International

Boluarte charged with genocide of Peru’s indigenous peoples

November 15 |

The National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Women of Peru (Onamiap) accused the president-designate of that nation, Dina Boluarte, for the deaths of Quechua and Aymara citizens during protests against her government that took place between December 2022 and January 2023.

The president of Onamiap, Ketty Marcelo López, presented during a hearing convened by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) a report on the consequences of the brutal repression perpetrated by the armed forces and police.

The report stated that Dina Boluarte is responsible for the crime of genocide and crimes against humanity, “in accordance with the doctrine and jurisprudence of international criminal law and the international law of indigenous peoples”.

Specifically, he pointed out that the repression was committed “to the detriment of the Quechua and Aymara indigenous peoples of the regions of Apurímac, Ayacucho, Puno and Cusco” in southern Peru.

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He affirmed that this country “is going backwards in terms of human rights and the rights of the indigenous peoples”, on whom they want to impose through violence a development model based on extractive activity, which is harmful to nature and people.

Marcelo López described this model as genocidal and blamed its defense at all costs on “a corrupt political elite”, which “is in collusion with business and military power and the open media, who are in charge of stigmatizing us”.

Regarding the criminalization of indigenous communities involved in the protests, he warned that the security forces continue to open clandestine investigations of indigenous leaders, whom they accuse of the crime of terrorism.

The repression of the protests against the parliamentary coup of December 2022, which deposed President Pedro Castillo, caused the death of 67 people, of which 49 were killed by shots fired by the Armed Forces or the Police.

Among others, there were massacres of civilians in Ayacucho (November 15 and 16, 2022, with at least ten civilians killed), Apurímac (from December 10, with at least six killed, 83 wounded and hundreds detained) and in the city of Juliaca, in Puno (January 9, 2023, with 18 protesters killed and more than one hundred wounded).

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During the IACHR hearings, held last Friday and this Monday in Lima (capital), relatives of victims of the repression denounced that the investigations of these crimes are not progressing and that those intellectually and materially responsible for them could remain in impunity.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.