International
Colombian Peace Tribunal identifies 2,000 “false positive” victims in major step for justice
The Peace Tribunal in Colombia identified nearly 2,000 victims of “false positives” on Thursday, a term used to describe extrajudicial killings of civilians who were falsely presented as guerrilla fighters killed in combat with the military. This is a way to confirm their existence and combat sectors that question the scale of these crimes.
“Today, we are called by a civic, ethical, and moral duty: the need to honor the memory of those who were murdered and disappeared by those who were supposed to protect them,” said Alejandro Ramelli, president of the tribunal, in front of the victims’ mothers.
This symbolic act was held in memory of the 6,402 “false positive” victims identified in the tribunal’s investigations into Colombia’s internal conflict, the majority of whom were killed between 2002 and 2008.
For Ramelli, the symbolic act was necessary to “combat the relentless and shameless denialism of those who are still concerned with the numbers, not the events.”
The tribunal has received requests from some right-wing politicians to reveal exact details, such as names, identity documents, and the specifics of the murders of the 6,402 “false positive” victims, a new figure that the tribunal established through its investigations, which is three times the numbers previously known.
However, the tribunal stated on Thursday that the full list of names would be disclosed once the verification process is completed, to protect the judicial investigation and out of “respect and dignity for their families.”
More than 800 former military personnel have provided their accounts of these crimes before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the tribunal established after the peace agreement signed eight years ago between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Dozens of ex-soldiers have accepted responsibility for the extrajudicial executions.
The reading of the victims’ names was part of the exhibit “Women with Boots On,” presented by the mothers and relatives who have dedicated themselves to denouncing these cases and seeking justice.
International
Bayly Says Trump ‘Gets Along Better With Dictators’ and Criticizes U.S.–Venezuela Policy
Peruvian author and journalist Jaime Bayly said Tuesday in Madrid that U.S. President Donald Trump “gets along better with dictators than he does with democrats” and that his administration is experiencing “a honeymoon with the Venezuelan dictatorship,” according to a report on his remarks during the launch of his new novel Los golpistas (Galaxia Gutenberg).
Bayly made the comments while presenting the book, which reconstructs the turbulent three days in April 2002 when Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez briefly lost power. He also sharply criticized the current Venezuelan leadership, saying that Delcy Rodríguez should be recognized as a dictator and “a continuation of Maduro’s dictatorship.”
The writer lamented that the failed 2002 coup — which he described as carried out by “amateurs” — did not lead to free elections that might have restored democracy to Venezuela. He argued that, even now, U.S. policy under Trump seems more focused on securing access to Venezuelan oil than on supporting Venezuelans’ freedom. “Venezuela could have chosen a free, clean and legitimate government — which we still impatiently await despite Trump, who only seems interested in freeing Venezuelan oil, not Venezuelans,” Bayly said.
Bayly also claimed that “every day that passes, Trump seems more enchanted with Delcy,” suggesting that Washington might leave Venezuelan leaders in power so long as they cooperate on economic interests.
A U.S. citizen who has lived in Miami for decades, Bayly said he is proud never to have voted for Trump, whom he described as “servile with the powerful and cruel with the weak.” He also criticized U.S. immigration enforcement as abusive.
Regarding the book’s creative process, Bayly said he combined extensive documentation and interviews with historical events, weaving fictional dialogue and narrative into real episodes without altering core facts. Los golpistas explores why the April 2002 coup attempt against Chávez failed and how key figures such as Chávez and Cuban leader Fidel Castroshaped modern Venezuelan history.
International
Maduro and Cilia Flores Receive Consular Visit in U.S. Jail Ahead of March 26 Hearing
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is detained in the United States, and his wife, Cilia Flores, received a consular visit from a Venezuelan government official on January 30 while they remain in a New York jail awaiting their next court appearance, scheduled for March 26, 2026, according to a court filing.
The notification, submitted to the judge by prosecutors and the defense and now part of the digital case file, states that Maduro and Flores were visited by “an official representing the Republic of Venezuela to help facilitate any services the accused needed.”
The document also notes that U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered the U.S. prosecutor’s office at the couple’s first court appearance on January 5 to ensure they had access to consular services and to inform the court when such access was provided.
Their next hearing was postponed by the court from an original date of March 17 to March 26 at 11:00 a.m., after prosecutors, with the consent of the defense, requested extra time to gather evidence, allow the defense to review it, and determine which pretrial motions they will file, the filing says.
Maduro has denied wrongdoing, calling himself “innocent” of the narcotics charges authorities have brought in federal court.
International
Rubio Engages in Quiet Discussions With Castro Family as U.S. Pressures Havana
El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, sostuvo conversaciones secretas con Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, nieto y actual cuidador del expresidente cubano Raúl Castro, según reveló este miércoles el medio estadounidense Axios. Los contactos se producen en un contexto de fuerte presión de Washington sobre el Gobierno de La Habana.
De acuerdo con la publicación, los diálogos han evitado los canales oficiales del Ejecutivo cubano y reflejan que la administración del Presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, considera al exmandatario de 94 años como la figura que aún influye en las decisiones clave de la isla. Un alto funcionario citado por Axios matizó el carácter de los encuentros al afirmar: «Yo no las llamaría ‘negociaciones’, sino ‘discusiones’ sobre el futuro».
Rubio, de ascendencia cubana, y su equipo ven en Rodríguez Castro, de 41 años, y su entorno a una generación más joven y con mentalidad empresarial, que percibe agotado el modelo comunista tradicional y valora un eventual acercamiento con Estados Unidos. “Nuestra postura —la postura del gobierno estadounidense— es que el régimen tiene que irse”, declaró el funcionario a Axios, al tiempo que agregó que “pero cómo se verá eso exactamente depende del presidente Trump y aún no lo ha decidido. Rubio sigue en conversaciones con su nieto”.
Según fuentes citadas por el medio, asesores de Trump han mantenido contactos con otros actores influyentes en Cuba, pero consideran al nieto de Castro una figura clave por su cercanía con el exmandatario y sus vínculos con el conglomerado militar-empresarial GAESA. Una fuente describió los intercambios como “sorprendentemente” amistosos.
Las revelaciones surgen mientras el Presidente de Estados Unidos confirmó recientemente que su Gobierno mantiene conversaciones con altos funcionarios cubanos, aunque La Habana lo ha negado. “Estamos hablando con Cuba ahora mismo. (El secretario de Estado de EE.UU.) Marco Rubio está hablando con Cuba ahora mismo, y deberían totalmente llegar a un acuerdo, porque es… realmente, una amenaza humanitaria”, declaró el mandatario a bordo del avión presidencial.
El endurecimiento del bloqueo energético estadounidense ha profundizado la crisis en la isla, con apagones prolongados, reducción de servicios en hospitales y oficinas públicas, y limitaciones en el abastecimiento de productos, lo que añade presión a un eventual diálogo entre Washington y La Habana.
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