Rome Petitions European Union To Suspend Colombia Ties Over Duque Administration’s Human Rights Abuses; US Congress Begins Hearings

Yesterday the Roman Assembly approved a motion condemning the ongoing police brutality in Colombia, not only of protesters and rioters, but of working journalists and innocent bystanders. The motion petitions the European Union & Italian government to suspend diplomatic and trade agreements between EU member nations and Colombia.

The resolution condemns Colombian President Ivan Duque by name, saying “The behavior of Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez should be considered a grave signal in repressing the people instead of committing himself to building a dialogue with the protesters. Even more so in a country that has painfully emerged from a long armed conflict.”

Filed by assembly member Maria Agnese Catini (above), The motion goes on to demand resolution of an investigation over the death a year ago of Italian citizen Mario Paciolla, a UN human rights observer in Colombia.

Meanwhile, the US Congress held hearings yesterday to determine what actions the legislative body should take in response to the deteriorating situation in Colombia, while the House of Representatives’ subcommittee on appropriations for foreign operations conditioned its $461 million Colombia aid package on investigation and prosecution of human rights violations perpetrated by the police. In the past this requirement that the US State Department certify compliance already applied to the Colombian Army after the “False Positives” scandal during the administration of Alvaro Uribe. Now the same supervision would extend to Colombia’s police force.

Motion Passed By Roman Assembly: