Source: Reference News
Colombian President Petro said on September 29 that U.S. President Trump should go to jail if he continues to support Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.
Petro said at a cabinet meeting broadcast live to the country:"If Trump continues to act as an accomplice to genocide, as he has done so far, he only deserves jail time.His army shouldn’t obey him.”The picture shows several Palestinian flags on the tables of the cabinet meeting.
The U.S. State Department revoked Petro’s visa on Monday, saying that “the United States does not actually recognize international law” because Netanyahu was not arrested by the United States when he went to New York to deliver a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
“A person of any nationality can be arrested as long as they are tried in these courts, as long as they go through any country, so Netanyahu can be arrested in the United States.”
Petro added that this was not the case with this Israeli prime minister, “they violated international law treaties, and Trump was a contributor to them.”
Petro also reiterated in his speech his position that, given what has happened in recent days, “the United Nations has no reason to stay in New York” and said the U.S. government revoked his visa was “stupid.”
“They violate international law and have no right to revoke any visa for any speaker who will speak to the United Nations or discuss issues on the United Nations.This is international law...If Trump forgets this, or no one tells him or he has not read it, then someone should read it to him,” Petro said.
Finally, Petro said that “the United Nations cannot surrender to a government involved in genocide, so let’s act and see if we are isolated.”
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Several Colombian officials reject US visas
According to AFP, on September 29, diplomatic tensions between Colombia and the United States escalated further on September 29. Following the U.S. government's revocation of U.S. visa for President Petro, Godo ministers and officials, including Colombian Foreign Secretary Rosa Bielia Vicencio, announced their initiative to abandon U.S. visas.
Bielia Wiesencio acknowledged on Monday that Colombia’s relationship with the United States was “tensile” and announced she would give up U.S. visas in solidarity with the president.
“If they cancelled your visa because you’re a pacifist, many of us would say that we’re also a pacifist, and we’d give up that document,” BilliaVicenzo said at a news conference.
After Villavicencio made this decision, Finance Minister Herman Avila Plazas also announced on the X platform on the 29th that he would stop using the US visa to support the head of state, "We don't need this visa to work for our people".
Several hours later, the Colombian Industrial and Commercial Supervisory Authority official, Sherlock Holmes, also announced the waiver of U.S. visas. She posted a long statement on the X-Platform accusing the U.S. government of “attempting to dominate the world through violence” and “attempting to censor those who publicly condemn the outrageous acts of genocide that are taking place in Gaza.”
“From respect and solidarity to the President of the Republic, I announce today that I have given up my U.S. visa,” he said.
In addition, Mining and Energy Secretary Edwin Palma revealed that the U.S. government has also revoked his diplomatic and tourist visas, while writing on Platform X: “Gaza deserves a visa.”
On the 27th, Augusto Ocampo, the legal secretary of the Presidential Palace of Colombia, became the first person in Petro's circle to voluntarily give up the American visa.