Colombian senator dismissed for opposition

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Opposition politician gets public service ban

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Progressive opposition politician Piedad Cordoba was barred from public service for 18 years on Monday by Colombia‘s inspector general for allegedly “promoting and collaborating” with left-wing guerillas.

Senator Cordoba of the social-democratic Liberal Party won international acclaim by brokering the release of more than a dozen hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

A flamboyant Afro-Colombian known for her trademark turban, Ms Cordoba has spoken out against the former Uribe administration‘s hard-line military approach to Farc, while consistently supporting legislation designed to tackle gender, sexual orientation and race discrimination.

Ms Cordoba, a senator since 1994 and last year mentioned as a possible Nobel peace prize candidate, has not been charged with any crime.

But Inspector General Alejandro Ordonez is constitutionally empowered to dismiss her – and any other member of Congress – by virtue of his jurisdiction over nearly all public servants save the president and top judges.

He claimed that he had dismissed Ms Cordoba because she had “overstepped her government-authorised role” to facilitate hostage releases.

He claimed that she had also made public declarations “that favoured the interests of Farc.”

In public Ms Cordoba has often endorsed Farc’s goal of more equal wealth distribution in the country.

Ms Cordoba said that Mr Ordonez’s “disciplinary investigation has no legal merit whatsoever.”

See also here.

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