The title of this text is neither emotional nor an try to influence the now undoubtedly efficient authorities of america—particularly its judicial our bodies—to point out solidarity with Colombia. A lot much less is it an irresponsible suggestion for them to interact in conduct that could possibly be thought of interventionist. In no way.
This opinion column’s title is a forceful and unavoidable name for the northern energy’s authorities to meet their constitutional duties and obligations by arresting a extremely harmful felony in opposition to humanity who has already been criminally denounced earlier than them for the nonetheless unpunished kidnappings of three U.S. residents and the additionally unpunished homicide of considered one of them.
It’s now simple that this particular person, Petro Urrego, has positioned himself as some of the outstanding and visual leaders of the continental felony left-wing initiatives referred to as Twenty first Century Socialism and the Puebla Group. It’s neither unintentional nor coincidental that Petro Urrego—apart from being the principle ally, companion, and defender of the Cuban overlord ruling his Venezuelan colony, the additionally illegitimate Nicolás Maduro—was lately appointed interim president of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Let’s assessment his background. In 1985, Mr. Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego was sentenced by a felony court docket decide to 18 months in jail for being a member of an delinquent armed group linked to drug trafficking and answerable for terrorist acts throughout Colombia.
On the time of his seize, this harmful particular person was in possession of a military-grade weapons cache. After serving 15 of the 18 months of his sentence, he was launched on account of lowered sentencing for training and labor. In different phrases, Mr. Petro Urrego has a felony report for terrorism.
In 1989, one other submissive Colombian authorities signed a “peace settlement” with the defeated narco-paramilitary leftist gang M-19, a terrorist group through which Petro Urrego was an lively member and chief. By way of Legislation 77 of December 22, 1989, and Decree 206 of January 22, 1990, a process was established—blatantly in violation of Worldwide Humanitarian Legislation (IHL)—to grant authorized pardons individually and by written request to the defeated narco-paramilitaries of M-19.
In March 2018, I found that Petro Urrego was by no means pardoned as a result of he by no means requested the authorized profit, and subsequently the authorized penalties of his simple and irremediable felony report for terrorism ought to by no means have been suspended.
In keeping with Articles 122, 179, and 197 of Colombia’s still-valid Structure, as a result of this despicable particular person has a felony report for terrorism, he has been—and shall be for the remainder of his life—disqualified from holding public workplace, getting into into contracts with the state, or operating for elected workplace. I additionally found that, fraudulently and illegally, in March 1990, three arrest warrants issued in opposition to this man for his involvement in heinous crimes have been canceled.
With Petro Urrego’s authorized standing totally licensed by the Ministry of Justice and Legislation of Colombia as a non-pardoned demobilized member of M-19 (see connected certification picture), in 2018 I exhausted authorized avenues in Colombia earlier than two excessive courts (Council of State and Supreme Courtroom) to demand that the legislation and justice be utilized to this man and to stop him from even operating for the presidency of Colombia, as he was completely disqualified.
Along with denouncing his everlasting disqualification from operating for elected workplace, I persistently emphasised his compromised felony standing as a nonetheless unpunished struggle felony, a nonetheless unpunished genocidaire, a nonetheless unpunished felony in opposition to humanity, and a nonetheless unpunished perpetrator of significant violations of Worldwide Humanitarian Legislation (IHL).
From Might by means of October 2018, I filed 5 (5) ELECTORAL NULLITY ACTIONS with the Council of State, considered one of Colombia’s 4 excessive courts. All of those well-founded and legally sound filings have been denied in report time and thru rulings missing authorized substance.
Despite the fact that the political bias of those excessive courts was apparent and I had already begun investigating methods to enchantment to worldwide justice underneath the precept of UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION, I nonetheless pursued the subsequent obtainable authorized treatment in Colombia’s justice system in opposition to this felony: submitting an INVESTITURE LOSS CLAIM earlier than Colombia’s Supreme Courtroom of Justice.
Unsurprisingly, and once more in report time, the Supreme Courtroom rejected this movement in a ruling that appeared to have been written by Petro Urrego’s protection crew.
Having reached the conclusion that no well-founded authorized treatment would ever succeed in opposition to this particular person or his felony comrades in Colombia, I devoted the next years—till January 2022—to finding out, researching, studying, and drafting an INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COMPLAINT (ICC) in opposition to Petro Urrego, as a result of his standing as a nonetheless unpunished struggle felony, genocidaire, felony in opposition to humanity, and perpetrator of significant violations of Worldwide Humanitarian Legislation (IHL).
To draft and file the stated INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COMPLAINT (ICC) in america of America, I invoked UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION—an idea established by worldwide felony legislation to convey justice to victims whose international locations’ judicial programs are both nonfunctional or complicit.
To make sure this mechanism labored and that the justice officers on this nation couldn’t refuse such a novel and sophisticated authorized motion, I made a decision to incorporate U.S. residents who had been victims of Petro Urrego and his left-wing Colombian narco-terrorist gang, M-19.
After 4 years of labor, the outcome was an 800-page guide submitted to judicial authorities in a number of international locations, denouncing simply forty of the nonetheless unpunished atrocities dedicated by Petro Urrego and his comrades within the defeated left-wing Colombian narco-paramilitary gang M-19. I say “simply forty (40)” as a result of the Nationwide Middle for Historic Reminiscence of Colombia has recorded greater than 5,900 (FIVE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED) atrocities dedicated by Petro Urrego—none of them punished to at the present time.
How does one attain such a level of indifference and contempt for Human Rights (HR)? Underneath the supposed banner of peace, and with the pathological intent of legitimizing and granting impunity to their felony comrades, leftist Colombian political operatives and bureaucrats have created and unfold 4 myths that contradict Worldwide Humanitarian Legislation (IHL).
As a result of area constraints, I gained’t cite excerpts, solely title the myths and record the IHL instruments that disprove them so readers can confirm on their very own.
First Fantasy: Nothing in worldwide legislation grants any particular person the proper to violate the Human Rights of others, not to mention underneath the guise of a “social wrestle,” “revolution,” “civil disobedience,” “riot,” “rebel,” or “social rebellion.” Some IHL devices that affirm this embrace:
- Article 30 of the Common Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
- Article 5 of the Worldwide Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
- Article 3 of Protocol II Further to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 on the Safety of Victims of Non-Worldwide Armed Conflicts (1977)
Second Fantasy: It’s completely false that any of the atrocities dedicated by these notorious criminals may be labeled as political crimes or offenses and thus be eligible for amnesty, pardon, or forgiveness. IHL clearly defines which felony behaviors can by no means be amnestied, pardoned, or forgiven.
These acts are labeled as Conflict Crimes, Crimes In opposition to Humanity, and Severe Violations of Worldwide Humanitarian Legislation (IHL). These offenses are explicitly listed and described within the following devices:
- Part (b) of the Statute of the Worldwide Navy Tribunal at Nuremberg (1945) – Conflict Crimes
- Part (c) of the Statute of the Worldwide Navy Tribunal at Nuremberg (1945) – Crimes In opposition to Humanity
- Article 50 of the Geneva Conference I for the Amelioration of the Situation of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces within the Area (1949) – Severe Violations
Third Fantasy: There are not any privileges, immunities, blessings, safe-conducts, or any doc in any way that may forestall the investigation, arrest, extradition, trial, sentencing, and punishment of struggle criminals, genocidaires, criminals in opposition to humanity, or perpetrators of significant violations of IHL. That is established in Article IV of the United Nations Conference on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).
Fourth Fantasy: Particular person accountability for any and all crimes dedicated inside a felony group applies to every particular person just by advantage of their membership in that felony group. That’s, it’s pointless to show that an individual held or fired a weapon—she or he is answerable for all the things dedicated by any member of that felony gang.
This was established within the STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL OF NUREMBERG (1945) and in Article II of the CONVENTION ON THE NON-APPLICABILITY OF STATUTORY LIMITATIONS TO WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY (1968).
With the definitions of those atrocities clearly established, and reminding the reader that underneath Worldwide Humanitarian Legislation (IHL) the opportunity of prosecuting, attempting, and punishing these answerable for these crimes has no statute of limitations, I’ll now share what I’ve completed earlier than the justice system of america of America, extra particularly by submitting my INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COMPLAINT (ICC) with the U.S. Division of Justice, Civil Rights Division – Prison Part.
On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, invoking UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION and performing as complainant, though I used to be in Washington, D.C., because of the COVID-19 protocols then in place at federal buildings, I had to make use of UPS’s licensed city supply providers to file with the US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION – CRIMINAL SECTION, my INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COMPLAINT (ICC) in Spanish in opposition to Mr. Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego. I’ve affirmation that the doc was delivered.
Subsequently, on Wednesday, Might 4, 2022, as soon as once more in Washington and once more unable to file it in particular person as a result of COVID-19 protocols, I despatched the identical INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COMPLAINT (ICC) in opposition to Petro Urrego to the U.S. Division of Justice, Civil Rights Division – Prison Part, by licensed city mail utilizing FedEx providers. This time I despatched the translated English model. I’ve affirmation that this doc was additionally delivered.
The names and particulars of the nonetheless unpunished Crimes In opposition to Humanity of kidnapping and homicide dedicated in opposition to three American victims that I included within the aforementioned INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COMPLAINT (ICC) are as follows:
On August 4, 1975, American citizen Donald Cooper, who served as Common Supervisor of Sears Roebuck in Colombia, was kidnapped. Mr. Cooper, a defenseless, harmless, and unarmed member of the international civilian inhabitants who took no half in hostilities, was held hostage for extortion functions by the accused Petro Urrego and his comrades from the defeated narco-paramilitary Colombian leftist gang M-19 for eighty-seven days. The accused Petro Urrego and his M-19 comrades collected a ransom of greater than $1 million to launch Mr. Cooper alive. That cash was utilized by these M-19 narcoterrorists to fund the political celebration ANAPO (Nationwide Fashionable Alliance), in addition to to buy weapons and strengthen their felony infrastructure.
Whereas he was held hostage, Mr. Cooper was subjected to all types of indignities, atrocities, abuse, humiliation, and mistreatment. Together with this torture, Mr. Cooper was intentionally stored within the deplorable hygienic and sanitary situations that the accused Petro Urrego and his narco-paramilitary M-19 comrades deliberately imposed on their victims within the macabre «individuals’s prisons» they designed particularly to carry their hostages.
At daybreak on January 19, 1981, Mr. Chester Allen Bitterman, an American Christian missionary linguist, was kidnapped and in the end murdered after being held hostage for 48 agonizing days.
After violently storming the Summer season Institute of Linguistics headquarters in Bogotá, D.C., a gaggle of seven M-19 narco-paramilitaries, desiring to kidnap the native director Álvaro Wheeler, in the end kidnapped trainee translator Chester Allen Bitterman, a defenseless, harmless, and unarmed member of the international civilian inhabitants who took no half in hostilities and who, sadly, occurred to be current on the time.
As Petro Urrego and his M-19 comrades publicly said, the felony, deranged, and extortionate goal of attacking the Summer season Institute of Linguistics was to take a defenseless, harmless, and unarmed member of the international civilian inhabitants hostage to ship a message to the world and to the newly sworn-in President of america, Mr. Ronald Reagan: The Summer season Institute of Linguistics, a pastoral NGO that taught languages and evangelized indigenous communities in varied nations all over the world, needed to go away Colombia inside thirty days, or else the American citizen can be killed.
Since neither the U.S. authorities nor the Colombian authorities acceded to the calls for of the accused Petro Urrego and his defeated M-19 comrades, after forty-eight days of captivity in extraordinarily degrading and precarious situations, Mr. Bitterman was murdered. His lifeless physique was discovered wrapped in an M-19 flag on a public transport bus.
Diego Ascencio, the accredited Ambassador of america of America to Colombia, was kidnapped together with fifty-six (56) different individuals (25 of whom have been international diplomatic personnel). His captivity lasted sixty-one (61) days, starting on Wednesday, February 27, 1980, at 12:15 p.m. and ending on April 25, 1980.
The mass and extortionate kidnapping for media functions of this internationally protected particular person, in addition to the takeover of an internationally protected constructing—particularly, the Dominican Republic Embassy in Bogotá, D.C., capital of Colombia—lasted 60 days. The accused Petro Urrego and his defeated M-19 comrades demanded, in alternate for releasing all their hostages alive (together with minors), not solely $50 million but additionally the discharge of 300 of their narco-terrorist comrades imprisoned in Colombian jails.
It is very important word that U.S. authorities, in accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 1201, are obligated to research the kidnapping of three of their residents and the homicide of considered one of them, as these are federal crimes. Part 1201 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code clearly states that «whoever unlawfully seizes, confines, inveigles, decoys, kidnaps, abducts, or carries away and holds for ransom or reward (…) any particular person shall be responsible of kidnapping and shall be punished by imprisonment for any time period of years or for all times and, if the dying of any particular person outcomes, shall be punished by dying or life imprisonment.»
Moreover, and as established by the U.S. Division of Justice, hostage-taking (kidnapping) turns into a criminal offense underneath federal jurisdiction when, amongst different situations, the hostage is a U.S. agent or citizen overseas or an internationally protected particular person (diplomat).
So then, can we agree {that a} sovereign, revered, highly effective nation with sturdy establishments like america of America can’t settle for {that a} kidnapper and assassin—who represents the worst form of unpunished criminals in current human historical past—continues to stroll free? Or will we not agree on this primary precept of legality and humanity?
For the previous three many years, the Cuban-origin globalist plague referred to as “Twenty first-century socialism” has applied a macabrely efficient playbook throughout a number of nations, ensuing within the financial, social, political, and ethical collapse of many international locations within the Americas—and now its goal is Colombia. These notorious and insatiable communists have additionally written the script to be adopted by the supposed “opposition leaders” within the affected nations—unscrupulous politicians who’ve been and proceed to be accomplices within the success of this induced calamity.
Happily for the residents and traders of Colombia, South America, and presumably the world, what these notorious criminals didn’t anticipate when implementing their sinister playbook in Colombia was that their prized pawn—Petro Urrego, the fratricidal determine—had a deeply compromised authorized report that somebody may uncover and prosecute on the worldwide stage.
Now that I’ve denounced him, it’s exactly the impunity that Petro Urrego has loved till now that condemns him to political and, in the end, judicial dying. As soon as he’s not in energy as a result of he’s convicted of the felony prices in opposition to him, all the things he did as president will turn out to be null and void, as a result of “in legislation, all the things is undone the identical means it was completed.”
Though Petro Urrego has confirmed to be a grave and harmful regional risk to Washington and to all civilized nations on Earth, the excellent news is that it’s now within the palms of america Justice System to place an finish to this murderous, harmful, and nonetheless unpunished felony profession.
Within the case of this delusional felony, there isn’t a attainable justification—political, ideological, geostrategic, or in any other case “politically appropriate”—to intervene or forestall the rule of legislation, the applying of justice, the prevalence of reality, and the load of accountability from taking their course. And he is aware of this—which is why he’s so desirous to convey Colombia all the way down to the extent of these damaged, foul-smelling transnational felony leftist cesspools like Cuba, like Venezuela (now a Cuban colony), and like Nicaragua.
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