International
Haiti’s most powerful gang leader proposes to lay down his arms in pursuit of a national dialogue
Former police officer Jimmy Cherisier, alias ‘Barbecue’, the most powerful armed gang leader in Haiti, proposed this Friday to Prime Minister, Garry Conille, to lay down his arms in an attempt to engage in a national dialogue with a view to recovering peace.
“We have decided to publicly announce that our strategy of laying down arms to facilitate national dialogue and promote peace is already written in black and white on our agenda,” Cherisier, who leads the coalition of armed gangs Vivre Ensemble (Living Together), told the media.
With a red garnet jacket and glasses, it was another Barbacue who appeared before the press today, with a written speech.
A man who usually allows himself to be seen armed and prepared for combat, this time showed a different tone and gestures, repeating again and again his call to national dialogue.
“We are willing to choose a credible and coherent Haitian citizen in the diaspora to facilitate dialogue in order to end this mafia war and facilitate the path to peace in the country,” Barbecue insisted.
Too many divisions, discord and conflicts between local actors have led the international community to look for Garry Conille and put him as prime minister, he recalled, denouncing the “political and economic mafia that keeps the country kidnapped.”
“We want peace because we want to destroy the war. We want dialogue because we want peace. All those who do not want dialogue sat in the war,” said the leader of the most powerful gangs in the country.
According to Barbecue, the weapons used by his men have been put in their hands by “personalities,” who have also sold them weapons.
The former policeman admitted to having made “several mistakes” in his activities as a gang leader.
“Why won’t this man, Dr. Garry Conille, take advantage of the national dialogue to end the war and bring peace back to the whole country?” he wondered.
According to Cherisier, the prime minister must clearly understand that national dialogue is the only way to ensure that the country does not follow the same course that it has tridled so far.
“Only through national dialogue will the Haitian State be able to regain control of the country’s territories, as required by the current Constitution,” said Barbecue, who did not cease to praise Conille’s merits.
He also affirmed that armed gangs should be considered rebel forces, not gangs.
“Let’s focus on the real solution, which is the national dialogue, where every Haitian, without discrimination, has the right to speak. And that’s what the mafias don’t want. They don’t want dialogue because they want to continue with the war,” he said, without identifying those “mafias.”
Barbacue, a powerful gang leader, has received accusations of committing several massacres, murders and homicides in the country. His name Barbecue comes from the fact that he burned his adversaries in an oven once they were captured.
The last crime committed by the leader of the gang – which he himself has claimed – was the murder of three police officers from the Elite Anti-Pang Unit (UTAG, in French) of the National Police in his bastion of Delmas 18, Sans Fil, on Sunday, June 9.
The ex-police is at the head of the two most powerful coalitions of armed gangs in Haiti, the G9 and the GPEP.
Last February, the armed coalition Vivre Ensemble created a situation of terror in Haiti, facing the police, destroying and burning police stations and expelling thousands of residents from their homes. The center of Port-au-Prince is totally destroyed due to the terror of the armed gangs, which dominate much of the capital.
A first contingent of police officers from Kenya have been in Port-au-Prince for more than a week, as part of an advance of 1,000 agents from that country who, together with members of security forces from other nations, will form a multinational mission to help the Haitian authorities regain control of the country.
International
Spanish Government Targets ‘Big Tech Impunity’ in AI Image Scandal
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, announced Tuesday that his government will ask prosecutors to investigate X, Meta and TikTok over the alleged creation and distribution of sexually explicit images involving minors generated through artificial intelligence.
In a post on X, Sánchez said the government would formally request that the Public Prosecutor’s Office examine potential crimes that these platforms may have committed by allowing or facilitating the use of AI tools to generate such content.
“These platforms are harming the mental health, dignity and rights of our children,” Sánchez wrote, adding that “the impunity of the giants must end.”
In recent weeks, the Spanish leader has publicly clashed with tech figures such as Elon Musk and Pavel Durov after announcing on February 3 his intention to ban social media access for minors under the age of 16.
Sánchez also signaled plans to amend legislation so that platform executives could be held legally responsible for certain violations committed on their websites.
According to figures released Tuesday by the government, one in five young people in Spain — particularly girls and teenage minors — say they have experienced the circulation of AI-generated fake nude images of themselves while underage.
International
Father Faces Murder Charges in Georgia School Shooting Case
Colin Gray, 55, appeared in court Monday facing charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the September 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School, carried out by his son, Colt.
Two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed, and nine others were injured in the shooting in Winder, Georgia. Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time and is now 16, has been charged as an adult and is awaiting a trial date.
During opening statements, prosecutors alleged that Gray gave his son the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite prior warnings that the teenager had threatened to carry out a school shooting.
According to the FBI, local authorities interviewed Colt and his father in May 2023 after receiving anonymous reports about online threats made by the teen.
“This case is about this defendant and his actions—allowing a minor in his custody to have access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that the minor intended to harm others,” said Brad Smith, the Barrow County prosecutor.
Defense attorney Brian Hobbs told jurors that Colin Gray was unaware of his son’s intentions and had sought help for the teenager’s declining mental health.
School shootings remain a recurring issue in the United States, where firearms outnumber people and regulations governing the purchase of even high-powered, military-style rifles are relatively permissive.
Central America
Guatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras Loses Bid for Constitutional Court Seat
Guatemala’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States over corruption allegations, lost a key vote on Monday in which a public university selected two of the 10 magistrates for the country’s highest constitutional court. However, she could still seek a seat through another nominating body.
The election of five full magistrates and five alternates to the Corte de Constitucionalidad (CC) is taking place gradually over more than two months and is considered crucial in the ongoing struggle for control of Guatemala’s judiciary, which critics say has long been influenced by a political and economic elite accused of corruption.
According to results announced at a press conference, the governing council of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) rejected Porras, who had applied as either a full or alternate magistrate, and instead chose two candidates aligned with the university rector. The vote was held at a hotel in Antigua, about 35 kilometers from the capital.
Despite the setback, Porras — whose term as attorney general ends on May 16 — could still be nominated to the Constitutional Court by the Corte Suprema de Justicia, which appoints two magistrates. The remaining six are selected by the president, the bar association and Congress.
“It’s always a possibility,” the 72-year-old lawyer said days earlier when asked by reporters whether she would seek nomination through another institution if she lost the USAC vote.
Porras has been sanctioned by Washington and the European Union for allegedly attempting two years ago to block the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo and for pursuing legal actions against anti-corruption prosecutors, judges, journalists and social leaders since taking office in 2018.
The USAC vote was controversial because most members of the university’s governing council are serving beyond the expiration of their terms. Students, academics and social activists staged protests against Porras’ candidacy.
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