PETRO: "TRUMP'S COMPLICITY IN GENCOIDE MERITS PRISON"

At a cabinet meeting in Bogotá, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said that if Donald Trump continues to be complicit in what he calls an extermination war in Gaza, “he deserves nothing but prison,” adding that militaries have a duty to refuse unlawful orders from leaders who drive mass killings. The remarks followed a week of escalation: Washington revoked Petro’s U.S. visa after he criticised U.S. backing for Israel’s campaign and urged U.S. soldiers not to obey illegal directives; Petro called the move a political reprisal and noted it would not limit his travel.

The intervention followed Petro’s United Nations address on September 24, 2025, where he declared that “words are no longer enough”. It urged nations to form a “powerful army” to liberate Palestine, invoking a “Uniting for Peace” pathway when the Security Council fails. His appeal explicitly framed Palestine as an unfinished decolonisation struggle demanding collective defence by countries unwilling to accept genocide.

Petro’s line is consistent with his government’s posture since 2024, when Colombia severed relations with Israel and later moved to expel remaining Israeli diplomats after the navy intercepted a civilian flotilla bringing aid to Gaza; he also announced steps to terminate the countries’ free trade agreement.

In this soundbite, Petro threads law, ethics, and power: leaders who authorise mass violence must face justice; soldiers must refuse criminal orders; and the international community must not remain neutral while a colonised people are being annihilated.