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Mexican lawmakers approve keeping army on streets

Photo: El Tiempo Latino

AFP

Mexican lawmakers have approved an extension of the armed forces’ public security role until 2028, fueling controversy over what critics see as the country’s militarization.

The lower house of Congress passed the reform promoted by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s ruling party by 339 votes to 154, after a heated debate Wednesday that continued late into the night.

The plan has already been endorsed by the Senate.

Before coming to power in 2018, Lopez Obrador had vowed to send the military back to the barracks.

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But under his presidency, the armed forces have kept their role in tackling cartel-related violence and even gained more responsibility, including control of ports and customs and major infrastructure projects.

Amnesty International has voiced alarm at what it called “the process of militarization of public security in Mexico.”

The latest reform comes amid a scandal over a huge leak of classified military files obtained by a group of hackers called Guacamaya, who have targeted several Latin American countries.

The leaks left Mexico’s military facing allegations that some of its members have links to drug cartels, that it spied on the government’s opponents and engineered a reform giving it control of the National Guard, which was previously under civilian command.

“How are we going to give more power to the military if the hacked documents show that some of them have ties to crime and have protected human rights violators?” opposition lawmaker Salvador Caro asked during the debate.

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Accusations that the armed forces were involved in the disappearance of 43 students in 2014 — one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies — have added to the controversy.

In August a truth commission said that the military shared “clear responsibility” for what it called a state crime, either directly or through negligence.

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International

Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case

Judge Juan Merchan acquitted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the case involving former porn actress Stormy Daniels.

“At this moment, I am issuing this verdict to cover all 34 charges,” Merchan stated. The judge also wished Trump good luck in his second term as president.

Trump will now become the first criminal president.

Merchan declined to impose any punishment. This decision strengthens Trump’s acquittal and clears the way for his return to the White House without the threat of prison or a fine.

“Never before has this court faced such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Merchan said.

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International

Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations

Canada imposed sanctions on 14 high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan “regime” this Friday, including prominent members of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM), for their involvement in human rights violations in Venezuela.

Among those sanctioned are DGCIM prosecutors Dinorah Yoselin Bustamante Puerta and Farik Karin Salcedo Mora; the director of criminal investigations at the agency, Asdrubal José Brito Hernandez, as well as its former deputy director, Rafael Ramón Blanco Marrero.

The sanctions also target several members of the Bolivarian National Guard: its general commander, Elio Ramón Estrada Paredes; the commander of the capital region, Johan Alexander Hernández Lárez, and lieutenant colonel, Alexander Enrique Granko Arteaga.

Other individuals sanctioned include the director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Alexis José Rodríguez Cabello, and his deputy director, Miguel Antonio Muñoz Palacios; Brigadier General of the Bolivarian National Police, Rubén Darío Santiago Servigna, and Domingo Antonio Hernández Lárez, commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.

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International

María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Friday that she asked Edmundo González Urrutia, former candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), not to return to Venezuela to avoid putting himself at risk.

In a video message, Machado explained that the opposition evaluated the situation and concluded that González Urrutia would be in danger if he tried to enter Venezuela as he had planned.

González Urrutia, who claims to have won the July 28 elections with the support of more than 85% of the official voting records, had announced that he would return to Venezuela on January 10 to assume the presidency.

Earlier, Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner of those elections, took the oath of office for a third term.

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