AhlulBayt News Agency: The US State Department announced it will revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is currently in New York attending the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
On Friday, the department cited Petro’s “reckless and incendiary actions” during a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City as the reason for its decision.
In a post on X, the department claimed that Petro stood on a New York street and urged US soldiers to defy orders and incite violence.
It reiterated that Petro’s visa would be revoked due to these alleged actions.
Petro had posted a video on X showing himself with a translator, speaking in Spanish to pro-Palestinian demonstrators using a megaphone.
During his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday, Petro harshly criticized the Trump administration for military strikes on Venezuelan vessels accused of drug trafficking in the Caribbean.
A vocal opponent of Israel’s war on Gaza, Petro also delivered a keynote address on Friday at an event hosted by The Hague Group at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
Prior to his UN speech, Petro had called for armed intervention in Palestine, proposing the creation of an international army to liberate the region and confront what he described as tyranny promoted by the US and NATO.
He urged global leaders opposed to Israel’s war on Gaza to join him in forming a coalition to protect Palestinian civilians.
The US State Department repeated its claim that Petro incited violence and encouraged US troops to disobey orders.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by international courts for war crimes, used his UN speech to criticize Western nations that recognize Palestinian statehood.
Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti responded on X, saying Netanyahu’s visa should have been revoked instead of Petro’s, accusing the US of shielding Netanyahu while punishing Petro for speaking truthfully.
Petro, a former member of the now-disbanded M-19 rebel group, stated that both Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump should face criminal prosecution for various alleged offenses. /129
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