotov cocktails at the police, and the police, clad in riot gear, responding with water cannons.

At the same time, several individuals broke away from the riots and entered an auditorium on the campus. At the time of the intrusion, the Faculty of Engineering was holding their graduation ceremony. Videos posted on social media show a group of individuals wearing black face coverings. There were reports that there was a scuffle between the masked individuals and security guards as they tried to enter the auditorium.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent and destructive attacks on campus. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression, and university authorities must take reasonable measures to ensure safe conditions for living, learning, and expression for students. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://caracol.com.co/2024/12/10/en-vivo-disturbios-en-universidad-nacional-afectan-el-trafico-y-rutas-de-transmilenio/
https://www.elheraldo.co/colombia/2024/12/11/encapuchados-intentaron-ingresar-a-la-fuerza-auditorio-de-la-universidad-nacional/
https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2024/12/11/video-asi-sacaron-a-encapuchados-que-intentaron-ingresar-a-la-fuerza-a-ceremonia-de-grado-en-la-universidad-nacional/
https://citytv.eltiempo.com/noticias/orden-publico/encapuchados-intentaron-tomarse-auditorio-de-la-universidad-nacional_75901