Colombia's attorney general removed and disqualified Sen. Piedad Cordoba from the Congress for 18 years for having "promoted and collaborated" with the FARC guerrillas, the attorney general's office said in a statement.What bothers me about this story is that the Attorney General (Update: It was Inspector General, not Attorney General) removed her from office and banned her from politics without a judicial trial. In my opinion, that's anti-democratic. An executive branch going after a opposition politician like this reeks of political persecution.
The Attorney General should not be able to make this decision unilaterally. If the evidence is solid, then charge her with a crime and let her face an open trial. Otherwise, she should be left alone.
I'm not a fan of Sen. Cordoba, but I really dislike the idea of any government taking away the political rights of a citizen without due process. That's what appears to be going on here. Cordoba deserves the opportunity to challenge this ruling in a court, respond to the allegations and evidence against her, and regain her political rights.
