Nobel Laureate and Ex-Leader of Costa Rica Says U.S. Revoked His Visa : Yan Zhuang / NYTimes

Article shared by Kul Gautam

Oscar Arias Sanchez is among the few world leaders whom I respect the most - somewhat akin to Nelson Mandela.

I was Chief of Latin America and the Caribbean at UNICEF HQ when he got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his contribution to ending the multiple conflicts in Central America. And we were all overjoyed. 

Jim Grant, Richard Jolly, and Kul Gautam with Margarita Arias

We welcomed his wife Margarita Arias at UNICEF HQ in New York the week after Oscar won the Nobel Prize (see picture above with Jim Grant, Margarita Arias, Kul Gautam and Richard Jolly).

I greatly admired Oscar Arias' strong advocacy for disarmament and development for which Costa Rica is a shining example as one of the few countries in the world that abolished the Army and has never suffered from military coups or civil war unlike most countries in Latin America.

Too bad this great advocate for world peace and good governance is now being punished for his principled and outspoken views.

Kul    

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Summary

The U.S. has revoked the visa of former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Óscar Arias Sánchez. The move comes after Arias criticized President Trump, comparing him to a "Roman emperor." The visa revocation is seen as part of a broader U.S. pattern of penalizing foreign figures critical of its policies, raising concerns about free expression and diplomatic norms.

Quote

“Our government has knelt before Washington. It no longer defends national sovereignty.”