Central America

Guatemalan migrant José Yovanny Bocel Conoz repatriated for burial 13 years after being killed in Mexico

The family of Guatemalan migrant José Yovanny Bocel Conoz will finally be able to lay him to rest in Guatemala. His body was repatriated from Mexico on Thursday, 13 years after he was killed by members of organized crime in that country.

The body arrived on an Aeromexico cargo flight from Mexico City to Guatemala City, confirmed Rosmary Yacs, the family’s lawyer.

In 2012, when Mexico claimed to have identified the deceased, they sent the family a body. They honored, woke, and buried it, but later learned that the body they received was not that of the young man, who was 17 years old at the time of his death.

Bocel Conoz left his community in Camanchaj, in the municipality of Chichicastenango, Quiché, a poor, indigenous area in the west of Guatemala, headed for the United States in 2011. The young man wanted to find work and support his family, who lived in extreme poverty, but his journey was cut short.

A week after beginning his journey, the migrant made his last communication with his family, telling them he was in Tamaulipas, Mexico, and would soon cross the border. He was never heard from again.

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At that time, organized crime targeted migrant groups, presumably to force them to join their ranks or extort their families by demanding ransoms in exchange for leaving them alive.

It is now known that Bocel Conoz was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by unknown assailants in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and his body ended up in a mass grave.

The family’s lawyer told The Associated Press that the process has been complicated and difficult for them. “It’s a serious violation of their rights,” she said.

When Bocel Conoz’s body arrives in his community, the family will not hold a wake. The pain and the memory of what happened have been so great that they do not want to go through that again and have decided to bury him immediately, said Yacs.

“Finally, today we hope the family can close this chapter. It hasn’t been easy,” she added.

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Sports

AC Milan defeats Juventus to secure Supercoppa Italiana final spot

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Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz, a late addition to Juventus’ starting lineup, opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a powerful strike that caught French goalkeeper Mike Maignan off guard.

However, AC Milan, under new Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição—who replaced his compatriot Paulo Fonseca earlier this week—delivered a much-improved second-half performance.

The ‘Rossoneri’ leveled the game in the 71st minute through a penalty converted by American star Christian Pulisic. Just four minutes later, their winning goal came via an own goal by Juventus defender Federico Gatti, who accidentally sent the ball past his goalkeeper, who was caught out of position.

Central America

Honduras to send delegation in place of president Castro for Maduro ceremony

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In brief statements to journalists, Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres said that Castro “will not go to Venezuela” and that a delegation will likely be sent to represent Honduras at Maduro’s swearing-in ceremony.

Regarding the $100,000 reward announced by Venezuelan police for information on the whereabouts of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, Torres remarked that it is an internal matter for Venezuela. However, he noted that the situation “reflects a tense political climate ahead of Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration.”

Central America

Panama Canal marks 25th anniversary of handover, honors Jimmy Carter

The Panama Canal celebrated its 25th anniversary of being handed over to Panama this Tuesday, with a solemn ceremony honoring the late former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, while disregarding Donald Trump’s threats to reclaim the interoceanic route.

The ceremony, held in the garden of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) headquarters near the waterway, was attended by Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and hundreds of guests, including former President Mireya Moscoso, who symbolically received the canal from Carter on December 31, 1999. “Today we feel the same emotion” as 25 years ago, Moscoso told AFP, recalling that after signing the transfer documents, Carter said to her, “it’s yours,” and she began to cry.

Mulino stated in his speech that he felt joy for the 25 years of Panamanian sovereignty over the Canal, but added, “a sadness… fills us due to the death of Jimmy Carter,” who passed away on Sunday at the age of 100. A moment of silence was observed during the ceremony in memory of the former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.