Piedad Córdoba

After the Constituent Assembly of Colombia adopted the new Constitution of 1991, Córdoba ran for congress once again for the Chamber of Representatives for the period 1992–1994. In 1994 her political mentor William Jaramillo announced that he was not going to seek a reelection and Córdoba assumed his role. She was elected to the Senate for the 1994–1998 period receiving most of her votes from the departments of Antioquia and Chocó.

Due to her public profile Córdoba became one of the most notorious figures of the Latin American feminist movement in Colombia. She became part of a popular inter-parliamentary group that promotes government policies on sexuality. In 1995, Córdoba participated in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

On March 11, 2007, Córdoba attended a symposium in Mexico City called Los Partidos Políticos y Una Nueva Ciudad (Political parties and a new city) which was supported by guerrilla groups from Colombia, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), both considered narco-terrorist organizations by the US government and the European Union and the Republic of Colombia. Córdoba generated controversy after declaring that "the progressive governments of Latin America should break their diplomatic relations with Colombia" and also that Álvaro Uribe was a "paramilitary".[5]

The head of the Liberal Party, César Gaviria, rejected Córdoba's opinions.[6] Córdoba was later judicially denounced for treason after making these declarations, a charge which is currently being investigated by Colombia's Supreme Court. The outrage was surprising, since the warm relations between Uribe's administration and the right-wing paramilitaries—also recognized as "narco-terrorists" by the US and the EU—was a matter of public record: the paramilitaries had endorsed Uribe in the 2002 presidential election, describing him as the 'man closest to our philosophy', and were rewarded with the "Justice and Peace Law", which gave them an amnesty in return for light sentences, as long as they confess to their crimes. Many were extradited to the U.S. under drug trafficking charges.[7] It was described by a former US ambassador to Bogotá as "a law that couldn't be better designed to give the criminals a way out".[7] Uribe's second term in office was marked by the "para-politics" scandal, which largely vindicated Cordoba's criticisms of his administration.

On August 16, 2007, President Álvaro Uribe, in a surprising move, appointed Córdoba as mediator in the humanitarian exchange in an effort to negotiate the freedom of some 50 (number at the time) hostages held by FARC and the possible release of some 500 guerrillas imprisoned by the government.[8] Córdoba then asked the President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez to mediate also, with the support of President Uribe.

Córdoba met with alias Raul Reyes, spokesman and leader of the FARC, to coordinate a meeting with President Chávez in Venezuela.[9] In Venezuela, Chávez and Córdoba met with Rodrigo Granda and Ivan Marquez among other members of the guerrilla as part of the negotiations. Photos of Córdoba and the guerrillas surfaced in an online website called Agencia Bolivariana de Prensa (ABP) which showed Córdoba in an amicable and cordial relationship with the FARC, receiving flowers, kisses, and hugs. This generated controversy among the government, the Colombian public and other critics.,[10] to which she responded that the photos "were taken out of context".

On November 22, President Uribe ended the mediation after Chávez broke with diplomatic protocol by placing a series of calls directly to the high command of the Colombian military. Uribe had conditioned Chávez against any attempt to talk to the Colombian military high command without going through appropriate diplomatic channels. Chávez initially accepted the decision but afterward reacted by pulling his ambassador from Bogotá, and he decided to cease diplomatic relations between the two countries and even announced his intent to sharply reduce bilateral commerce.[11]

On December 20, 2007, Córdoba accused an unspecified "top Colombian government official", of orchestrating an assassination attempt towards her on Venezuelan soil. This accusation sparked a confrontation with Juan Manuel Santos, the Minister of Defense, who had previously been the subject of other allegations made by Córdoba. So far no proof or testimony about the alleged conspiracy is known.[12]

Following the end of her official role as a mediator, Córdoba accused President Álvaro Uribe, the Minister of Defense and the Colombian Armed Forces of engaging in military operations or otherwise obstructing announced hostage releases, in spite of subsequent releases being carried out regardless.

International guarantors of the Operation Emmanuel, from right to left: Senator Piedad Córdoba, former Argentine President Néstor Kirchner, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Argentine Chancellor Jorge Taiana, and Venezuela Vice President Ramón Carrizales

On April 24, 2008, the Colombian government released the "FARC files", said to be found on the computers found in the Ecuadorian camp of the former FARC commander Raúl Reyes, who had been killed in March by an airstrike from the Colombian army. According to the information in the files, Córdoba would reportedly be implicated due to having friendly ties with the guerrillas. Under the codename of "Teodora de Bolivar", allegedly in reference to the Senator, she would be one of twelve people mentioned as part of a potential transitional government set up by the FARC in the event that they seized power in Colombia. The files are said to indicate Córdoba would have received money from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to fund social projects in the department. The Colombian Supreme Court asked for the seized files in order establish if there are valid reasons for a criminal investigation, but the Colombian government wanted the files to be validated by Interpol first. Interpol reported that the Colombian government had not manipulated the seized computer exhibits and validated their authenticity, but did not certify the accuracy of their contents.[13]

Córdoba has claimed the revelations are a "smokescreen" meant to divert attention from the Colombian parapolitics scandal affecting the Uribe administration but Interpol has neither confirmed nor denied the contents.[14]

The senator was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, by solicitation of former Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, causing much controversy and outrage amongst Colombians.[15]

On September 27, 2010, Senator Córdoba's credentials were revoked by the Inspector General of Colombia, Alejandro Ordoñez, due to her alleged FARC ties. The Inspector General's investigation concluded that Córdoba was involved in promoting and supporting the guerrilla group. The same decision also forbid Córdoba from holding any public office for eighteen years.[16][17] Ordoñez, a conservative jurist, has a track record of using legal pretexts to ban progressive politicians from running for public office, and used similar methods against the mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro.[18] Ordoñez did not take any action against supporters of the former president Álvaro Uribe, whose administration was accused of systematically collaborating with right-wing paramilitaries.[19]

Córdoba rejected the Inspector General's decision and accused him of "criminalizing humanitarian work." She has announced that she will counter the decision and intends to prove her innocence. Córdoba also reiterated her wish to continue working towards peace and freedom.[20]

According to the Inspector General, the investigation originated from the electronic media seized during Operation Phoenix, the military operation where FARC spokesperson "Raúl Reyes" was killed in Ecuador. The Inspector General's decision refers to electronic documents identifying Córdoba with the aliases of "Teodora", "Teodora Bolivar" and "La Negra". The parliamentary, according to the Inspector General's decision, also exceeded the duties specified in the authorization given to her by the Colombian government as an official mediator for the humanitarian exchange.[17] Based on these and other findings, the Inspector General reported he had established that the senator gave advice to FARC, such as sending voice recordings instead of video footage of the insurgent group's hostages as "proofs of life" in order to improve their strategy.[17]

In 2016, the Supreme Court of Colombia overturned the Inspector General's decisions, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to support his findings and restoring Córdoba's full political rights.[21]

On June 12, 2017, Córdoba announced herself as a candidate for the 2018 Colombian Presidential Election. Though she has not identified which party she will represent in the election,[22] she confidently declared to the press, "I will be the president of Colombia in 2018."She did not get elected.[23][24]

Since declaring her candidacy for president, Córdoba has faced death threats from the paramilitary group Águilas Negras. The threats were distributed through pamphlets in the country's capital of Bogotá.[25]