Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba claims the government can’t prohibit her to seek a political solution to Colombia’s violent conflict between the State and leftist guerrillas.
On Friday, President Juan Manuel Santos said the government would not allow any mediation efforts without authoritization by Bogota.
However, Cordoba says her efforts to establish a dialogue are supported by article 22 of Colombia’s constitution, which states that “peace is a right and a duty whose compliance is mandatory.”
Cordoba, who is visiting former Cuban president Fidel Castro, said on Twitter “there is no authority to convince us not to abandon the war. Our hope is peace and I will continue without rest.”
The Liberal Party senator is chairman of Colombians for Peace, an organization of prominent dissidents who want the government and the FARC to find a political solution for the country’s 45-year long violent conflict.