Colombian President accuses US of violating international law after visa revoked
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday dismissed the U.S. decision to revoke his visa and accused Washington of violating international law over his criticism of “Israel’s” genocide in Gaza.
The U.S. said it would revoke Petro’s visa after he took to New York’s streets on Friday to join a pro-Palestinian demonstration and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey President Donald Trump’s orders.
“I no longer have a visa to travel to the United States. I don’t care. I don’t need a visa… because I’m not only a Colombian citizen but a European citizen, and I truly consider myself a free person in the world,” Petro said on social media.
“Revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the U.S. no longer respects international law,” he added on a post on X.
“What is happening in Gaza is clearly out of discussion is a genocide,” Petro told the crowd in New York, adding that Washington’s veto at the UN Security Council had destroyed all hopes of diplomacy.
“The history showed us that once the diplomacy is over, the humanity has to come to another kind of struggle,” he said.
He also appealed to US soldiers, urging them not to follow President Donald Trump’s orders.
“From New York, I ask all the soldiers of the army of the United States not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity,” Petro said in Spanish.
