Bogotá requests that “the recruitment of Colombian citizens for wars abroad be stopped”
Spain is the country with the most Colombians in prison, with almost 4,000 detainees
September 12 () –
Colombian authorities confirmed Thursday that three of its citizens are being held in Russian prisons after being accused of acting as mercenaries on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the framework of the war, which was started by Moscow at the end of February 2022.
“Colombia has sent diplomatic notes to the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Venezuela requesting information on the legal status, current location and health status of Colombian citizens,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the situation of Colombian prisoners abroad.
Bogotá has also stressed that it has requested through the relevant diplomatic channels “that the recruitment of Colombian citizens for wars abroad be halted.”
The Colombian diplomatic portfolio has detailed that the three citizens detained in Russia are Miguel Ángel Cárdenas, with whose wife the authorities have been in “permanent contact”; Alexander Ante and José Aarón Medina, who currently have a public defender and Bogotá maintains contact with the latter’s wife.
Colombian authorities have indicated that they are “awaiting authorization from Russia” to carry out a consular visit to the detention center where these three Colombian citizens are being held.
“The diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation will be closely monitoring the development of the results of the ongoing criminal proceedings, advocating within the framework of diplomatic and consular powers to ensure respect for the fundamental rights of these compatriots,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.
ALMOST 4,000 COLOMBIAN PRISONERS IN SPAIN
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday the number of Colombians imprisoned abroad, a figure that stands at 19,881, the vast majority of whom are men.
Specifically, Bogotá has indicated that Spain is the country with the highest number of Colombians detained, a total of 3,944; followed by the United States, with 3,615, and Panama, with another 2,305 prisoners.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is providing assistance to these and all citizens detained abroad, including general legal advice, since it is not possible to assume legal defense directly,” the Colombian diplomatic service said.
Colombia has also pointed out that 17 other compatriots are detained in Haiti, a country that was the scene of a wave of violence that broke out at the beginning of the year and which added to the already instability and insecurity in the Caribbean nation.
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