Dismissal of Bogota’s Mayor Violates International Law
Dismissal of Bogota’s Mayor Violates International Law
On December 9, the mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, was removed and disqualified from holding public office for 15 years.
On December 9, the mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, was removed and disqualified from holding public office for 15 years by the inspector general of Colombia, Alejandro Ordóñez, as a result of “irregularities in the public service of garbage-collection.”
The inspector general’s decision, however, violates the American Convention on Human Rights, ratified by Colombia in 1973. According to Article 23(2) of the Convention, a person may only be deprived of his political rights upon conviction in a judicial process that meets all due process safeguards. Specifically, the “sentencing by a...
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