"Bernie Moreno's threat was effectively carried out. My wife, my children, and I have been placed on the OFAC list. My defense attorney will be Dany Kovalik of the United States."
This was one of the phrases President Gustavo Petro used during his reaction to his inclusion—and that of Armando Benedetti, Verónica Alcocer, and Nicolás Petro—on the Clinton list. He took the opportunity to appoint Daniel Kovalik as his lawyer in the United States.
Who is Dany Kovalik?
Daniel Kovalik is an American lawyer and human rights advocate currently teaching International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
He served as in-house counsel for the United Steelworkers (AFL-CIO) union until 2019. His connection to Colombia is that during his time with the USW, he worked on Foreign Tort Claims Act cases against The Coca-Cola Company, Drummond, and Occidental Petroleum.
He is the author of several books, including his most recent,"The Case for Palestine: Why It Matters and Why We Should Care." He also has a book related to Venezuela,"The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the United States Is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil," which includes a foreword by Oliver Stone.
He also defended Venezuela during the 2014 protests when the neighboring country demonstrated to oust Nicolás Maduro, who had only been in power for a year since Hugo Chávez died."The US, which has viewed Latin America for centuries as its 'backyard,' which it presumes to have the right to dominate, opposes the liberation process and wants to reverse it," Kovalik wrote on a February 21, 2012, opinion blog.
Also another called"How the US Spent Billions to Change Election Outcomes Around the World."
Kovalik has posted on social media related to leftist ideals. In one of these, he is seen protesting in support of Palestine in front of the White House.
In the case of the war in Gaza, Kovalik has supported a humanitarian ceasefire. In fact, on his X account a few days ago, he wrote:"What kind of ceasefire is there when someone keeps shooting?"
