In a post on the “X” platform, monitored by the Yemen News Agency (SABA), Petro questioned the reasons for his listing, stating: “If that is the case, then why were my family and I included on the OFAC list? Weren’t they the ones claiming that I am Maduro’s frontman in drug operations?” He described the move as an attempt to silence him and force obedience to U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Colombian president stressed that his country “knows no kings or viceroys and does not accept anyone ordering it into silence,” affirming that expressing opinions is the essence of freedom, while silence is a form of slavery.
Petro also referenced the works of American poet Walt Whitman, noting that Whitman’s writings are hymns to individual human freedom and calls for liberation. He added that he read them during his imprisonment and was deeply moved by their profound meanings.
He affirmed that the Colombian people possess a bold individual spirit and a deep love of freedom, saying: “We are free to the fullest extent, and we love freedom so much that we may pay a heavy price out of pride or revenge,” describing Colombians as “free to the point of anger.”
