International

Colombian ex-military officer sentenced for false positives

Photo: EFE

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.

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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.

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International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.