International
A military judge sends the Supreme court trial against colonels accused of coup in Brazil
A military judge sent this Monday to the Supreme Court a process against four Army colonels accused of coup in Brazil for considering that the case is related to others already investigated by the highest court on the attempted coup d’état against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The federal military judge responsible for the case, Alexandre Augusto Quintas, considered that, because they are common crimes already investigated by the Supreme Court, the Military Justice has no competence in the process, the Military Court of Justice of the Union reported in a statement.
The four officers were accused of having written a letter at the end of 2022 to try to pressure their superiors, especially the Army command, to take measures to prevent the investiture of Lula, winner of that year’s presidential elections.
At the time, thousands of followers of the then Brazilian president and defeated in the elections, the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, camped in front of the barracks throughout the country with the intention of pressuring the Armed Forces to promote a coup.
The Army opened a military police investigation against the colonels for the authorship of the document, which concluded with the request for the opening of a trial against them for the crimes of incitement to disobedience and indiscipline.
According to the note, the process “noted that the officers participated in the authorship and review of the document, which consisted, in summary, of a public criticism of authorities and institutions, especially the commander of the Brazilian Army.”
According to Quintas, the facts investigated by the Military Justice have a connection with several investigated by the Federal Police in processes instructed by Magistrate Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supreme Court.
Such cases include the assaults against the headquarters of the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court on January 8, 2023 in which thousands of Bolsonaroists tried to force a coup d’état, and the alleged conspiracies of some members of the government of the far-right leader to try to prevent Lula’s investiture.
As part of one of such processes, the Federal Police requested last December the opening of a trial against 40 accused of plotting a coup d’état, including Bolsonaro and former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, who has been imprisoned since December.
According to the military judge, three of the colonels accused of drafting the coup letter are among the 40 investigated in the process for attempted coup d’état in Brazil, violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law and association to commit crime.
Quintas cited in his decision a sentence in which the Supreme Court determined as its competence to prosecute and judge all crimes related to coup acts, regardless of whether those investigated are civilians or military.
“Therefore, there is no competence of the Military Justice of the Union to prosecute or judge military personnel of the Armed Forces for the practice of crimes that occurred on January 8, 2023, especially those provided for in the Criminal Code such as terrorist acts, threat, persecution, incitement to crime, criminal association, violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law and coup d’état, all already under the appreciation of the Supreme Court,” the magistrate concluded.
International
U.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial
Two days after a U.S. military attack on a military complex in Caracas, Havana confirmed that 32 members of its security forces were killed in the operation, some of whom were likely responsible for protecting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan government also reported that 23 of its own military personnel died during the assault.
Of the Cuban dead, 21 belonged to the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees intelligence services, and 11 were from the Revolutionary Armed Forces. No official information has been released regarding potential injuries.
Experts consulted by AFP agreed that the element of surprise was the key to the success of the U.S. military operation, which was meticulously prepared over months and kept entirely secret. “Cuban intelligence … convinced the Maduro regime and its security agencies that the United States would never attack Venezuelan territory,” explained José Gustavo Arocha, a former Venezuelan army officer and expert at the Center for a Secure Free Society, a U.S. defense think tank.
Fulton Armstrong, a former U.S. intelligence officer and Latin America researcher at American University in Washington, also highlighted the failure to anticipate the attack and to detect U.S. helicopters entering Venezuelan airspace, noting that even a five- to ten-minute warning could have made a significant difference for the guards and for Maduro.
U.S. forces additionally benefited from “incredible” real-time intelligence provided by stealth drones to monitor movements of the Venezuelan leader, according to experts. A highly sophisticated combat team was deployed, and analysts believe the order to “fire to kill” was likely given.
Paul Hare, former British ambassador to Cuba and Venezuela, added that Cuban intelligence also underestimated the extent of U.S. access to internal cooperation within Venezuela’s security apparatus, contributing to the operation’s success.
International
Report: Vatican mediation included russian asylum offer ahead of Maduro’s capture
The Vatican reportedly attempted to negotiate an offer of asylum in Russia for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro before his capture by U.S. forces last Saturday, according to The Washington Post.
The U.S. newspaper reported that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke with U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch about a supposed Russian proposal to grant Maduro asylum. A source familiar with the offer said that what was proposed “was that he would leave and be able to enjoy his money,” and that part of the plan involved Russian President Vladimir Putin guaranteeing Maduro’s security.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, the United States carried out a military operation that resulted in Maduro’s capture and detention, along with his wife Cilia Flores, who are now being held in New York on narcoterrorism charges.
The Washington Post also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump may have invited Maduro to Washington for in-person discussions about safe conduct, an offer that Maduro reportedly declined.
International
Pope Leo XIV warns of rising “war enthusiasm” in global politics
“War is becoming fashionable again, and war enthusiasm is spreading.” Pope Leo XIV delivered a somber assessment of international politics on Friday, sharply criticizing the growing reliance on force by nations at a time when his country of birth is increasing military displays.
While offering New Year’s greetings to the diplomatic corps, the U.S.-born pope — who also holds Peruvian nationality — delivered one of his strongest speeches to date, denouncing the “worrying weakening of multilateralism” and the emergence of what he described as “war enthusiasm.”
From the outset of his address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, delivered in English, the pontiff lamented the rise of a “diplomacy of force, by individuals or groups of allied states,” at the expense of dialogue, warning that such trends threaten the global order established after World War II.
“Peace is no longer sought as a gift or as a good desirable in itself, or as the pursuit of ‘the establishment of an order willed by God, one that entails greater justice among human beings.’ Instead, it is pursued through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominance,” the head of the Catholic Church said, without directly naming any country.
His remarks come amid ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Gaza Strip, and against a broader international backdrop marked by European concerns over a potential U.S. takeover of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, a scenario that could threaten the cohesion of NATO.
U.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial
Report: Vatican mediation included russian asylum offer ahead of Maduro’s capture
Pope Leo XIV warns of rising “war enthusiasm” in global politics
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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