International
Rights commission blasts Colombia over ‘lethal’ protest response
AFP
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights hit out on Wednesday at Colombia’s “disproportionate” and “lethal” response to anti-government protests that broke out just over two months ago.
At least 60 people have died since the protests began on April 28, according to the ombudsman’s office.
The Commission’s 48-page report, prepared following a June 6-10 visit by its representatives, detailed allegations of human rights violations.
“The Commission finds that repeatedly, in different regions of the country, the State’s response was characterized by an excessive and disproportionate use of force. In many cases the action included lethal force,” said the Commission president Antonia Urrejola during a virtual press conference from Washington.
Having spoken to 500 witnesses, the Commission issued several recommendations, including that the government respect the right to protest, an “immediate end to the use of disproportionate force,” separating the police from the defense ministry, and an end to a ban on “road blocks as a general form of protest.”
The Commission also called for the protection of journalists, who are often the target of attacks, and to compensate victims.
The protests had been 89 percent peaceful, the Commission said.
Colombia President Ivan Duque insisted he was “respectful of peaceful protest” but not “vandalism, low intensity urban terrorism or road blocks.”
“No-one can recommend to a country that it tolerates criminality,” he added.
Duque has announced a police reform plan, but protesters are angry that it will be conducted by the defense ministry.
The Commission report also included the government’s complaint about “infiltrations of the protests by armed third parties.”
Authorities claim leftist rebels and drug traffickers have infiltrated the protests to wreak chaos.
But the Commission “noted with great concern a climate of polarization … that is manifested in stigmatizing speeches” that sometimes come from “public authorities.”
Three weeks ago, the most visible organized protest group suspended its demonstrations for a month.
Protesters are demanding a fairer society in a country where the poverty level has risen to 42 percent of the 50 million population.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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