International
Colombian State offers public apology for false positives in Bogota and Soacha
October 4 |
The act of public apology for the extrajudicial executions of which young residents of Bogota, capital of Colombia, and the municipality of Soacha, in Cundinamarca, were victims, took place this Tuesday in Bogota’s Plaza de Bolivar.
The Minister of National Defense Iván Velásquez indicated that after a meeting held in the afternoon with the mothers of the victims, each one of them referred to what happened to their children.
On behalf of the State, Velásquez appeared before the international community to apologize for the crimes that have been called false positives, true extrajudicial executions, and stressed the need for truth.
“Today, committed to truth and justice, we present ourselves before the victims, before the Colombian society, we present ourselves before the community to say sorry, this should never have happened and it cannot happen again”, he assured.
The Minister of National Defense also emphasized that despite tonight’s public act, “we still need to know the truth of what has been happening in the country for so many decades, in order to achieve guarantees of non-repetition. Only the truth can restore to achieve the forgiveness we need”.
For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro acknowledged that it is not an easy journey, because it is paradoxical that after making accusations for years, in the name of the State, he has to ask for forgiveness.
In this sense, he stressed that the flow of history makes that societies are built from their own mistakes to learn to be human.
“In what is specifically human and not animal, we have learned to kill the other, for power, for greed. We have developed a history of power, profoundly more barbaric than that developed by certain animal species”, he said.
The head of state alluded to the history of genocides in the world, and acknowledged that Colombian history began with the genocides of the Spaniards, then those that were evident in the republican life of the nineteenth century and later, those that were carried out in the name of the homeland or ideas that ended up defending greed.
In this sense, he stressed the need to retake the historical memory, to avoid that extrajudicial executions such as those of the young people whose mothers the State asked for forgiveness from happening again.
“You are the mothers of the homeland. The mothers they wanted to silence. The mothers whom greed wanted to see silenced, who were a joke, who were mocked. That is why they transformed the words, so that people would think they were crazy,” he stressed.
In this regard, the dignitary pointed out that this greed and desire for power killed those 6,402 young people, it was not the bullets, but it is an act that remains in the history of the Army.
“Here they killed to concentrate wealth, to keep the land. Here they killed to keep the oil. Here they killed to keep the cocaine profits, for greed, and they are willing to kill more,” he denounced.
The president urged to take a space for reflection, which passes first of all because the truth is known and to take up the initiatives of other peoples of the world to prevent the continuation of the killings within societies.
“Colombians are us, a collective. We have to rebuild ourselves on the basis of the truth, that is why I thank the Special Justice for Peace that they wanted to conclude their work in such a way. We have to tell those magistrates to work more, because more and more truth is needed, without fear”, he emphasized.
In this sense, the president asked them to discover the truth, because they have the support of both the soldiers and the current government, so that life may flow after so much death in the South American country, for the sake of reconciliation.
He explained that the concept of social forgiveness, which he issued during his campaign, can help to rebuild the country, as has happened in Spain, Germany, France and even the United States.
Likewise, he indicated that the truth also needs the Prosecutor’s Office to carry out investigations in the context of the current corruption regime, as a legacy of five decades of drug trafficking that propitiated the arrival to power of criminals in Colombia who, out of greed, have become genocidal.
International
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
A U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, according to Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, marking the latest in a series of attacks in international waters.
The United States has deployed ships to the Caribbean and sent fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of a large military force that Washington says is aimed at curbing drug trafficking.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known to our intelligence for being involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,” Hegseth stated on X. “Three narcoterrorists were aboard the vessel during the attack, which took place in international waters,” he added.
Experts argue that the attacks, which began in early September, amount to extrajudicial executions, even if the targets are known traffickers.
Washington has yet to publicly provide evidence that the targeted individuals were actively smuggling drugs or posed a threat to the United States.
Hegseth said the U.S. would continue “hunting… and killing” suspected traffickers. He also shared video footage of the strike, showing the vessel being hit and engulfed in flames. As in previous videos, sections of the ship were blurred, making it impossible to verify the number of people on board.
The United Nations called on Friday for Washington to halt its attacks.
International
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
At least 23 people were killed and 11 others injured in an explosion at a supermarket in Hermosillo, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, local authorities reported on Saturday.
“So far, there are 23 confirmed deaths and 11 injured, including minors,” said Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo in a video message. He added that the injured are receiving treatment in various hospitals across the city.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the causes of the incident and assign responsibility where appropriate,” Durazo said.
The explosion occurred at a Waldo’s store in downtown Hermosillo. Local authorities confirmed that the incident was not an attack nor related to any violent act against civilians.
Meanwhile, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences on X, offering sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
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