International
Kamala Harris urges the military to protect Venezuelans in a letter to opponents
The vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, sent a letter to the leaders of the opposition in Venezuela in which she urges the military to protect citizens, and the international community to press for the electoral authorities to deliver the minutes that prove that Nicolás Maduro won re-election in the elections last July.
The Democratic candidate for the Presidency in the November 5 elections warns that a militarized response will only lead to deepening the crisis facing the country after the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified that Maduro had defeated Edmundo González Urritia, the flag-bearer of the opposition, at the polls, according to the letter to which the Miami Herald newspaper had access.
“I strongly urge Venezuelan security forces to demonstrate restraint, respect the human rights and freedom of expression of all Venezuelans, and protect the Venezuelan people from threats and political attacks,” Harris said in the letter.
Last week, the vice president sent the letter to María Corina Machado y González, leaders of the opposition.
In it he also asked the CNE to maintain “the highest levels of transparency” and the international community to pressure this electoral authority to publish the results of the elections.
Kamala Harris recalled in the letter that the violation of human rights and freedom of expression “only deepens the crisis and hinders efforts towards a peaceful and democratic transition.”
He promised that in the United States “we will continue to encour the parties in Venezuela to start discussions about a respectful and peaceful transfer of power in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law.”
The opposition in Venezuela has claimed victory at the polls, but despite the intense protests in the country and the call of the international community, the Maduro Government has not published the minutes of the results to prove that Maduro won re-election.
The opposition published its election records with more than 80% of the polling stations and that demonstrated González’s defeat to Maduro by a margin of more than 2-1.
However, on Thursday the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), controlled by magistrates close to Chavismo, confirmed the official results of the elections, which gave the victory to Maduro, which has been reported as fraudulent inside and outside Venezuela.
The protests after the elections have left about twenty dead.
The leaders of the majority opposition of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, thanked this Friday the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, for “defending democratic values,” in response to a letter in which the American asks for transparency and the publication of the results of the presidential elections in the Caribbean country.
The standard-bearer of the Democratic United Platform (PUD) – the largest opposition bloc – and its main champion published in X the same message in which they say they feel moved by the recognition of “the leaders of the democratic world” of the “courage and determination of the Venezuelan people to be free.”
“Knowing that we are not alone gives us even more strength. Venezuelans are united like never before. Thank you, Kamala Harris, for defending democratic values, which are the spirit of our victory. Venezuela will be free. Our families will return home,” they said.
International
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on Monday requested that the Supreme Court restore his freedom while he appeals the historic 12-year house arrest sentence he received for bribery and procedural fraud.
Uribe, the most prominent figure of Colombia’s right wing, was convicted last week by a lower court for attempting to bribe paramilitary members into denying his ties to the violent anti-guerrilla squads.
Since Friday, the 73-year-old has been under house arrest at his residence in Rionegro, about 30 km from Medellín. The judge justified the measure by citing a risk of flight.
However, Uribe’s defense team rejected that argument and formally petitioned the court to immediately lift the detention order, claiming it lacks legal basis.
Uribe, a dominant force in Colombian politics for decades, is now the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted and placed under arrest, found guilty of witness tampering and obstruction of justice to prevent links to paramilitary groups.
He has repeatedly denounced the trial as politically motivated, blaming pressure from the leftist government currently in power.
His political party, Centro Democrático, has called for nationwide protests on August 7 in support of Uribe, who remains popular for his hardline stance against guerrilla groups.
Uribe has until August 13 to submit his written appeal. The case will then move to the Bogotá High Court, which has until October 16 to uphold, overturn, or dismiss the sentence. If the deadline passes without a decision, the case will be archived.
International
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
The poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean is currently engulfed in a deep political crisis and a wave of violence driven by armed groups — a situation that an international security mission led by Kenya is attempting to stabilize.
Due to the worsening security conditions, the U.S. government has suspended all official movements of embassy personnel outside the compound in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. State Department announced Monday in a security alert posted on social media platform X.
“There are intense gunfights in the Tabarre neighborhood, near the U.S. Embassy,” the alert reads, urging the public to avoid the area.
Tabarre is a municipality located near Port-au-Prince International Airport, northeast of the Haitian capital.
According to a July report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in Haitibetween January 1 and June 30 of this year.
International
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that 136 boxes of food aid were airdropped into Gaza by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, and Belgium.
“In recent hours, six countries conducted air drops of 136 aid packages containing food for residents in the southern and northern Gaza Strip,” read the statement, which added that the operation was coordinated by COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military emphasized that they will “continue working to improve the humanitarian response alongside the international community” and reiterated their stance to “refute false allegations of deliberate famine in Gaza.”
The announcement comes as UN agencies warn Gaza faces an imminent risk of famine. More than one in three residents go days without eating, and other nutrition indicators have dropped to their worst levels since the conflict began.
The agencies also noted the difficulty of “collecting reliable data in current conditions, as Gaza’s health systems —already devastated by nearly three years of conflict— are collapsing.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported on Sunday that hospitals in the enclave recorded six deaths from hunger and malnutrition on Saturday, all of them adults.
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
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Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction