Colombian President Gustavo Petro wearing the presidential band during his inauguration speech. Bogota, August 7, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Luisa Gonzalez.
Just hours after a leaked list—comprising 100 Ecuadorians who are de facto barred from leaving the country, including members of the leftist Citizen Revolution movement, critics of the Noboa government, and even journalists—became public, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, announced that his government “will grant asylum to anyone who arrives on Colombian soil.”
On Wednesday, after acknowledging the existence of the blacklist of opposition leaders in Ecuador who are being persecuted, the head of state condemned the detention of electoral observes.
Hay una lista negra de opositores en Ecuador que están siendo perseguidos. El gobierno de Colombia le dará asilo a todo el que llegue a territorio colombiano.
Han sido detenidos observadores electorales colombianos https://t.co/CLByGRxszH
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 16, 2025
Prior to this decision, the Colombian president refused to recognize the results of Ecuador’s National Electoral Council. “The Army directed the electoral process, the polling stations, and the vote count. There are no free elections under a state of siege,” Petro stated, while explaining that Colombia has electoral observers monitoring the process.
On Wednesday morning, former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa noted the existence of a migration alert against at least 100 members or supporters of the opposition Citizen Revolution (RC) movement, part of the political persecution ordered by Daniel Noboa’s government.
As a result, the running mate of RC’s presidential candidate, Diego Borja, reported being arbitrarily detained the previous day alongside his family as they attempted to travel to Colombia for the Holy Week holidays.
Similarly, VerĂłnica Sarauz, widow of assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was subjected to political persecution while trying to enter the country.
Mexico’s Sheinbaum Delays Recognition of Ecuador’s Electoral Results (+Chile’s Boric)
From Ecuador and around the world, numerous public figures, political leaders, and organizations have refused to accept the results of the presidential runoff—a process marred by multiple irregularities, including the state of exception, unsigned tally sheets, and political persecution.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
