Senator Jorge Robledo announced he will be taking Colombia’s Minister of Agriculture to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for releasing what he claims are unauthorized recordings edited inaccurately with the intent of injuring his reputation.
Robledo reacted strongly to recordings released by Minister of Agriculture Ruben Lizarralde that depict the senator, a leftist opposition leader from the Polo Democratico party, talking with union organizers, apparently inciting them to create a roadblock.
“The recording was done without permission and later presented as a distorted, edited and manipulated conversation in a shameless manner,” said Senator Robledo. “It is very serious and it must be brought to justice, in that it deals with a recording of the head of the opposition in the Congress.”
Robledo said he would take the case to international court to show that the government was “wiretapping” and had manipulated the recording to turn public opinion against the opposition.
The Senator also indicated he would be sending a letter to President Juan Manuel Santos calling for the minister’s dismissal.
No statement has been released from the Ministry of Agriculture or the President’s Office responding to Robledo’s threats.
Sources