Group of Democratic reps urge state department and OAS to back independent investigation into group’s secretary general

A group of Democratic lawmakers urged the State Department and the Organization of American States (OAS) to support an independent investigation into the group‘s secretary general, Luis Almagro.

Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Illhan Omar (D-Minn.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) wrote the letter addressed to the State Department and the OAS.

“We believe that multilateral organizations play a crucial role in international diplomacy, providing a platform for constructive dialogue and cooperation to help advance common goals such as the defense of democratic institutions and human rights, the promotion of peace and security, and the fight against corruption, among other objectives,” the group of Democratic lawmakers wrote in their letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and OAS Ambassador Francisco Mora Wednesday. 

“To effectively fulfill their mission, the leadership of these organizations must abide by basic ethical standards and be held accountable for any wrongdoing that could weaken the legitimacy or undermine the mission of the organizations over which they preside.” 

The group noted several incidents surrounding Almargo in their letter including former top officials of the now-defunct , OAS-sponsored Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) resigning from their posts and publicy accusing Almargo of abandoning the sponsored mission and “undermining its work at a moment when it was facing serious attacks and being prevented from carrying out its mandate by the country’s ruling party.” 

The group added in its letter that Almargo, who has been the OAS secretary-general since 2015, also refused to to renew Paulo Abrão’s contract, despite the fact that commissioners of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) had unanimously decided to extend Abrão’s mandate. He served as the executive secretary of the IACHR.

Almargo’s decision was denounced by human rights leaders and characterized as an attack on the “independence and autonomy” of the commission by the members of the IACHR itself, the letter read. 

“Each instance of alleged wrongdoing cited above is extremely troubling and could, on its own, provide sufficient grounds for sanctioning Mr. Almagro and removing him from his post,” the group letter read. “The reputation of the Organization of American States has already been significantly damaged as a result of the controversy surrounding each of these allegations.”

The letter follows an internal investigation into Almagro last fall into allegations that he had an inmate relationship with a former staffer, which may have violated the organization’s code of ethics. 

“In order to help fully restore the credibility and reputation of the OAS in the region, we respectfully ask that you instruct the newly confirmed representative of the US at the OAS to use his voice and vote to support additional independent investigations into these alleged cases of wrongdoing by the OAS Secretary General,” the letter read. “As the largest financial contributor to the OAS, our government must ensure that the organization’s leadership remains fully accountable for any violation of the organization’s ethics rules and of the principles that guide its mission.”