Colombian professor Miguel Ángel Beltrán Villegas has been detained in Belgrade together with his family. Beltrán, a Colombian academic dedicated to critical thought, was invited to participate in the 58th Congress of Americanists in Novi Sad.

The news of his arrest was shared by a user on the social media platform X.

U Beogradu je pritvoren profesor Beltran sa porodicom iz Kolumbije
Covek dosao da prisustvuje nekom naucnom skupu,ovi glibavci ga uhapsili.
Ovo je protestna nota Predsednika Kolumbije povodom tog dogadjaja.@avucic sta si opet istrtomudio i dokle bre https://t.co/r8lVXO0pA5

— Jelena Radojicic (@JelenaRadojici7) June 29, 2025

„Today, June 29, 2025, Professor Miguel Ángel Beltrán Villegas from the National University of Colombia and Professor Natalia Caruso from the National Pedagogical University, along with their two minor children, were victims of arbitrary detention without legal guarantees at the Belgrade airport,“ stated the J.A. Frajter Association.

Reproducimos y difundimos esta denuncia pública del profesor Miguel Ángel Beltrán Villegas

Hoy, 29 de junio de 2025, el profesor Miguel Ángel Beltrán Villegas, de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, y la profesora Natalia Caruso, de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, junto a… pic.twitter.com/O2MKOX2bQo

— Asociación Freytter Elkartea (@ascjafr) June 29, 2025

In a video, Professor Beltrán strongly condemns the Serbian authorities’ unjust accusations of terrorism against him, carried out without any legal procedure, as an act of criminalization and political persecution.

The J.A. Frajter Association is calling for immediate intervention by international human rights organizations to ensure his safety and the respect of his fundamental rights.

Professor Beltrán is known for having opposed a previous regime in Colombia, supported student protests, and consequently suffered serious repercussions in his home country.

In response to Professor Beltrán’s arrest, Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a formal protest.

Lo que le ha sucedido al profesor Beltrán en Belgrado, tiene todo mi rechazo. El gobierno serbio debe explicarle a Colombia porque detiene a nuestros intelectuales.

Pero, peor aún, la detención del profesor Beltrán demuestra la existencia de listas en las aduanas…

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 29, 2025

„I fully condemn what happened to Professor Beltrán in Belgrade. The Serbian government must explain to Colombia why it is detaining our intellectuals.

But even worse, the arrest of Professor Beltrán reveals the existence of lists in international practice shaped by political thinking,“ Petro stated in a post on X.

(nova.rs/Autonomija)