Colombia’s Foreign Minister met with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) at Washington on Tuesday to discuss the dismissal of Bogota’s former mayor.
The aim of Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin’s trip to the United States capital was to “strengthen and deepen the dialogue” between Colombia and the international organization, according to an IACHR press release.
President Juan Manuel Santos disregarded a request from the IACHR to keep former Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro in office, and sanctioned the demand from the Inspector General’s Office to dismiss and ban Petro from political office for 15 years.
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Holguin’s visit represented a preemptive meeting to the IACHR’s pending response, and an opportunity to protect Colombia’s standing as a member in the organization.
“This [meeting] is for explaining in detail the position of the government in light of the recent precautionary request that the Commission made in support of the ex-mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, and we reiterate the willingness of the government to continue attending to the concerns that arise in this matter,” read the Foreign Ministry’s press release.
MORE: The end of Petro: Bogota’s Mayor to leave office