AhlulBayt News Agency: Colombian President Gustavo Petro has defiantly dismissed the US decision to revoke his visa, calling it another attempt by Washington to suppress global calls for justice in Palestine.
Petro, who returned to Colombia after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, stated that he no longer holds a US visa but added, “I don’t care.”
He explained that he does not require a US visa, as he holds both Colombian and European citizenship. Petro described himself as “a free person in the world,” insisting that every human being must be free.
The visa revocation followed Petro’s public appeal to US soldiers, urging them to reject orders from President Donald Trump and instead “obey the orders of humanity.”
Petro, who has previously clashed with the Trump administration over issues like migration and drug policy, reiterated his call for an international armed force to “free Palestine” during a speech to pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the UN headquarters.
In a video shared on social media, Petro declared that such a global force “must be bigger than that of the United States.”
The US State Department said Petro’s visa was revoked due to what it described as “reckless and incendiary actions.”
In response, Petro condemned the move as a breach of international norms, arguing that it “violates all principles of immunity that underpin the United Nations and its General Assembly.”
On August 29, Washington also announced visa denials and revocations for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, citing “national security grounds” and accusing them of “undermining peace prospects.”
Petro said that barring their entry—and revoking his visa for opposing genocide—shows that the US government “no longer adheres to international law.”
Under Petro’s leadership, Colombia has increasingly voiced support for Palestinian rights and condemned Israel’s war on Gaza. /129
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