Piedad Córdoba | |
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Senator of Colombia | |
In office 20 July 2006 – 27 September 2010 |
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In office 20 July 1994 – 8 July 2005 |
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Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia | |
In office 20 July 1992 – 20 July 1994 |
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Constituency | Antioquia Department |
Personal details | |
Born |
Piedad Esneda Córdoba Ruiz 25 January 1955 Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia |
Nationality | Colombian |
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse(s) | Luis Ángel Castro Hinestroza (1973–1999) |
Children |
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Residence | Bogotá, D.C., Colombia |
Alma mater | Pontifical Bolivarian University |
Profession | Lawyer |
Website | www |
Piedad Esneda Córdoba Ruiz (born 25 January 1955) is a Colombian lawyer and politician who served as Senator of Colombia from 1994 to 2010. A Liberal party politician, she also served as Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia for Antioquia from 1992 to 1994.
An outspoken critic of the former administration of President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, she was twice investigated by the Inspector General of Colombia, which resulted in her being stripped from her seat in Congress in 2005 and again in 2010 and being banned from holding public office for 18 years. In 2016, the Colombian 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 now deceased Venezuelan 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 Colombian government and its 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 Colombian government under 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."