The Government of Colombia issued a diplomatic note to the United States for statements made by the State Department of that country when presenting a report on the human rights situation in Colombian territory.
The report the Foreign Ministry is talking about was presented by a State Department spokesperson this Tuesday (April 23). In the report, this office said that the information published about the irregular entry of funds into the campaign to elect Gustavo Petro to the presidency in 2022 is “reliable”.
The State Department reported that “The Government of Colombia has issued a diplomatic note of protest to the United States Government over statements by State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel regarding the 2023 Report on Human Rights Practices and its section on Colombia.” ,
The report presented by the US State Department did not sit well with the San Carlos Palace, which said in the statement that “Colombia rejects the expressions and assessments of Mr. Vedanta Patel, which are far from the actual content presented in the report.”
This office of the White House annually publishes a report on the human rights situation of the United States’ allies and in the document known this week, corresponding to the analysis for 2023, Nicolas Petro (son of President Gustavo) was mentioned. In the chapter on the fight against corruption.
Well, the office headed by Foreign Minister Murillo reported that “his statements ignore and disrespect the attachment of Colombian institutions to the principle of due process and their commitment to the fight against corruption and impunity.”
The State Department report was published on Monday (April 22) and statements from a spokesperson for that office came during a press conference this Tuesday (April 23).
When Vedanta Patel was asked about the issue, he responded that “What I can say about the entries in the human rights report is that we found them ‘credible’ and that is why we have included them.”
The State Department report in question contains a section titled “Corruption in Government” which indicates that “the Office of the Attorney General initiated an investigation into President Petro’s son and brother for allegedly accepting irregular payments, the sum of which Some allegedly financed Petro’s 2022 campaign. Administrative corruption in ports facilitated the transit of illegal drugs. Journalists reporting on corruption regularly face threats.”
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel mentioned the situation in Ecuador in a press conference. , Photo: 2023 Anadolu Agency
Given this reference to Nicolás Petro and Juan Fernando Petro in the report on human rights presented by the White House, the portfolio in charge of diplomatic relations of the Colombian State stressed that: “We must point out the importance of the principle of reciprocity that governs Relations between the two countries, including respect for the autonomy in the actions and functions of the government institutions of each state.
The report on human rights in Colombia presented by the United States Department of State not only addresses the component of state corruption, as its pages detail the cases committed by the ELN, dissidents of the extinct FARC guerrilla and in general give an overview Is. Information about the situation of public order in the country has been given.