Colombia’s Lawfare Against Popular Ex-President is a Warning

Originally published by the Washington Examiner

A judge in Bogota found former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe guilty of bribery and procedural fraud late last month.

While the details are complex, the case against Uribe follows a troubling pattern we’ve seen across the region, where legal systems are used to destroy political opponents and criminalize dissent, disproportionately targeting conservative leaders. As one of Colombia’s most prominent right-leaning political figures, Uribe has long been vilified by the nation’s left-leaning activists. His conviction is the latest example of how judicial processes are being increasingly weaponized around the world to silence one side of the political spectrum.

Uribe’s presidency marked a turning point in Colombia’s history. When he took office in 2002, he inherited a failed state. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a Marxist guerrilla group that fought the longest-running armed insurgency in the hemisphere, controlled entire swaths of territory. Kidnappings, bombings, and assassinations were routine, and the government barely functioned.

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