NGO: Treason charge only implicates Uribe

A Colombian NGO announced that the treason complaint they filed against Alvaro Uribe only implicates the former president himself.

The Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective said their complaint is not made against any “organization, state or foreigner,” just Uribe himself. The NGO filed the complaint with Colombian Congress, claiming that a military agreement signed with the United States in 2009 is an act of treason and “compromises sovereignty.”

More than 500 Colombians signed the formal complaint.

The controversial pact, which granted the U.S. access to at least seven Colombian military bases and civilian airports, was signed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Uribe in August 2009, but was never approved by the country’s Congress. According to Uribe, the pact was a continuation of existing policy and did not need congressional approval.

The Constitutional Court ruled on August 17 that the military pact was unconstitutional until ratified by Congress.

“We hope that progress is made in the respective criminal investigations, while we also insist that President Juan Manuel Santos review and reconsider the relationship and the opportunity to negotiate new agreements with the United States,” a statement from the NGO said.

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