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Solidarity with the People of Colombia: Denouncing Foreign Intervention in a Historic Electoral Process
May 30, 2026
The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) is in Colombia and has met with social movement leaders and human rights defenders ahead of the historic presidential elections that will take place tomorrow, Sunday, May 31, 2026. Our delegation will join other international organizations as certified election observers with the Misión de Observación Electoral (MOE).
CRLN echoes the concerns of social movement leaders and human rights defenders who have warned of violence, disinformation, and foreign interference in Sunday’s election.
These elections are taking place amid an atmosphere of political violence. Hundreds of reported acts of violence, threats, and attacks targeting political, social, and community leaders, are deeply alarming and raise serious concerns about efforts to generate fear, restrict participation, and influence the democratic process. The Misión de Observación Electoral (MOE) has repeatedly warned of increasing risks related to political violence, disinformation campaigns, attacks on political leadership, and threats to democratic participation across the country. While the Colombian government has taken important steps to guarantee the electoral process, reports of vote-buying by third actors, clientelism, electoral irregularities, and misinformation threaten to undermine democratic participation.
We are especially concerned by the growing evidence of foreign interference. By U.S. politicians, including Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-Florida). Their statements must be denounced because they appear to favor certain political sectors, question the legitimacy of votes from particular regions, or seek to influence public opinion ahead of the election. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has also drawn criticism for actions and statements that many Colombians view as attempts to influence the electoral process.
These developments must be understood within the broader history of U.S. intervention in Latin America. For generations, governments, corporations, and political actors from the United States have sought to shape political outcomes across the region at the expense of popular sovereignty and self-determination. Many international human rights organizations, as well as the people of Honduras concluded that U.S. interference likely influenced voters and affected the political environment.
The people of Colombia have every right to be concerned that similar efforts could impact their own democratic process. The future of Colombia belongs to the Colombian people. Only the people of Colombia can decide their future.
We stand in solidarity with Colombia’s social movements, Indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombian communities, workers, women, youth, faith leaders, and human rights defenders who continue to work and fight for democracy, peace, justice, and liberation.
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
CRLN on the Radio: Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón
It is not every day that we get to announce a new project. At the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN), we are very proud to present to you a new initiative that connects deeply with our historic work and with a perspective aimed at the future. Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón Radio: La política que nos atraviesa / The Politics That Run Through Us, will be a new space for historical memory, political education, and solidarity.
Our new radio show will be co-hosted and co-produced by Jhonathan F. Gómez, co-director of CRLN, and Dr. Lydia Saravia, university professor and former CRLN board member. We have envisioned it as a place for multigenerational dialogue, political education, and cultural reflection rooted in Central American thought the living histories of the diaspora in Chicago. Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón, “Neither Forgetting Nor Forgiving” is not just a phrase, it is a political commitment rooted in the experiences of those who have lived through state violence, displacement, and resistance. A space to remember histories, to challenge silence and distortion, and to connect them to the ongoing struggles for justice today.
Through interviews, storytelling, and analysis, the radio program will feature human rights defenders, organizers, and community voices from countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as from communities organizing in Chicago and across the United States. It will also highlight cultural expression as a vital part of preserving memory and sustaining movements.
At its core, the program seeks to connect past and present, linking struggles across borders and generations. It is both a place for reflection and a tool for action—strengthening relationships of solidarity and contributing to broader movements for human rights and dignity.
We invite you to listen with us the first Sunday of each month at 3PM on WLPN LP 105.5 FM, Lumpen Radio. This project is a collaboration with Lumpen Radio. The first show will be on Sunday, April 19 at 3PM. You can also listen online at https://lumpenradio.com/
And if you are on Instagram, give the project a follow and like; https://www.instagram.com/niolvido.niperdon.radio/
Stay tuned for upcoming episodes, guest speakers, and ways to engage.
As the Trump Administration continues policies to strangle the Cuban economy, a number of bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to stop the US from military action against Cuba and to finally end the US embargo of Cuba. Our goal is to get our legislators to support these bills to show they don’t support the current genocidal policies.
Let’s get as many legislators as possible on record supporting a future of mutual benefit.
📞 Click here to look up your Senators’ phone numbers.
📞 Click here to look up your Representative’s phone number.
Call and use these scripts:
For Senators:
“My name is [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR CITY]. I’m calling to urge [Senator NAME] to vote YES on Sen. Kaine’s War Powers Resolution — that is, S.J.Res.124 — to stop the United States from going to war with Cuba. Congress must reassert its constitutional power over military action. Additionally, I urge the senator to support Sen. Wyden’s bill, S.136, to lift the trade embargo on Cuba. Thank you.”
For Representatives:
“My name is [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR CITY]. I’m calling to urge [Representative NAME] to vote YES on Rep. Velázquez’s War Powers Resolution — that is, H.J.Res.153 — to stop the United States from going to war with Cuba. I also urge the representative to co-sponsor Rep. Jayapal’s resolution, H.R. 8103, to prevent the use of funds for military action against Cuba. Congress must reassert its constitutional power over military action. Finally, I want to ask the representative to support Rep. McGovern’s bill, H.R.7521, to lift the trade embargo on Cuba. Thank you.”
P.S. Want to do more? Click here to send an email to your legislators to demand they act on Cuba!
A big thanks to the Latin American Working Group for contributions to this action alert!
Human Rights & Election Observation Delegation to Colombia
The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) builds partnerships among social movements and communities in the U.S. and Latin America, using popular education, grassroots organizing, advocacy, and direct action to challenge U.S. militarism, neoliberalism, and other forms of state violence, guided by liberating faith traditions and a commitment to human dignity.
For over two decades, CRLN has engaged in faith-rooted solidarity with human rights defenders and resistance communities in Colombia, challenging U.S. policies like Plan Colombia that fueled militarization, displacement, and human rights abuses, especially impacting Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. CRLN has accompanied and advocated for displaced peoples, opposed aerial fumigation, and supported the implementation of the 2016 Peace Accords, including protections for defenders and the right of communities to return to their lands.
CRLN invites you to join us for a human rights and election observation mission taking place from May 24 to June 1, with Colombia’s general elections scheduled for Sunday, May 31.
The delegation will serve as a space for political education, solidarity, and international election observation. Participants will receive training and serve as observers during Colombia’s general elections, engaging directly with local monitoring efforts and examining what the electoral process means for historically excluded communities.
Participants will analyze Colombia’s current political and human rights landscape through engagement with grassroots movements and human rights defenders. They will hear firsthand testimonies that ground political analysis in lived experience. Participants will also engage in dialogue with survivors of the war in a post-war context, learning how they are advancing processes of truth, justice, and collective repair. Together, these experiences will offer a deeper understanding of Colombia’s social and political realities while strengthening international solidarity with communities working toward peace and liberation.
Apply by filling out the online application. Applicants will be informed if they have been invited to attend the delegation by May 4, 2026.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/ZfwUByN4bvvCgUiJA If you have questions or would like more information contact Jhonathan Gómez at jgomez@crln.org.
Delegation Goals
- Electoral Observation
● Serve as an international observer during Colombia’s general elections (May 31)
● Receive training and engage directly with local observation missions, civil society organizations, and electoral monitors
● Examine what elections mean for historically excluded communities, as well as survivors of the armed confl ict - Human Rights & Political Education
● Learn about human rights conditions in Colombia through engagement with grassroots organizations, movements, and human rights defenders
● Analyze the current political landscape and its relationship to electoral politics
● Hear firsthand testimonies that ground political analysis in lived experience - Historic Memory & Solidarity
● Engage with survivors of the armed confl ict to understand processes of memory, truth, and collective repair
● Learn from survivor-led efforts to advance justice and reconciliation in a post-war context
● Build relationships grounded in solidarity with communities working toward truth and collective healing
Who Should Apply?
- Organizers, activists, college students
- People committed to international solidarity and social justice
- Individuals willing to engage respectfully with communities
Cost
- Sliding scale of $1,600 – $1,400 / This price does not include fl ights to Colombia
(The sliding supports CRLN’s fi nancial assistance to delegation participants who request it) - ✔ Includes housing, most meals, in country transportation, and delegation coordination
- ✈ Flights estimated: $600–$900, depending the date purchased
- X THE COST DOES NOT INCLUDE FLIGHTS TO COLOMBIA. Flights must be purchased by participants.
Delegation Size?
- 8–14 participants
Payment Timeline
- Unrefundable deposit: $250 (upon acceptance)
- Final balance due 3 weeks before departure date
- Financial support available
Delegation Requirements, Participants are Required to:
- Attend 2 pre-delegation Zoom meetings – Review and study background materials on Colombia’s social and political contex
- Advanced level of comprehension of the Spanish language is required
- Participants are expected to participate fully in all meetings, and activities of the delegation, including the work that will happen as an international election observer.
- Participants are expected to participate in collective post-delegation report-back and public education, and advocacy efforts.
How to Apply
Apply by filling out the online application. Applicants will be informed if they have been invited to attend the delegation by May 4, 2026.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/ZfwUByN4bvvCgUiJA
Applicants will be informed if they have been invited to attend the delegation by April 24, 2026. If you have questions or would like more information contact Jhonathan Gómez at jgomez@crln.org.
- Join our small group contingent for a short 5 day program from March 19 to March 23. We will be joining contingents from all over the world as they convene in HAVANA On MARCH 21.You do not have to live in Chicago to join us.
- Our HotHouse program to join the global initiative to provide emergency relief to Cuba is now accepting applications. Some travel subsidy available for low income participants.
To Contribute Material Aid
We are accepting donations of medicines and other essentials via our trusted partners at Global Health Partners. click on hyperlink to make direct donation to GHP.
We are also seeking donations of MONEY to assist with this campaign by offsetting our travel costs and supporting participation for low income delegates, or contributing to purchasing life saving supplies. We will be taking one suitcase per person to deliver to the Martin Luther King Center in Havana. If you have any non-expired medicines to donate, please text 312-752-5316 to arrange delivery.
please send donations via Zelle (The Center for International Performance and Exhibition) or by check to HotHouse 5555 N. Sheridan Apt. 1107 Chicago 60640 please do not write “Cuba” on check or Zelle memos. Or BUY a ticket or donate via the eventbrite link for our upcoming Fundraiser for the Convoy on March 15 at https://tinyurl.com/4arrtr9c. Thank you
Durante una semana, delegades acompañaron a comunidades, organizaciones sociales y defensoras de derechos humanos en El Salvador, aprendiendo sobre el contexto nacional, la memoria histórica y las luchas actuales por la justicia y la dignidad.
La delegación participó en análisis del contexto nacional, visitó comunidades y organizaciones como PRO-VIDA, CRIPDES y Tutela Legal, y recorrió espacios históricos como la Catedral Metropolitana, la Cripta de Monseñor Romero y el Parque Cuscatlán.
Uno de los momentos más significativos fue el acompañamiento a la conmemoración de la Masacre de El Mozote en Morazán, junto a sobrevivientes, organizaciones de derechos humanos y comunidades comprometidas con la memoria, la verdad y la justicia.
Lea las reflexiones de los delegades aquí
For one week, delegates accompanied communities, grassroots organizations, and human rights defenders in El Salvador, learning about the national context, historical memory, and ongoing struggles for justice and dignity.
The delegation took part in political and social analysis, visited organizations such as PRO-VIDA, CRIPDES, and Tutela Legal, and walked through key historical sites including the Metropolitan Cathedral, Monsignor Romero’s Crypt, and Cuscatlán Park.
One of the most powerful moments was accompanying the commemoration of the El Mozote Massacre in Morazán, alongside survivors, human rights organizations, and communities committed to memory, truth, and justice.
Read the delegates’ reflections here
EMERGENCY STATEMENT: WE REPUDIATE THE ATTACKS BY THE UNITED STATES AGAINST VENEZUELA
January 3, 2025
The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) joins the international community and solidarity movements in the United States to unequivocally denounce the illegal and unconstitutional military assault carried out today by the Trump regime against the sovereign Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The aggressive operation resulting in indiscriminate bombings of Venezuelan cities and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, constitutes a blatant act of war, a violation of international law, and an affront to the fundamental principles of national sovereignty and self-determination.
We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the use of U.S. military force as a tool of imperial domination. This assault is not a legitimate act of defense, but a continuation of decades of coercive economic warfare, sanctions, political interference, and now overt military aggression directed at Venezuela’s people and government. Such actions not only violate the United Nations Charter but undermine global norms of peace and diplomacy.
We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Venezuela, with workers, students, families, and communities whose lives are imperiled by this unjustified intervention. We affirm the inherent right of the Venezuelan people to determine their own future free from foreign domination, and we recognize their struggle as part of a broader global fight against militarism, coercion, and empire.
Today’s events should serve as a call to all peoples and governments around the world: we must unite to denounce this act of aggression, uphold international law, and mobilize in defense of democracy.
CRLN
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DECLARACIÓN DE EMERGENCIA
REPUDIAMOS LOS ATAQUES DE ESTADOS UNIDOS CONTRA VENEZUELA
La Red de Lideres Religiosos de Chicago por Latinoamérica (Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America, CRLN) se suma a la comunidad internacional y a los movimientos de solidaridad en Estados Unidos para denunciar de manera inequívoca el ataque militar ilegal e inconstitucional llevado a cabo hoy por el régimen de Trump contra la soberana República Bolivariana de Venezuela.
La operación agresiva, que resultó en bombardeos indiscriminados de ciudades venezolanas y en el secuestro del presidente Nicolás Maduro por fuerzas estadounidenses, constituye un acto flagrante de guerra, una violación del derecho internacional y una afrenta a los principios fundamentales de soberanía nacional y autodeterminación de los pueblos.
Condenamos, en los términos más enérgicos posibles, el uso de la fuerza militar de Estados Unidos como instrumento de dominación imperialista. Este ataque no es un acto legítimo de defensa, sino la continuación de décadas de guerra económica coercitiva, sanciones, injerencia política y, ahora, agresión militar abierta dirigida contra el pueblo y el gobierno de Venezuela. Tales acciones no solo violan la Carta de las Naciones Unidas, sino que socavan las normas globales de paz y diplomacia.
Nos solidarizamos de manera inquebrantable con el pueblo de Venezuela—con las y los trabajadores, estudiantes, familias y comunidades cuyas vidas se ven amenazadas por esta intervención injustificada. Afirmamos el derecho inherente del pueblo venezolano a determinar su propio futuro, libre de dominación extranjera, y reconocemos su lucha como parte de una batalla global más amplia contra el militarismo, la coerción y el imperio.
Los acontecimientos de hoy deben servir como un llamado urgente a todos los pueblos y gobiernos del mundo: debemos unirnos para denunciar este acto de agresión, defender el derecho internacional y movilizarnos en defensa de la democracia.
CRLN
Join us for a fundraiser full of music, community, and shared vision! 💫 Featuring live music inspired by Los Torogoces and stories from Sebastián Torogoz new book. Read Sebastián Torogoz Biography This special night will honor the past, uplift the present, and build toward a just future — all while raising funds to keep solidarity strong.
Details
November 14, 2025 from 5-8:00 PM
Latin Patio, 3115 N Central Ave Chicago, IL 60634
Benito Chica Argueta, better known as Sebastián Torogóz, was born in the rural Cantón El Zapotal in Joateca, Morazán, El Salvador. He was the fourteenth child of his parents, Francisco Chica and Cástula Argueta. From an early age, around nine, he began playing guitar at home; his siblings were part of a chanchona (a rural string ensemble) that performed at family celebrations and community events. In his youth, Sebastián joined community Christian reflection groups (which later became part of the Comunidades Eclesiales de Base) in El Zapotal. There he participated in courses on first aid and community health, blending spiritual reflection with social praxis. In 1978, he formally joined the armed struggle via the Ligas Populares 28 de Febrero (which later became part of the ERP). In June 1981, Sebastián and fellow combatants founded Los Torogoces de Morazán, the musical group that became closely associated with Radio Venceremos and the cultural resistance during the Salvadoran war.
During the twelve years of war, Los Torogoces acted as “juglares¨ troubadours of resistance, traveling through conflict zones, performing songs, sharing stories, and offering laughter in the face of adversity. Sebastián employed music, storytelling, and theatrical satire, often impersonating figures of the elite or military, as a tool to challenge authoritarian power and uplift communities under duress.
After the signing of the peace accords, he reassembled the group with younger generations and continued touring both nationally and internationally. Among his notable works are corridos like Recordando al Profeta (in tribute to Oscar Romero) and Corrido al Mozote, honoring victims of the Mozote massacre. He has also actively engaged in memory work—publishing, performing, and organizing events that resist silencing of El Salvador’s violent past.
Sebastián’s artistry is deeply rooted in the folk traditions of Morazán and El Salvador’s eastern region, combining instruments such as harp, marimba, and strings with narrative lyrics that document struggle, identity, and resilience. His music remains informed by a liberation perspective that insists on the importance of collective memory, social justice, and cultural reclaiming. In recent years, he continues to mentor youth, organize concerts, and deliver talks that bridge El Salvador’s past and present struggles, deepening transnational solidarity and cultivating new generations of cultural and political memory keepers.