Colombia’s Senate President apologized to the country’s vice president, ex-president, the LGBT community and internet users, local media reported on Thursday.
Senate President Roy Barreras directed the public mea culpa primarily at Colombia’s vice president Angelino Garzon, Former President Alvaro Uribe, the country’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and those opposed to internet censorship.
Barreras apologized to Vice President Garzon and his family after the Senate President and others demanded that he release his medical exams to prove whether or not he was fit to hold office. Garzon suffered a stroke and was later diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Vice President’s treatment is reportedly on schedule.
“We had to make decisions at the time [because we were] presented [with the] risk of [a possible] institutional void,” Barreras explained.
Barreras expressed his misgivings about not falling in line with the charismatic yet divisive ex-president Alvaro Uribe concerning peace negotiations with the country’s largest rebel group, FARC. The Senate President explained that he could not “follow his [Uribe’s] decision that force is the only way to peace.”
Barreras apologized for the discriminatory remarks made by Colombian senators in 2012, specifically Roberto Gerlein who said gay sex is “dirty, filthy and excremental.”
“We have to make a decision on the rights of same-sex couples,” said the Senate President. Colombia’s congress is currently debating a bill that would legalize gay marriage.
Finally, the senator apologized to users of the internet. After establishing a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, transmitting TV signals over the internet became illegal, and carried what was considered to be an overly harsh sentence of four to eight years.
“When decisions are made…we know not everyone is happy, but decisions are made in good faith and that is what is best for Colombians,” Barreras eloquently concluded.