Colombian university professors detained at Belgrade Airport

Social media posts said that National University of Colombia Professor Miguel Ángel Beltrán Villegas, Professor Natalia Caruso from the National Pedagogical University and their two minor children were detained right after they arrived to take part in the 58th Congress of Americanists in Novi Sad on Sunday. Professor Beltran said in a video post that he and his wife were “unjustly accused of terrorism by the Serbian authorities, without any legal process, in an act of criminalization and political persecution”.

President Petro wrote in an X post that he completely disapproves of what the Serbian authorities did. “The Serbian government must explain to Colombia why they are detaining our intellectuals. But, even worse, the detention of Professor Beltrán demonstrates the existence of lists at international customs, profiles based on political beliefs. Those blacklists of Colombians, identified by their political views, could only come from a Colombian government, and it is a clear violation of human rights that must be investigated and stopped,” the president wrote.