For Immediate Release:
June 17, 2026
Contact:
Andrea Fernández Aponte
Senior Policy Associate
Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
afernandez@lawg.org
U.S. Civil Society Organizations Denounce U.S. Interference in Colombia’s Presidential Elections
Washington, D.C. — A coalition of U.S. civil society organizations — including the Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Oxfam America, and Amazon Watch — today released a joint statement denouncing the Trump Administration’s and Republican lawmakers’ interference in Colombia’s presidential elections, urging Congress to condemn the intervention ahead of the country’s June 21st presidential runoff.
The statement calls out public endorsements of far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella by President Trump, Congressman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL-28), Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), and Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27). Signatories argue these interventions violate Article 19 of the OAS Charter, which prohibits member states from interfering in the internal affairs of other nations.
The statement situates the intervention within a broader pattern of Trump Administration electoral interference across the hemisphere, citing the Administration’s use of financial leverage to back President Javier Milei’s party ahead of Argentina’s October 2025 midterm elections and its endorsement of right-wing candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura ahead of Honduras’s November 2025 presidential election.
The full text of the statement is available [HERE].
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