Piedad Córdoba

Piedad Esneda Córdoba Ruiz (25 January 1955 – 20 January 2024) was a Colombian lawyer and politician who served as a senator from 1994 to 2010. A Liberal Party politician, she also served as a member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia for Antioquia from 1992 to 1994.

An outspoken critic of the administration of President Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002–2010), she was twice investigated by the Inspector General, which resulted in her being stripped of her seat in Congress in 2005 and again in 2010 and being banned from holding public office for 18 years. In 2016, the Supreme Court overruled both decisions based on a lack of evidence.

During 2007, Córdoba participated as an official government mediator for the humanitarian exchange discussions between the Government of Colombia and the FARC guerrilla group, along with President Hugo Chávez. After the end of the mediation in November, the FARC announced the release of hostages Clara Rojas and Consuelo González. She was nominated for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for her work in promoting peace and human rights in conflict zones but her nomination caused controversy and uproar in her native Colombia.

Córdoba was judicially denounced for treason under Colombian law after making controversial declarations against the government and president during a political event in Mexico in March 2007, a charge investigated by the Supreme Court. As part of the "farcpolitics" scandal, Colombian authorities have probed her due to accusations linking the Senator with the FARC.

In 2010, Córdoba spoke before the European Parliament, asking it to pressure the government of President Juan Manuel Santos into entering into peace talks with the nation's insurgent groups. However, Córdoba later apologized to Santos for her remarks and stated that she didn't want to put the president against a wall, but serve as an "ally for peace".

In 2012, Córdoba was named by ''Foreign Policy'' magazine as the most influential Ibero-American intellectual, again causing much controversy in her native Colombia.

In 2017, Córdoba officially announced her intention to run for president in 2018.

In May 2022, Córdoba was detained at Palmerola Airport in Comayagua, Honduras, for not declaring more than 62,000 dollars in cash. She was then released.

Córdoba died from a heart attack on 20 January 2024, at the age of 68. Provided by Wikipedia