International
The president of Peru asks to open the debate to apply the death penalty to child rapists
The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, asked on Tuesday to open the debate on the application of the death penalty for juvenile rapists, after the recent murder of a minor in Lima that has moved public opinion.
During an official event at the Lima Air Base of Las Palmas, Boluarte said that “it is time to open the debate on the death penalty for juvenile rapists,” considering that “types like these to walk free in the streets” cannot be allowed.
The head of state called for the actions of the National Police to be strengthened to protect children for being the most vulnerable to this type of attack.
The case that opens in Peru the debate on the death penalty for child rapists
The death penalty is not applicable in Peru since the 1979 Constitution came into force, which only allows it for treason, and after the country ratified in 1978 the American Convention on Human Rights that restricts that punishment.
The president also asked for a minute of silence for the murder of a teenager on Sunday in Lima, whose body was found by her family in the house of an alleged security guard of an informal settlement in the district of Pachacámac, in the south of the capital.
The minor had disappeared from her home on Sunday, but the parents received a call from a person who had supposedly found her and said he would take her to the police station in the district of Villa María del Triunfo, according to the report of the América Noticias channel.
However, with the passing of the hours, the teenager did not appear at the police headquarters and the family accelerated their search with the geolocation of their mobile phone.
In this way, the family and the National Police arrived at a clearing of the Lúcumo settlement of Pachacámac, where they located the remains of the minor, apparently strangled, in a house.
Lack of clarity about the crime
The suspect identified as Yerson Juárez Tapia, 26, said he was a security guard of the place and, after being interrogated, apparently confessed to having been the author of the murder of the minor.
However, a local neighbor told the police that she had recorded the arrival of a motorcycle taxi with two men at that house in the early hours of Sunday.
A mob of neighbors attacked Juárez, after allegedly admitting the crime, so they had to admit him to a hospital, according to the newspaper El Comercio.
The Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Violence against Women and Members of the Family Group of the district of Lurín has begun the preliminary investigation after finding the 12-year-old minor dead.
The Ombudsman’s Office reported that, from January to October 2024, 5,518 alert notes were recorded for missing women, most of them minors, and that in that same period 133 femicides were committed.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
Central America
U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors
Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday criminal charges against three Guatemalan citizens accused of using false information to sponsor migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian.
According to an indictment filed in Ohio, Maritza Cahuec Coc allegedly submitted at least 12 sponsorship applications, several of which were filed under aliases or contained materially false statements intended to secure custody of the minors.
Under U.S. procedures, unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the southern border are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for their care until they can be released to a qualified sponsor, such as a parent or relative living in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Cahuec Coc, who reportedly entered the United States illegally in 2018, received payments between late 2020 and 2023 for helping bring 12 migrant minors into the country. Authorities claim she submitted fraudulent documents and misleading information to obtain approval for the sponsorship requests.
The case was announced during a joint press conference led by Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. However, officials provided limited details about the investigation and instead focused much of their remarks on criticizing immigration policies implemented under the previous administration.
Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials have frequently pointed to the increase in unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Joe Biden’s term, arguing that the government failed to adequately oversee their care and placement.
During Thursday’s briefing, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, alleged that Cahuec Coc used the identities of other individuals and falsely claimed family relationships in order to obtain custody of the children.
“Maritza submitted sponsorship applications using other people’s identities and falsely represented that the minors were the children of close relatives in order to secure their release,” Duva said.
The case remains under investigation, and federal authorities have not yet disclosed additional information regarding the other two Guatemalan nationals charged in connection with the alleged scheme.
International
Iván Cepeda Open to Revising Colombia’s Peace Policy Ahead of Runoff Election
Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda said Thursday that he is willing to introduce “necessary changes” to the peace policy implemented by President Gustavo Petro, a strategy he helped design and promote during the current administration.
The future of Petro’s controversial “Total Peace” initiative has become one of the central issues in Colombia’s presidential runoff election, scheduled for June 21, where Cepeda will face right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.
De la Espriella, who narrowly won the first round of voting on May 31, has campaigned on a platform of tougher security measures and a stronger crackdown on drug trafficking and armed criminal groups.
Speaking to AFP in Bogotá, Cepeda acknowledged that adjustments to the peace strategy may be required after Petro’s efforts to negotiate with armed organizations failed to produce the expected results amid a surge in violence across the country.
“We are going to make the necessary changes, of course. We will conduct an assessment,” the 63-year-old senator said during the interview, held ten days before the decisive runoff vote.
Cepeda, a philosopher and longtime human rights advocate, explained that any modifications to the policy would emerge from a broad national dialogue involving political leaders, social organizations and other sectors of Colombian society. However, he did not provide specific details about the proposed changes.
President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative sought to negotiate agreements with guerrilla movements, paramilitary groups and major criminal organizations, including the powerful Clan del Golfo cartel and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The policy aimed to reduce violence through dialogue and negotiated settlements, but critics argue that it failed to significantly weaken armed groups or improve security conditions in several regions of the country.
As the runoff campaign enters its final stage, the future direction of Colombia’s security and peace policies remains one of the most closely watched issues in the election.
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
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U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors
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