One of Colombia’s most prominent leftist leaders loses US visa
One of Colombia’s most prominent leftist leaders loses US visa
written by Jack Norman April 12, 2016
The United States has denied a visa renewal application from prominent Colombian politician Piedad Cordoba, she said Tuesday.
The former senator told Caracol Radio she tried to renew her US visa in order to attend meetings in Washington DC of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a branch of the Organization of American States.
Cordoba, 61, has long been a defender of minority rights and a major supporter of peace negotiations between the government and leftist FARC guerrillas.
In 2010, Colombia’s Inspector General removed her from the senate and banned her from public office for 18 years over accusations she had ties to the FARC, a designated guerrilla group. These accusations were never proven in court.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/one-colombias-prominent-leftist-leaders-loses-us-visa/
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Piedad Cordoba, visiting with Nancy Pelosi and James McGovern during the Bush occupation. [/center]
LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141412622
= new reply since forum marked as read
to the US repeatedly!
From the article:
US visa policy has come under criticism recently from both the political right and left. From the right, critics say there is not enough scrutiny of visa applicants to ensure no terrorists are given entry. From the left, critics say that activists are sometimes denied visas because of false allegations of ties to terrorist groups.
In 2010, the US denied a visa to Colombian journalist Hollman Morris, who needed it in order to accept a year-long Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University. Morris was also a strong critic of a US-backed military offensive targeting guerrillas.
US officials said at the time his visa was denied because of his alleged involvement with terrorist groups, but later revoked the decision to deny the visa.
Hollman Morris was in so much danger in Colombia, as well as his brother, getting frequent death threats from the right-wing paramilitary death squads (proven to be allied with the Colombian military and many, MANY Colombian politicians up to the President's administration and family) that he had to use armored cars, and have his children taken to school by body guards, of which he required multiple guards, himself.
Yet, the US chose to bar his first attempts to come here even when he had been invited.
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Free Speech Groups Ask Secretary Clinton To Review Exclusion Of Colombian Journalist
July 13, 2010
(Updated 7/13/2010)
U.S. Should Not Ban People On Ideological Grounds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union, American Association of University Professors and PEN American Center today sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing alarm over reports that prominent Colombian journalist Hollman Morris was denied a visa to travel to the United States. Morris was one of 12 international journalists selected to participate in the Nieman fellowship program at Harvard University during the 2010-11 academic year. However, when he applied for a visa in order to attend the program, he was informed by the U.S. embassy in Bogota that he had been found permanently ineligible for a visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
According to today's letter, the exclusion of Morris limits the ability of his "colleagues and hosts to exercise fully their First Amendment rights," and is out of step with "this administration's stated commitment to fostering a free exchange of information and ideas between the U.S. and the world."
Earlier this year, Clinton signed orders effectively lifting the exclusion from the United States of prominent scholars Adam Habib and Tariq Ramadan.
The full text of the letter is below and online at: www.aclu.org/national-security/letter-secretary-state-clinton-regarding-ideological-exclusion-colombian-journalis
More:
https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech-groups-ask-secretary-clinton-review-exclusion-colombian-journalist
