Do not interfere in the internal decisions of the country and unrestricted support for the independence of the judicial branch. That, among other things, was requested this Thursday by a party delegation. Democratic Center that traveled to Washington to meet with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, IACHR officials and members of the US Congress.
(Also read: Maduro's ultimatum to the UN Human Rights office in Venezuela: 72 hours to leave the country)
The delegation took advantage of the visit to present to these bodies an 81-page report in which they maintain that The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, is putting the autonomy of the institutions at risk, It stigmatizes the opposition and violates freedom of expression with attacks on journalists and media that have questioned it.
Democracy is at absolute risk and that is why we have asked the secretary for unrestricted support
Likewise, they sent the State Department another document in which they summarized this same perspective. The delegation, which will remain in Washington until Friday, It is made up of senators Miguel Uribe, María Fernanda Cabal and Paloma Valencia, as well as representatives Hernán Cadavid and José Jaime Uscátegui.
(You can read: The report that the Democratic Center will deliver to the OAS on the situation in Colombia)
“We thanked the secretary general for allowing us to bring up a series of concerns regarding the attacks on the president's institutions. Democracy is at absolute risk and that is why we have asked the secretary for unrestricted support for justice, support for the independence of powers, to help us protect journalists and against the stigmatization of the opposition. We, but Colombian society in general, needs the support of the international community at this critical moment,” said Senator Uribe after concluding the meeting with Almagro, which lasted almost an hour and a half.
The appointment with Almagro – and the trip of the congressmen – was precipitated after the general secretary of The OAS issued a statement last week in which it spoke of a possible interruption of the president's mandate and asks to accelerate the election of the new attorney general. That was followed by two more statements, one from the IACHR and another from the UN Human Rights Office, in which they asked the Supreme Court of Justice to elect a prosecutor “as soon as possible,” but without interference.
This in the midst of an atmosphere strained by the blockade of the Court's headquarters in Bogotá, just when it had met to consider the three candidates nominated by Petro.
According to Cabal, the meeting with the secretary was important because it allowed them to present another perspective of reality. “We emphasized that never in the history of Colombia had we experienced such direct aggression against the high courts. Democracy in Colombia seems strong, but it is fragile. The president is calling for anarchy. He victimizes himself by saying that they want to overthrow him when he does not want to submit to the terms that have governed all the others (presidents)“said the senator from the Democratic Center.
(You may be interested: The IACHR asks the Supreme Court to accelerate the election of the prosecutor, but without pressure)
Although he was careful not to question Almagro's motivations, Yes, he launched his attack against the IACHR and the UN office in Bogotá, which he called “biased organizations with a left-wing ideological agenda.
Valencia, for its part, questioned the actions of these two bodies for intervening in an internal issue in Colombia (the election of the Prosecutor). “Barbosa stopped working this Monday. Not a week has passed and the average to elect a new prosecutor is four months. One does not understand then the pronouncement of these international organizations, especially when there is a subsidiary system, and that they act only when justice does not operate, which has not happened,” stated the senator.
Cadavid, for his part, He asked not to intervene in an uninformed manner and to preserve the stability of justice in the country.
Uscátegui also asked the secretary to comment on the delicate situation of public order in the country and the non-compliance with the ceasefire that the government agreed upon with some armed groups.
The delegation announced in passing that it will return to Washington in 15 days for a meeting with the IACHR commissioners. who will already be in the city for the day of public hearings that they hold every six months.
(Also read: Luis Almagro asks for 'rationality' in Colombia after meeting with former governor of Meta)
The delegation also had a busy agenda in the US legislature, where they met with Democratic congressmen Henry Cuellar and Debbie Waserman and Republican Carlos Giménez. Likewise, they had planned a meeting with legislator María Elvira Salazar and another with the National Democratic Institute, which brings together many figures of this political party in the United States.
According to Valencia, although the interest is to preserve the bipartisan relationship that exists with the United States and maintain relations with a strategic ally, it was essential to inform these congressmen about “the undue pressure from Petro to elect a prosecutor and ask them to support the Colombian judicial branch.”
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
TIME CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
On X (formerly Twitter): @sergom68
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