International
Colombian ex-military officer sentenced for false positives
August 1|
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) on Monday requested a 20-year prison sentence for retired Colombian Army Colonel Publio Hernán Mejía Gutiérrez for around 72 cases of extrajudicial executions known as false positives.
Giovanni Álvarez Santoyo, director of the Investigation and Accusation Unit (UIA) of the JEP accused the ex-military of structuring a criminal organization to kill, disappear and torture people with the objective of generating false evidence, while he commanded the La Popa Battalion.
“He created an armed power structure that was dedicated to execute the criminal plan for false results (…) The accusation made against Mr. Mejía Gutiérrez is for the crimes of homicide in protected person, forced disappearance and torture”, assured Álvarez Santoyo.
The official affirmed that copies were sent to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the Military Criminal Justice to investigate if there are officials with any criminal or disciplinary responsibility for negligence in dealing with situations of the armed conflict.
The retired colonel will be charged for “35 facts and 72 persons; that is, 72 persons who were extrajudicially executed”, specified Álvarez, who pointed out that these are “criminal conducts”.
It also transpired that prosecutors will have to prove in a trial that the former soldier did indeed commit these crimes and that he did so in collusion with paramilitaries of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), which could lead to a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The JEP is studying the so-called “false positives” and counts 6,402 people who “were illegitimately killed to be presented as combat casualties throughout the national territory between 2002 and 2008,” corresponding to the government of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010).
Mejía was commander of the La Popa Battalion, based in Valledupar, in the north of the country, and was charged along with other high-ranking officers for 127 murders and forced disappearances in his jurisdiction. However, he is one of the high-ranking army officers who has not recognized the crimes against humanity charged by the JEP.
“The former colonel was always clear about who his victims were going to be: young people in economic need, the unemployed – in some cases from broken families (…) – and peasant and indigenous populations,” concluded Álvarez.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
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