International

Colombian State to apologize for false positives in Soacha

Photo: CCJAR

September 28 |

Colombian human rights organizations confirmed Thursday that the Colombian State will publicly ask for forgiveness on October 3 for the false positive cases of the Soacha youths, killed in Catatumbo by members of the Army.

According to the organizers, the act of recognition of responsibility will take place in the Plaza de Bolivar and will be headed by the Colombian Minister of Defense himself, Ivan Velasquez.

Asociación Minga and Colectivo José Alvear Restrepo (Cajar), explained that the request for state pardon is framed within the restoration measures established by the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca in 2015, prior to the signing of the Peace Accords, within the case of victim Jaime Estiven Valencia Sanabria.

The act of recognition comes after several days of concertation and were managed to unlock under the Government of Gustavo Petro, stating that several measures were “insistently denied” by previous ministers.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

In this sense, from the Cajar explained that “…it is publicly acknowledged that State agents committed crimes that the high military commanders and the former President of the Republic during the period in which they happened, Alvaro Uribe Velez, have tried to minimize and even justify for years. We consider this one more step to confront the impunity that has surrounded these cases”.

El Cajar recalls that this is an “act of recognition of state responsibility” and “includes families covered by sentences of other courts in which the military forces and the National Army were ordered to make public apologies to the victims and society, as well as other victims of extrajudicial executions in which the justice system proved the responsibility of the State but did not order acts of public apology”.

The organizers explain that “although the pain of the families cannot be compensated with anything, this act of public apology can be reparative for them and, we hope, for Colombian society as well”.

They also recall the responsibility of “who was President of the Republic during the period in which they happened, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, (which) they have tried to minimize and even justify for years”, for which they consider “this is one more step to confront the impunity that has surrounded these cases, to honor the memory of those who today are not physically with us and to exalt the struggle of the families who, despite the difficulties to access justice, continue in their search”.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

Related Topics:Colombia false positives in Soacha

Up Next

EU and Latin America in cooperation against crime and drug trafficking

Don't Miss

Mexico convenes meeting to discuss migration

20260330_renta_mh_300x250

International

U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense

Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.

According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.

Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.

Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.

International

U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico

The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.

According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.

“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.

In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.

The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.

International

Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect

Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.

The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.

“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.

Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.

“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.