International

Colombian Peace Tribunal identifies 2,000 “false positive” victims in major step for justice

Ecuador prosecutor's office investigates SNAI for crime of Colombian inmates

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.

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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

Guatemala considers sending high-risk gang members to military prisons

Amid the escalating crisis in Guatemala’s prison system, the government is considering transferring high-risk gang members to military-run detention facilities, a move that analysts say could help address overcrowding and the lack of control in civilian prisons.

The debate has gained urgency following the killing of ten police officers by gang members, reportedly in retaliation after the government refused to meet demands made by Aldo Dupie Ochoa, alias “El Lobo,” leader of the Barrio 18 gang, which authorities identified as responsible for the attack.

Guatemala’s Minister of Defense, Henry David Sáenz, told local media that the possibility of relocating high-danger inmates to military brigades has not been formally discussed. However, he noted that the practice is not new to the Armed Forces and said it is something that “was already being done.”

One example is the detention center located within the Mariscal Zavala Military Brigade, in Zone 17 of Guatemala City, where several inmates are held under military supervision. The facility also houses high-profile detainees, including former official Eduardo Masaya, who faces corruption charges.

In 2015, a ministerial agreement authorized the establishment of the Zone Seventeen Detention Center within the brigade, with a maximum capacity of 114 inmates in Area A and 21 in Area B. The agreement specified that the facility would be used exclusively for civilians or military personnel considered at risk of assassination.

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Additionally, since 2010, a prison has operated within the Matamoros Barracks in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, holding dangerous or high-profile inmates. However, media outlets have described these military detention centers as “VIP prisons,” particularly for former government officials such as ex-president Otto Pérez Molina.

International

Rights group says over 5,000 killed in Iran protests, mostly civilians

A U.S.-based human rights group said on Friday it has confirmed that more than 5,000 people were killed during the recent protests in Iran, most of them civilians allegedly shot by security forces.

Non-governmental organizations monitoring the toll from the crackdown on what have been described as the largest demonstrations in Iran in years said their work has been hampered by an internet shutdown imposed by authorities since January 8. They warned that the actual death toll is likely significantly higher.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the United States, reported on Friday that it had verified the deaths of 5,002 people, including 4,714 protesters, 42 minors, 207 members of the security forces, and 39 bystanders.

The group added, however, that it is still investigating an additional 9,787 possible deaths, underscoring the difficulty of independently confirming information amid ongoing restrictions and repression.

International

Japan reopens Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Plant despite public concerns

La centrale nucléaire japonaise de Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, la plus grande au monde, a repris ses activités mercredi pour la première fois depuis la catastrophe de Fukushima en 2011, malgré les inquiétudes persistantes d’une partie de la population.

La remise en service a eu lieu à 19h02 heure locale (10h02 GMT), a indiqué à l’AFP Tatsuya Matoba, porte-parole de la compagnie Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco).

Le gouverneur de la préfecture de Niigata, où se situe la centrale, avait donné son feu vert à la reprise le mois dernier, en dépit d’une opinion publique divisée. Selon une enquête menée en septembre par la préfecture elle-même, 60 % des habitants se déclaraient opposés au redémarrage, contre 37 % favorables.

Mardi, plusieurs dizaines de manifestants ont bravé le froid et la neige pour protester près de l’entrée du site, sur les rives de la mer du Japon.

« L’électricité de Tokyo est produite à Kashiwazaki. Pourquoi seuls les habitants d’ici devraient-ils être exposés au danger ? Cela n’a aucun sens », a déclaré à l’AFP Yumiko Abe, une riveraine de 73 ans.

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La centrale de Kashiwazaki-Kariwa avait été mise à l’arrêt lorsque le Japon a fermé l’ensemble de ses réacteurs nucléaires à la suite du triple désastre de mars 2011 — un séisme, un tsunami et un accident nucléaire — survenu à Fukushima.