{
  "id": 10978297,
  "title": "Petro Accuses US of Political Persecution After Allies’ Visas Are Revoked",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/petro-accuses-us-of-political-persecution-after-allies-visas-are",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T15:55:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Colombia One",
    "slug": "colombia-one",
    "url": "https://colombiaone.com/2026/09/30/petro-us-persecution-visa-revoked/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the United States of systematically persecuting leftist political figures in the region. The White House and State Department, Petro claimed, are targeting those associated with his movement. This assertion follows the revocation of visas by the U.S. State Department for Colombian Senator Martha Peralta, businessman Euclides Torres and their families. The seven individuals targeted are part of a larger wave of visa restrictions affecting 27 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The U.S. State Department stated that these measures target individuals accused of corruption, ties to drug trafficking or undermining democratically elected governments. However, the department did not provide specific evidence against Peralta or Torres. Petro, who lost his U.S. visa in September, defended Peralta, emphasizing her Indigenous heritage and describing the decision as part of a broader campaign of political persecution. Peralta, a senator affiliated with the Historic Pact and an investigator in a disaster risk management case, denounced the U.S. decision, pledging to seek explanations from both Colombian and U.S. authorities. She also labeled the measure as part of a larger campaign against her. Ivan Cepeda, another Historic Pact senator, also criticized the U.S. action, alleging that there is a plan to fabricate testimony against him related to drug-related activities, though these claims have not been substantiated. The U.S. decision has received strong reactions from various political figures. Current Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who previously called for visa restrictions against Torres, Peralta and others, welcomed the decision, hinting at further actions, possibly through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The U.S. visa revocations are part of a wider strategy affecting officials and individuals in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, aimed at combating corruption, drug trafficking, and actions deemed harmful to democratically elected governments. The latest move is linked to the Trump administration’s “Shield of the Americas” initiative, which focuses on regional security and drug trafficking. This has sparked varying interpretations across the region, with some viewing the U.S. actions as efforts to combat crime and undermine governments, while others see them as political pressure or foreign interference. For Petro and his political allies, the visa revocations have intensified tensions with Washington, while the Colombian government under de la Espriella has embraced the U.S. measures. This dispute adds a transnational aspect to Colombia’s increasingly divided domestic political landscape.",
  "summary": "“Progressivism in Colombia is being systematically persecuted by the White House and the State Department,” former Colombian President Gustavo Petro told Caracol Radio, accusing the United States of targeting political figures associated with his movement. Petro’s comments came after the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of Colombian Senator Martha Peralta and businessman Euclides Torres,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}