Former Senator Piedad Cordoba denounced the “persecution” she suffers in Colombia to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), El Espectador reported Saturday.
Cordoba said in a statement “In Colombia there is really no respect for the system. I am very affected because persecution in Colombia is very strong.” The former senator spoke after presenting her case to the IACHR in a closed working session.
The hostage mediator went on “The regime has been the same for many, many years and although they do not kill they disgrace you morally, as happened in my case.” Cordoba tweeted about speaking to the commission on her Twitter page.
During the hearing, her lawyer said that despite the protective measure awarded to her by the same body in 2003, Cordoba has suffered “harassment” from authorities and opponents.
Her lawyer Rafael Barrios spoke of the illegal phone taps carried out by DAS against politicians including Cordoba, members of the opposition and journalists. Barrios said that Cordoba is a victim who was kidnapped in 1999 and “justice has still not been done”. She has recently been robbed; “personal items and documents relating to her work as a senator” have been stolen from her apartment.
She also suffers “harassment” when she is travelling abroad. Barrios said that she is insulted on airplanes and she has been spat at in an airport.
Furthermore he said that the decision of the Inspector General’s Office to dismiss her from her post and bar her from holding public office for 18 years is illegal because the decision should have been made by the Supreme Court.
The senator will continue her public speaking tour in Washington, D.C. and participate in a conference on the prospect of peace in Colombia organized by the Washington Office on Latin America.
