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
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.
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.
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.
White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment
Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López
ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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