The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is grateful for all the expressions of solidarity received concerning the W Radio Colombia piece released on June 13, 2024, titled “For the Army commander, left-wing NGOs had a relationship with the FARC.” In this, W Radio Colombia found that Major General Luis Emilio Cardozo, the current commander of the Colombian army, is linked to a 2004 intelligence report that stigmatizes WOLA, falsely accusing us and other U.S. and European organizations of promoting the agenda of the now demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
WOLA is an independent, non-governmental, bipartisan organization that promotes human rights and justice in the Americas. For 50 years, it has advocated for victims of grave human rights abuses in the region. In Colombia, WOLA advocates for peace, human rights, protection of human rights defenders and social leaders, and the rights of Afro-Colombian, Indigenous, women, and LGBTQ+ persons. We have denounced and advocated on behalf of the victims of human rights abuses in that country. This has included abuses committed by the Colombian armed forces and police, guerilla groups, paramilitary organizations, and public and private sectors. We have advocated for the protection and human rights of veterans and members of the Colombian armed forces who have suffered racism, sexual harassment and assault, and reprisals for whistleblowing. Given the tremendous human suffering and pain linked to violence and human rights abuses, WOLA has for decades promoted peace and the dismantling of all the illegal armed groups.
The information contained in the W Radio Colombia piece is false. WOLA is concerned that unfounded allegations could cause security problems for our staff and obstruct our work. For years, many Colombians were stigmatized and accused of being part of illegal groups. Others have lost their lives based on erroneous assertions like these. WOLA has addressed numerous cases of Colombians and others who today continue to have difficulties obtaining visas to travel outside the country and other difficulties due to intelligence reports based upon wrongful or deliberately harmful sources that were shared with U.S. authorities. We take this opportunity to call upon Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Joe Biden to review and purge intelligence archives containing such false information.
Following the radio piece, WOLA staff had a frank and constructive conversation with Major General Luis Emilio Cardozo, commander of Colombia’s national army, which we appreciate. We hope this situation opens a discussion within Colombia about language, the categorization of civil society organizations, ideological polarization, and the implications these have on the safety and work of non-governmental organizations.
