International
Colombia ex-leader Uribe denies blame for killings
AFP
Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe denied responsibility for the murder of thousands of civilians by the military during his government’s crackdown on guerrillas in testimony before a special commission Monday.
The military carried out at least 6,400 extrajudicial killings between 2002 and 2008, during Uribe’s presidency, a special court investigating Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict found in June.
The court, known by its initials JEP, and a Truth Commission were set up under the 2016 peace deal that ended a decades-long conflict between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerillas.
In testimony delivered from his home Uribe told Truth Commission members that he should not be held responsible for the actions of military that he never ordered.
“The guilt never belongs to the one who demands transparent results (but) belongs to the hapless criminal who commits crimes to fake results,” Uribe said in remarks broadcast on social media.
“Some hapless people believed that committing crimes was producing results.”
The JEP and the Truth Commission are looking into the worst abuses committed by leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and soldiers during the conflict.
Those who confess responsibility and compensate the victims can avoid prison time, but those who don’t face up to 20 years in jail.
Under the peace deal, Uribe cannot be prosecuted by the court. His statements Monday were voluntary.
Uribe’s successor, President Juan Manuel Santos, told the court in June that the crimes were committed due to government pressure to deliver results in the fight against the guerrillas.
Some military members have already admitted to killing civilians in return for days off, travel and other benefits.
But Uribe claimed that military personnel “are being forced to recognize crimes that weren’t committed to protect their freedom.”
Uribe opposed the peace process, which was initially rejected in a referendum before being renegotiated and ratified by congress.
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.
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.
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.
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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