International
Bolivian Public Prosecutor’s Office requests 20 years in prison for Jeanine Áñez
December 27 |
Bolivia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office presented on Tuesday the formal accusation against the ex-civic Luis Fernando Camacho, the former de facto president, Jeanine Áñez, and six other defendants for the violent actions that resulted in the ouster of former president Evo Morales from power in 2019.
As part of the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the formal accusation was also made for the former Potosí civic official Marco Pumari, the former Minister of Defense, Luis Fernando López, the former commanders of the Armed Forces Williams Kaliman and of the Police Yuri Calderón, as well as the former inspector of the Armed Forces, Jorge Fernández, and the former commander of the armed institution, Carlos Orellana.
The agency requested a 20-year prison sentence for Luis Fernando Camacho and three other defendants. Camacho has been in preventive detention since December 28, 2022 in the maximum security prison of Chonchocoro in La Paz, for the “Coup d’Etat I” case. López, Kaliman and Calderón are fugitives from justice.
Prosecutor Omar Mejillones communicated the presentation of the formal accusation after the investigative process was carried out, in which evidentiary elements were gathered, such as the bank movements of Luis Fernando Camacho during the 2019 conflict, as well as the statement of assistant Williams Kaliman, who denounced the links with Luis Fernando López.
The Prosecutor’s Office also provided evidence in which Luis Fernando Camacho revealed in a video that his father, José Luis, arranged with military and police officers not to support Evo Morales. Previously, the police officers, in charge of internal security, were insubordinate and the military leadership suggested Morales to abandon the responsibility.
Likewise, 131 declarations of witnesses who participated in meetings and actions during the conflicts of 2019 were contributed to the process, as well as declarations of the accused.
The prosecution has 133 pieces of documentary evidence, including forensic technical reports, hotel invoices, bank statements of money transfers, official letters, responses from State institutions to fiscal requirements, and other evidentiary elements that support the formal accusation.
According to the investigation, it was reported that Jeanine Áñez and Marco Pumari are in preventive detention.
In the case of Áñez, she has an executed sentence of 10 years for the case of Coup d’Etat II or the way in which she took power, in sessions of the Senate and the Legislative Assembly without quorum and outside the line of succession.
The former deputy of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), Lidia Patty, at the end of 2020, filed the accusation to which the Ministry of Government was added. The formal accusation leads to the criminal trial for crimes such as terrorism, which has a sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison, financing of terrorism, active bribery, seduction of troops, public incitement to commit a crime, criminal association and improper use of public goods and services.
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
International
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
The United States may soon carry out airstrikes on military facilities inside Venezuela as part of an escalating offensive against Nicolás Maduro’s regime, according to reports Friday from the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the Trump administration.
Airstrikes could take place “within days or even hours,” the Herald reported. The Journal noted that while the option is under serious consideration, President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on authorizing strikes on Venezuelan soil.
Potential targets allegedly include military-controlled ports and airports used in drug trafficking operations, such as naval installations and airstrips, officials told the Journal.
The Herald also quoted a source saying that “Maduro’s time is running out”, suggesting that more than one Venezuelan general may be ready to detain and hand him over. However, officials declined to confirm whether the Venezuelan leader would be among the military targets.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to block the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, following nearly two months of airstrikes against vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Those operations have destroyed 15 boats and left 61 people dead and three survivors since September 1.
“We are finally waging a war against the cartels — a war like they’ve never seen before — and we are going to win that battle. We are already winning at sea,” Trump told U.S. troops during a speech in Japan.
The reports on possible airstrikes come on the same day the United Nations accused the U.S. of violating international law with its maritime operations, saying those killed at sea may have been victims of extrajudicial executions.
International
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Pope Leo XIV announced on Friday that he will revive and update the Global Compact on Education, an initiative launched by the late Pope Francis aimed at deeply transforming global culture through education.
The announcement was made during an audience in St. Peter’s Square, held on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, which this week gathers more than 20,000 participants from 124 countries in Rome.
During his address, the pontiff — who is of U.S. origin and Peruvian nationality — emphasized the importance of restoring the value of educators and reinforcing the principles that support the pact.
“We must be careful: damaging the social and cultural role of educators means mortgaging our own future,” he warned before thousands in attendance. “A crisis in the transmission of knowledge leads to a crisis of hope.”
The Global Compact on Education, launched by Pope Francis, seeks an integral and long-term cultural transformation. It is structured around five pillars: dignity and human rights; fraternity and cooperation; technology and integral ecology; education for peace and citizenship; and culture and religions. To date, the initiative has been joined by over 553 schools and nearly 410,000 students, according to Catholic Schools data.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed concern over the widespread inner fragility affecting both students and teachers — many of whom feel overwhelmed by bureaucratic burdens.
He additionally addressed the role of artificial intelligence in education, warning that it may worsen emotional isolation among learners: “It can further isolate students who are already isolated, giving them the illusion that they do not need others — or worse, the feeling that they are unworthy of them,” he said.
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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