International

Alarm is growing in Russia for crimes of convicts pardoned by Putin to fight in Ukraine

The increase in crimes committed by convicts pardoned to fight in Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has triggered the social alarm among Russians.

“The murder of a 12-year-old girl in the Kémerovo region has revealed a terrible threat (…) A man tried on several occasions, convicted of homicide, was released from prison to participate in the war and returned to civilian life committed a new brutal crime,” Russian deputy Nina Ostánina denounced on Telegram.

The crime, which has impacted Russian society, came to light on Wednesday, when the lifeless body of the minor was found with signs of a violent death.

The authorities attributed it to a former war combatant who had been recruited from prison, where he was serving a sentence of 13 and a half years for the murder of a woman, after having been tried at least six times for various crimes.

The legislator, responsible for the committee for the protection of the family and children of the Russian Duma or chamber of deputies, warned that “there will be more crimes like this.”

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“When returning from the front, these people turned out not to be ready for their social reintegration and represent a threat to society,” he said.

Therefore, he called on the Russian authorities to “assume the responsibility of protecting citizens from criminals like these” through “constant control” and help their reintegration into labor.

In addition, he made the preparations for a bill that would regulate this matter.

“We must act without delay. Nightmares like this cannot be allowed to repeat. Our children deserve a safe life and protection from ruthless criminals,” he said.

After the beginning of the war in Ukraine and the call to the ranks of inmates, a practice promoted by the Russian mercenary company Wagner, Russia has been affected by a wave of crimes and crimes committed by these people upon their return from the battlefield.

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This same Thursday, the digital media Gazeta.ru reported the case of a pregnant young woman who lost her child as a result of a beating by a member of Wagner who had also been recruited from between bars.

The doctors found that the woman suffered head injuries, fracture of ribs and phalanges of the hands, as well as multiple bruises and cardinals, however, despite the fact that the culprit was arrested, he managed to avoid the trial when he returned to the front.

In April of this year, another Wagnerite killed a woman in the Leningrad region and dismembered her; and in March, another ex-convict and member of Wagner stabbed at least 15 times to the woman he lived with and later cut her ear, just two examples from a long list.

According to the independent digital media Viorstka, in the last two years about fifty people have died at the hands of veterans of war in Ukraine recruited from Russian prisons.

Most of the victims turn out to be the relatives or neighbors of these people for domestic reasons and are usually crimes related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.