I did not begin to talk about peace when my father died nor did I begin to criticize him at that point - I did this when I had him in front of me, I was one of his harshest criticizers and I never applauded his violence.

Unfortunately, on my father's side we have a nonexistent relationship. But my mother and sister and I live very closely, we remain in the same city and we see each other every day.

Regrettably, to deactivate an entire cartel also proved to be a difficult task for my father and with all the enemies he had, even more.

Sadly, [Pablo Escobar] ended up throwing away the one opportunity he had. I naively thought, as a son and as many other Colombians, that he would take this opportunity to make amends with the country.

I can understand how people would despise my image and my father's persona. My father's image amongst the poorest of people, those forgotten by the state, still remains a respected image. Whether we like it or not, my father was an important figure who filled a vacuum left by the state amongst the lower social classes.

I am convinced that we all have the decision to act on a daily basis.

I am a free man but only partially so relative to other people in society. Why do I say "partially free"? Because there is only one country in the world that denies me entrance because of who my father was and that is the United States.