International
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office processes the request for an arrest warrant against Javier Milei
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office is processing the request for an arrest warrant against the President of Argentina, Javier Milei – to whom it opened “an investigation” – for the “theft” of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane that was detained in Buenos Aires since June 2022 and was sent to the United States in February, the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, reported on Wednesday.
The institution “announces the assignment of two prosecutors specialized in the matter, who are advancing the relevant steps to the case and are processing the arrest warrant” also against the Secretary General of the Presidency of Argentina, Karina Milei, and the Minister of Security of the Southern Country, Patricia Bullrich.
“This, in the coming hours, will have its consequences in a competent court here in Venezuela with the respective arrest warrants in the competent bodies, because that cannot go unpunished,” said Saab, whose statements were transmitted by the state channel VTV.
He explained that, in the case of the plane, which was “totally dismantled” in the United States, the crimes of “aggravated theft, legitimation of capital, illegitimate deprivation of liberty, simulation of a punishable act, illicit interference, aircraft inactivation and criminal association” were incurred, according to Venezuelan legislation.
On the other hand, Saab reported the appointment of a “specialized prosecutor in human rights protection to carry out the corresponding investigations” against Milei and Bullrich for “the actions committed against the Argentine people.”
“We could be in the presence of serious human rights violations that could constitute crimes against humanity,” he said.
In that sense, the prosecutor, who called Milei “fascist” and “neo-Nazi,” said that in Argentina a “program of premeditated institutional violence” is applied against his population, so he pointed to the president of the southern country as “the most fierce human rights violator on the continent” and as “a brutal danger to the entire hemisphere.”
This month, the Argentine Foreign Ministry urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to request an arrest warrant against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and “other leaders of the regime,” in the face of “the worsening situation” after the presidential elections in the Caribbean country on July 28.
The Government of Argentina repudiated on Wednesday the decision of the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office to process the request for an arrest warrant against Argentine President Javier Milei, in the case of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane detained in Buenos Aires since 2022 and sent to the United States last February.
“The Argentine Republic repudiates the arrest warrants issued by the Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela against the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, and the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, following the incident of the Emtrasur plane,” the Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Government of Milei, “the aforementioned case was resolved by the Judiciary, an independent power over which the Executive cannot and should not have any interference, in application of an international agreement.”
“The Argentine government reminds the Venezuelan regime that the division of powers and the independence of judges prevail in the Argentine Republic, something that unfortunately does not happen in Venezuela under the regime of Nicolás Maduro,” the statement adds.
International
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.
The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.
On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.
International
U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.
On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.
This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.
The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.
The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.
International
Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday highlighted her government’s achievements in the fight against drug trafficking, after the United States said challenges remain in combating organized crime.
On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held talks with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Following the meeting, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that “despite progress, challenges still exist” in addressing organized crime.
“There are very strong results from joint cooperation and from the work Mexico is doing: first, a 50% reduction in fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border,” Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference.
The president also said that authorities have seized nearly 320 tons of drugs and that there has been a “40% decrease in intentional homicides in Mexico” since the start of her administration on October 1, 2024.
Sheinbaum added that the United States should implement campaigns to reduce drug consumption within its territory and curb the flow of weapons into Mexico.
“There are many results and there will be more, but there must be mutual respect and shared responsibility, as well as respect for our sovereignties,” she said.
On Monday, Sheinbaum held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss security issues. She said she once again ruled out the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico to fight drug cartels.
Security has been a recurring issue used by Trump to threaten tariffs on Mexico and to pressure negotiations over the USMCA (T-MEC) free trade agreement, which are scheduled for 2026.
The agreement is crucial for Mexico’s economy, as about 80% of the country’s exports are destined for the United States.
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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