International

Venezuela submits report to UN Human Rights Committee

Photo: @CancilleriaVE

October 11 |

Venezuela presented its fifth periodic report at the 139th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, in which it highlighted progress, achievements and challenges in this area for the country.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, added that since 2021, the National Assembly has sanctioned more than 67 laws “key for the promotion and direction of civil and political rights of the Venezuelan population”.

The Bolivarian Government projects a sustainable economic development “with an increase in the levels of national productivity of the public and private sector” for the remainder of 2023 and by 2024.

Gil presented the country’s Fifth Periodic Report on the protection and guarantee of rights enshrined in international legislation and the Bolivarian Constitution, before the 139th session of the UN Human Rights Committee.

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The head of the Venezuelan diplomacy distinguished that the figure of national dialogue “has been a sustained policy of the Executive, promoting the solution of differences within the framework of the rule of law, through more than 500 public calls for dialogue among Venezuelans”, he considered.

He indicated that measures have been taken in Venezuela to increase awareness of the Pact and its applicability in national law, such as the establishment of the first National Human Rights Plan 2016 – 2019, whose projects, actions and resources necessary for its implementation were incorporated in the institutional operational plans of the organs of the State Powers.

As part of political rights, the Minister pointed out that during the period 2012 – 2020, 10 national electoral processes were held, including three presidential elections.

In closing his participation, Minister Gil stressed that in Venezuela they attach vital importance that the issue of human rights “be treated objectively and impartially, without selectivity, double standards or politicization, in a spirit of genuine dialogue and cooperation, in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations”.

On the other hand, the Foreign Minister denounced before the committee that his country is the victim of a multiform aggression driven by the US, with the imposition of coercive measures.

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“We have been the object of a multiform aggression promoted by the Government of the United States of America that has negatively affected the enjoyment of human rights of the Venezuelan population,” said Gil during the presentation.

Gil reiterated that the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and other agencies of different countries adopted more than 930 restrictive or punitive unilateral coercive measures related to Venezuela, which caused the reduction of the State’s capacities to obtain financial resources, as well as goods and services necessary to satisfy the main needs of the citizens of that Caribbean nation.

“This onslaught against Venezuela has included the adoption of a set of unilateral coercive measures whose impact has been documented and condemned by the Human Rights Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and various special procedures of the Human Rights Council,” he commented.

The Venezuelan delegation present in Geneva, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, includes Attorney General Tarek William Saab; the second vice-president of the Supreme Court of Justice and president of the Civil Cassation Chamber, Magistrate Henry Timaure.

Also the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs, Rubén Darío Molina; the Deputy Minister of Domestic Policy and Legal Security of the Ministry of People’s Power for Domestic Affairs, Justice and Peace, Alana Zuloaga and the Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Hector Constant, among other officials.

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.