International
López Obrador criticizes Supreme Court president
March 2nd |
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday questioned the president of the Supreme Court of Justice for defending the autonomy of judges and affirmed that after she took office at the beginning of the year, “a wave of decisions in favor of alleged criminals” was unleashed.
In a veiled threat to the separation of powers, López Obrador reiterated his criticism of the Judicial Power and expressed his differences with the president of the highest court, Norma Piña, who last month advocated for judicial independence.
The president has already attacked independent regulatory agencies and cut funds to the National Electoral Institute, which has sparked intense debate in the country and questioning from the media, which has become a target in his morning conferences, and more recently from the U.S. State Department.
“Now that the new minister has arrived, she declares in an extreme formalism, as if the judges were all-powerful, that they are autonomous, that they can do whatever they want, and as soon as the new president arrived, a wave of resolutions in favor of alleged criminals is unleashed”, said the president during his morning conference.
López Obrador harshly criticized the Council of the Federal Judiciary, which he called a “flower vase” for not exercising its function of investigating judges and affirmed that during the administration of Minister Arturo Zaldívar, who preceded Piña as president of the Supreme Court, “there was a little more vigilance towards judges”.
Sergio Méndez, lawyer of the civil organization Fundación para la Justicia, which defends the Rule of Law and supports victims of human rights violations, considered the governor’s pronouncement “wrong” and affirmed that his remarks can be assumed as a “form of pressure on the Judicial Power” that affects its independence.
“It is necessary to channel the disagreements in an institutional manner”, said Méndez, stating that it is delicate that the president generalizes with “vague” statements and added that a careful analysis should be made to know what led a judge to decide in a certain case and to evaluate the performance of the Prosecutor’s Office, because sometimes there are failures in the formulation of the accusations and in the evidence.
In January, a few days after Piña became the first woman to become president of the Supreme Court, López Obrador expressed his first disagreements with the minister by stating that with her arrival to the highest court “unfortunately” a reform of the Judicial Branch would not be possible and that she “has always voted against the initiatives that we have defended”.
The Mexican Supreme Court of Justice has been hit in the last months by the scandal generated after the report of the alleged plagiarism of the graduate thesis of Minister Yasmín Esquivel, pointed out as being close to López Obrador and who applied to head the highest court.
A committee of the Facultad de Estudios Superiores Aragón of Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma (UNAM) determined in January that Esquivel’s 1987 thesis was a “substantial copy” of another submitted in 1986, but the school indicated that it had no rules that would allow it to withdraw her degree or professional license. Following this pronouncement, UNAM left the minister’s case in the hands of an Ethics Committee to consider possible further action.
A court in the Mexican capital agreed the day before to a precautionary measure of “definitive suspension” that prevents the UNAM Ethics Committee from issuing a resolution on Esquivel’s case until the amparo requested by the minister is resolved.
Recently, an investigation by the newspaper El País revealed that the minister had also plagiarized her doctoral thesis, but the university where she obtained that degree ruled out investigating the complaint.
In 2021, López Obrador promoted a reform of the Judicial Branch that extended the term of office of Zaldívar and the members of the Federal Judiciary Council for two years, but the change did not prosper because it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court itself.
International
Petro expresses concern over fatal shooting during mass protests in Lima
Colombian President Gustavo Petro voiced his “concern” on Thursday over recent events in Peru, following the death of a protester reportedly shot during a massive demonstration in Lima against the government and Congress.
“I must express my concern over the events in Peru. A young artist has been killed in citizens’ protests,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Colombian leader also noted that in Peru, “a popularly elected president remains imprisoned without conviction,” referring to Pedro Castillo, who led the country from July 2021 to December 2022 until he was removed by Congress following a failed attempted coup.
“This is a blatant violation of the American Convention on Human Rights,” Petro stated, adding, “I hope Peru seeks social and political dialogue to legitimize its public institutions.”
On Wednesday, Peru experienced widespread protests in several cities, with the largest demonstration in Lima in recent years, driven by citizens’ concerns over corruption and public insecurity.
During the capital’s mobilization, the Ombudsman’s Office confirmed the death of Eduardo Ruiz, 32, and reported clashes that left over 100 injured, including 78 police officers and 24 protesters, as well as ten arrests.
The Attorney General’s Office, investigating Ruiz’s death “in the context of serious human rights violations,” confirmed that the protester was shot.
International
Peru’s interim president José Jerí refuses to resign after protester’s death in Lima
Peru’s interim president, José Jerí, stated Thursday that he has no intention of resigning from the post he assumed last Friday, following the removal of former president Dina Boluarte, despite growing unrest over the death of a protester during massive demonstrations in Lima on Wednesday.
“I will not resign,” Jerí declared outside the Government Palace in Lima, where he returned on foot after making a surprise visit to Congress headquarters alongside Prime Minister Ernesto Álvarez.
Earlier, after leaving the Legislative Palace, the president acknowledged that the country is going through “difficult times” and condemned what he described as “a small group attempting to impose an agenda different from the citizens’ expression of discontent.”
Jerí expressed condolences for the death of Eduardo Ruiz, a 32-year-old man who died during Wednesday’s protest against the government and Congress, amid growing anger over corruption and insecurity.
“We stand in solidarity with his family,” he said, without offering further details about the incident, which has sparked outrage among Peruvians.
The president also described the demonstrations as “a legitimate civic expression” that later turned violent due to “certain groups seeking to provoke chaos by exploiting a peaceful citizen movement.”
“In a state governed by the rule of law, the rights of both demonstrators and security forces must be protected,” Jerí emphasized, adding that “as a result of that situation, this unfortunate death occurred outside the main area where the protest was taking place.”
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
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