Objective/context:

This article studies the use made by the Executive of the state of siege between 1958 and 1990 to silence the opposition and contain social protest, seeking to highlight how the laws that today criminalize protest in Colombia reproduce the authoritarian traits built during this period.

Methodology:

A qualitative method was developed based on a compilation of legislative decrees issued between 1958 and 1990. This analysis includes a review of the statement of the decrees that established the state of siege, the measures adopted by the Executive to avoid disturbances of public order, and the political context in which these decrees were issued.

Conclusions:

This study reveals that more worrying than the repression of a specific government, the excesses we observe today by the government and the public forces in the management of social protest are part of political practices that have been rehearsed and reinforced for decades in times of crisis.

Originality:

Although there are numerous investigations on states of siege, this work contributes to understanding how an authoritarian past has been built and continues to be present in the memory of our institutions and determines how our rulers face dissent.