A judge in Bogota found former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe guilty of bribery and procedural fraud late last month.

While the details are complex, the case against Uribe follows a troubling pattern we’ve seen across the region, where legal systems are used to destroy political opponents and criminalize dissent, disproportionately targeting conservative leaders. As one of Colombia’s most prominent right-leaning political figures, Uribe has long been vilified by the nation’s left-leaning activists. His conviction is the latest example of how judicial processes are being increasingly weaponized around the world to silence one side of the political spectrum. 

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Uribe’s presidency marked a turning point in Colombia’s history. When he took office in 2002, he inherited a failed state. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a Marxist guerrilla group that fought the longest-running armed insurgency in the hemisphere, controlled entire swaths of territory. Kidnappings, bombings, and assassinations were routine, and the government barely functioned.

Through a combination of counterinsurgency measures and an effort to strengthen Colombia’s institutions, Uribe helped reclaim national territory, restore order, and lay the foundation for Colombia’s democratic and economic recovery. That’s why he still commands immense respect not only from many Colombians, but from leaders and observers around the world who saw Colombia’s turnaround as a model of what’s possible.

But that same success, and the conservative agenda behind it, made him a target. Today, under President Gustavo Petro, a former M-19 guerrilla, Uribe’s political enemies have renewed their efforts through the courts. The case that led to his conviction relied heavily on the testimony of a controversial witness, and the charges involved ambiguous procedural claims. The prosecution has dragged on for over 10 years now, despite the lack of clear evidence showing criminal intent, and now seeks a nine-year prison sentence.

Whatever one thinks of Uribe personally, the nature and timing of this case raise serious concerns about selective justice. Would this case have been pursued in the same way if Uribe had belonged to a different party or represented a different ideology? It’s hard to say, but across our hemisphere, we keep seeing the same story repeat itself.

In Bolivia, Jeanine Añez was sentenced to 10 years in prison and accused of terrorism for standing up to socialist dictator Evo Morales. In Ecuador, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated in broad daylight while campaigning on an anti-corruption platform, and on Aug. 11, Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay died two months after being shot in the head in a targeted attack during a campaign rally. In Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, conservative opposition leaders are routinely exiled, imprisoned, or disappeared. In Brazil and the United States, conservative presidential candidates Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump faced assassination attempts and legal attacks. 

These aren’t isolated events. They reflect a pattern of asymmetrical justice — where one side is relentlessly pursued while the other benefits from impunity. A pattern where the courts, which are meant to uphold democracy, are used to undermine it.

No person should be above the law. But when legal systems begin to operate in ways that consistently disfavor one side of the ideological divide, that can no longer be considered the rule of law. It’s law as a political weapon.

The U.S. must not stand idly by. Uribe is the latest target, but he won’t be the last. The health of our neighbors’ democracies affects our own. At America First Policy Institute, we believe America’s security begins in the Western Hemisphere. Instability, corruption, and ideological intolerance in our immediate region inevitably ripple northward. And if those democracies are being eroded by the manipulation of their courts, we have a responsibility to speak up. A politically compromised Colombia doesn’t just jeopardize its own future. It threatens the stability of its hemispheric neighbors. 

This is why the U.S. must reassert its leadership — not only to protect its own interests, but to support nations and people fighting for freedom, order, and sovereignty.

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Alvaro Uribe deserves fair treatment. What’s happening to him now should concern anyone who values due process and the integrity of democratic institutions. This conviction isn’t just a verdict — it’s a warning.

And it’s one we ignore at our own peril.

Melissa Ford is director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative at the America First Policy Institute.