International
Third hearing of former Colombian paramilitary leader held
May 16 |
This Monday, Salvatore Mancuso, former commander of the now defunct United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), held his third hearing before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), in which he confirmed his support for electoral campaigns and links with various officials.
Mancuso expanded the information on the links between paramilitaries, the Army, politicians and officials, as well as the influence and support of paramilitarism in electoral campaigns, including those of former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010).
“Your Honor, it is very important for you to know that many of these politicians came to the Self-Defense, to seek support (…) we basically sought out others when we were at the beginning of our political participation, to support them in some popularly elected positions,” he said.
This, he continued, with the aim of showing “that we had the capacity to appoint people to popularly elected positions at the national level, not only at the local and regional level”.
The AUC “intervened directly in the congressional elections of May 10, 2002 and also in the May 2002 presidential elections,” he said.
“There was also support in elections, for example, for Horacio Serpa, for President (Andres) Pastrana (1998-2002) and for Uribe,” revealed the former paramilitary leader, who gave his testimony before the JEP via videoconference from the United States (U.S.).
Mancuso is currently in a US prison serving a sentence of almost 16 years on drug trafficking charges. In Colombia, he is pending trial for more than 1,700 crimes.
The former paramilitary, who must be extradited to Colombia when his sentence in the U.S. ends, seeks to enter the JEP and submit to restorative justice, with the intention of obtaining sentence reductions in this South American country.
In past hearings before the JEP, Mancuso revealed the disappearance of more than 200 people in crematorium ovens, as well as in mass graves in Venezuelan territory.
He also acknowledged contacts with Venezuelan military and politicians to execute a coup plan against then President Hugo Chavez.
This Tuesday will be Mancuso’s fourth and last single truth hearing, in which he is expected to talk about the links between the now defunct Administrative Department of Security (DAS) and criminal groups.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
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.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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