International
Judge says Brazil was governed by groups with paramilitary ties
February 3rd |
Justice Gilmar Mendes, dean of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, denounced today that during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023) the South American country was “being governed by people in the shadows” with the support of paramilitary groups in Rio de Janeiro.
“What it shows is that we were being governed by people in the shadows. This is a fact of reality, people from the militia (paramilitary groups) of Rio de Janeiro with a leading role in national politics,” Mendes said today in declarations to journalists in Lisbon in the framework of the Portuguese-Brazilian business forum LIDE.
The magistrate was referring to statements made yesterday, Thursday, by Brazilian senator Marcos do Val, who accused Bolsonaro of trying to convince him to stage a coup d’état and not recognize the victory in the elections of leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who assumed the presidency of Brazil last January 1.
“We lowered the scale of political degradation,” the magistrate added.
He also advocated reforming the area of public security and the Armed Forces, since, during the attacks perpetrated in Brasília last January 8 on the headquarters of the three branches of government by radical Bolsonaristas, “there was a breakdown of the security system”.
The forum, which began today and concludes tomorrow, Saturday, in a Lisbon hotel, was attended by former Brazilian President Michel Temer, as well as members of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court and the Superior Electoral Court, among others, who have defended that normality is being restored in the country.
Among the participants was the president of the Brazilian Court of Auditors, Bruno Dantas, who defended before journalists that those responsible for the attacks of January 8 have to answer to Justice.
“History teaches that leniency is not the best way to deal with criminals. The criminal needs to be punished with the rigor of the law,” he argued.
He clarified that the damages caused by these protests are still being analyzed and that, once quantified, those responsible for the vandalism will be identified through their tax records and fined.
“It is a job that is in charge of the police, the identification of people, but when we have the list of vandals, we will hold them responsible”, measures that may even include the blocking of patrimony, he asserted.
So far, they have more than 18 million reais (about 3.2 million euros) blocked from the assets of these people.
On the other hand, Temer acknowledged that he does not believe that protests like those that occurred last January 8 will be repeated, and predicted that “absolute tranquility” will return to the country in the next few days.
“I think there was a movement that was not useful for the country. It created an image that was even negative, but, in the face of the very fast action of the Brazilian justice system, I think it is also being overcome with extraordinary speed,” he said.
Temer told EFE that Brazil “has already gone through many political, economic and social crises and overcame them all (…). A few days from now, the country will be in absolute tranquility”.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
International
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.
The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.
“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.
While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
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