Colombian President Criticizes U.S. After Losing Visa

GATEOFWISE .COM

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has condemned the United States’ decision to revoke his visa, a move reportedly linked to his criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Last week, Washington announced it would strip Petro of his visa following his participation in a pro Palestinian demonstration in New York, where he also called on U.S. soldiers to defy President Donald Trump’s orders.

Shortly afterward, Petro posted on X: “I no longer have a U.S. visa. I don’t care. I don’t need one, because I am not only a citizen of Colombia but also a citizen of Europe, and I believe I deserve freedom in the world.”

He added: “Revoking my visa because I denounced genocide shows that the United States no longer respects international law.”

Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that using visas as a political tool runs contrary to United Nations principles, which protect freedom of speech and the sovereignty of member states.

“The UN should consider hosting its meetings in a neutral country, where the organization itself grants entry permits,” the ministry said.

Petro is not the first Colombian president to lose his U.S. visa. In 1996, President Ernesto Samper was also stripped of his visa after being accused of receiving campaign funding from Cali Cartel drug traffickers.

Relations between Bogotá and Washington have further deteriorated since Trump’s return to power. In July, both countries recalled their ambassadors after Petro accused the U.S. of plotting to overthrow him an allegation Washington dismissed as false.