International
Only 55 released of the more than 1,400 detainees and protests over elections in Venezuela
The NGO of Venezuela Foro Penal assured on Thursday that of the more than 1,400 detainees that it has been able to confirm, after the protests recorded against the official result of the presidential elections by which the electoral authorities proclaimed the victory of Nicolás Maduro, only 55 people have been released.
“Few people have been liberated. We have only added, of the more than 1,400 people arrested, 55 people who have been released,” explained the president of the Criminal Forum, Alfredo Romero, after an activity of advising relatives of these detainees, together with the NGO Provea.
Romero did not detail the ages of those released so far because, he said, the NGO has counted a total of 118 adolescents, between 13 and 17 years of age, among those arrested after the protests.
He also recalled that among those apprehended there are people with disabilities, as well as a citizen who is within the autism spectrum.
“There is a deaf person detained, there are people with, in addition to disabilities, with diseases of some kind, chronic,” he added.
The activist indicated that most of the arrests took place in the context of the demonstrations against the official result of the presidential elections but – he explained – they are verifying complaints of “selective” arrests, in which security officials take people who are inside their homes.
Meanwhile, Leticia Torrealba, mother of a 16-year-old man arrested, explained in the activity that her son was arrested on July 29 when he was walking with other friends on the street and were approached by officials of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB, Militarized Police).
“He is 16 years old and this is really distressing, I do not wish this to anyone that one has a minor and that they have him in that situation, it is difficult for one, because it is very difficult for one to smile and see other people well (…) really one feels very breakable,” he said.
According to the Venezuelan Executive, more than 2,400 people were arrested in the context of the protests unleashed after the elections of July 28, in which, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, 25 deaths were recorded.
International
Long wait at the Vatican: experts defend lengthy papal election process
The media present to cover the event expressed concern about the delay.
However, experts explained that the wait was normal and called for patience.
“I expected it to take even longer—not only because of Father or Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa (who gave the meditation after the Sistine Chapel doors were closed), who tends to preach at length—but also because the oath-taking dragged on much more than the last time,” said Kurt Martens, a professor at the School of Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, speaking to CNN.
He explained that each cardinal must walk up to the altar to cast his vote, and while there, must pronounce the oath in Latin:
“I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will judge me, that I give my vote to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”
Even if each cardinal took only one minute, with a record 133 voting cardinals, just casting the votes would take 133 minutes—over two hours.
“It’s not like you have twenty-somethings sprinting to the altar, so it takes time,” Martens added.
In addition, time must be taken to select scrutineers or to assist any cardinal who is ill and unable to physically be in the Sistine Chapel.
Then comes the vote counting, which also takes time. “It’s a long process,” Martens said. His advice for the next days of voting, which will include four rounds per day:
“Be patient.”
Other experts recalled past conclaves, such as the one that elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, when a cardinal mistakenly cast two ballots (one of them blank), which forced the vote to be restarted.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were no reports of any such issues.
If no pope is elected after the first three days, the fourth day (Sunday, as Wednesday’s vote does not count) will be a day of reflection, without voting. If the conclave continues, the cardinals may eventually vote between the top two candidates. A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope.
Once a winner is chosen, white smoke will rise from the chimney, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica will ring, and shortly after, the pope’s baptismal name and chosen papal name will be announced to the world.
International
Xiomara Castro’s government vows to protect citizens amid threat reports
The government of President Xiomara Castro pledged on Tuesday to do “everything in its power” to protect the Honduran people and conduct necessary investigations following a warning from the U.S. Embassy about a possible mass shooting threat in Tegucigalpa.
“The Government of President @XiomaraCastroZ will do everything within its legal power to protect the Honduran people, maintain social peace, security, institutional stability, and the electoral process,” Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina wrote in a message posted on social media platform X. He also stated that investigations will be carried out to bring those responsible to justice.
Reina said the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, through diplomatic and security channels, shared information with the Honduran Foreign Ministry regarding potential attack threats. He emphasized that these alerts were treated “with responsibility and diligence, regardless of their credibility or likelihood.”
The information was immediately forwarded to the Ministries of Security and Defense for proper investigation, monitoring, and prevention, Reina added.
The U.S. Embassy, in a statement published on its official website, said it had received information about a possible mass shooting threat on May 6 and again on May 16 in Tegucigalpa. The potential targets mentioned include the Elliot Dover Christian School, the Government Civic Center, and an unnamed shopping mall.
The Honduran Foreign Minister expressed concern over what he described as an attempt to “sow fear and unrest among the Honduran population, especially in an election year.” He suggested the threat aligns with criminal tactics and media manipulation seen during the 2009 coup and the narco-state period under former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking in the U.S. in 2024.
Honduras is set to hold its general elections on November 30, the twelfth since the country’s return to democracy following nearly two decades of military rule.
International
Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez reinstated in Fujimori corruption case
José Domingo Pérez, Peru’s top anti-corruption prosecutor who leads the case against political figure Keiko Fujimori for the alleged illegal financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, will resume his duties on Tuesday after successfully appealing a suspension imposed in April.
The National Control Authority of the Public Ministry (ANC) nullified the six-month suspension, according to local media reports citing the official resolution.
The decision, issued Monday by the ANC’s General Appeals Directorate, partially upheld Pérez’s appeal and ordered his reinstatement to the Special Team investigating the Lava Jato and Odebrecht corruption cases in Peru.
Pérez was suspended on April 7 for six months, during which time he was barred from carrying out his role as provincial prosecutor of the Special Lava Jato Team, due to alleged administrative misconduct.
The resolution noted that “preventive removal from prosecutorial duties is reserved for exceptional and severe circumstances that compromise the dignity of the role and damage the prosecutor’s public reputation.”
Pérez had called the suspension “unjust and abusive,” adding that Peruvian prosecutors are enduring “difficult and resistant times.”
Meanwhile, on April 3, the Peruvian judiciary upheld a decision to annul the trial against Fujimori regarding alleged irregular campaign financing, affirming a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
As a result, Pérez’s previous appeal was rejected, and the Public Ministry must now rework parts of the investigation and file new charges—a process legal experts say could take between one year and 18 months.
A judge will then determine whether to proceed to trial against Fujimori and 32 other individuals connected to her political party, Fuerza Popular, over alleged illegal contributions from companies like Brazil’s Odebrecht and several Peruvian conglomerates.
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