Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba sought to rally French support for a “humanitarian exchange” of FARC hostages for incarcerated guerrillas, at a conference in Paris Wednesday.
“In Europe, the war in Colombia is viewed very objectively … European countries need to view the conflict in another light so that international humanitarian law can be applied. This would allow enable those who most need it to be protected, not the combatants,” Cordoba said.
The “Colombians for Peace” leader said that there is an “urgent humanitarian situation” in Colombia, and that European nations need to support “alternatives” inside the Andean nation because of “the policy of militarization of the society and persecution of human rights defenders.”
During her time in Paris, Cordoba responded to charges of “FARC-politics” against her by Colombia’s Inspector General. The senator told BBC Mundo that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his agents were trying to link her to the FARC as part of a political strategy that seeks to discredit her and ruin her political career.
Cordoba said she will “confront the issue” when she returns to Colombia.
Charges against her are based on evidence allegedly found in files belonging to dead FARC leader “Raul Reyes,” which the Inspector General’s Office claims suggests that the Cordoba collaborated with the FARC outside of the parameters of her role as a hostage release negotiator.
Cordoba is on a tour of Europe to rally international support for a humanitarian exchange. She visited Spain and Switzerland before France and will travel to Brussels, Belgium on Thursday to continue campaigning for her cause. Friday she will return to Paris for a press conference and then finally travel to Madrid, Spain before heading back to Colombia.