International
The Congress of Peru approves a law that limits crimes against humanity, in defiance of the Court of Justice
The Permanent Commission of the Congress of Peru approved on Thursday, in a second vote, the law that proposes to limit the application and scope of crimes against humanity and war crimes, in open challenge to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CorteIDH), which asked the Peruvian State to annul it for the prescription it meant for those cases.
The rule was approved with 15 votes in favor, 12 against and no abstentions in a session of the Permanent Commission, which put it as one of the first topics of debate.
The Court of Justice had requested on Tuesday “the State of Peru, through its three Powers, to take the necessary actions so that they are not adopted, revoked or not given effect to Bill No. 6951/2023-CR that provides for the statute of limitations for crimes against humanity perpetrated in Peru.”
He also ordered Peru to submit a complete and detailed report on the fulfillment of his mandate no later than August 9.
The initial proposal was approved on June 7 by the plenary of Congress with 60 votes in favor, but it required this second vote for ratification and, precisely, this court ordered Peru on June 13 to stop its procedure until it issued a resolution on the subject.
The project was proposed by the Fujimori party Fuerza Popular and the ultra-conservative Renovación Popular, a bench made up in part of former heads of the Armed Forces, and aims to prevent anyone from being prosecuted for crimes against humanity or war crimes that occurred before 2002 and, therefore, excludes the period of internal conflict (1980-2000) that left more than 69,000 victims in the country.
The Prime Minister of Peru, Gustavo Adrianzén, said on Wednesday that he is “indignant” by the order of the Court of Justice on the bill, until today.
“Indignant, absolutely indignant, by what was resolved by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that decides in the most unusual way, and without any precedent, on a bill that has not even become a law,” Adrianzén said when consulted on the subject.
The prime minister added that “it is intolerable” for the supranational court to call on the three powers (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) “of a sovereign member state,” such as Peru, not to approve or apply a law.
He pointed out that he is promoting a joint pronouncement of the three powers to express “the rejection of this type of provision from supranational justice.”
Human Rights organizations affirm that this initiative will affect access to justice and truth for victims of human rights violations, specifically in the cases of La Cantuta and Barrios Altos, for which former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) was sentenced in 2009 to 25 years in prison.
International
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on Monday requested that the Supreme Court restore his freedom while he appeals the historic 12-year house arrest sentence he received for bribery and procedural fraud.
Uribe, the most prominent figure of Colombia’s right wing, was convicted last week by a lower court for attempting to bribe paramilitary members into denying his ties to the violent anti-guerrilla squads.
Since Friday, the 73-year-old has been under house arrest at his residence in Rionegro, about 30 km from Medellín. The judge justified the measure by citing a risk of flight.
However, Uribe’s defense team rejected that argument and formally petitioned the court to immediately lift the detention order, claiming it lacks legal basis.
Uribe, a dominant force in Colombian politics for decades, is now the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted and placed under arrest, found guilty of witness tampering and obstruction of justice to prevent links to paramilitary groups.
He has repeatedly denounced the trial as politically motivated, blaming pressure from the leftist government currently in power.
His political party, Centro Democrático, has called for nationwide protests on August 7 in support of Uribe, who remains popular for his hardline stance against guerrilla groups.
Uribe has until August 13 to submit his written appeal. The case will then move to the Bogotá High Court, which has until October 16 to uphold, overturn, or dismiss the sentence. If the deadline passes without a decision, the case will be archived.
International
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
The poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean is currently engulfed in a deep political crisis and a wave of violence driven by armed groups — a situation that an international security mission led by Kenya is attempting to stabilize.
Due to the worsening security conditions, the U.S. government has suspended all official movements of embassy personnel outside the compound in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. State Department announced Monday in a security alert posted on social media platform X.
“There are intense gunfights in the Tabarre neighborhood, near the U.S. Embassy,” the alert reads, urging the public to avoid the area.
Tabarre is a municipality located near Port-au-Prince International Airport, northeast of the Haitian capital.
According to a July report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in Haitibetween January 1 and June 30 of this year.
International
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that 136 boxes of food aid were airdropped into Gaza by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, and Belgium.
“In recent hours, six countries conducted air drops of 136 aid packages containing food for residents in the southern and northern Gaza Strip,” read the statement, which added that the operation was coordinated by COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military emphasized that they will “continue working to improve the humanitarian response alongside the international community” and reiterated their stance to “refute false allegations of deliberate famine in Gaza.”
The announcement comes as UN agencies warn Gaza faces an imminent risk of famine. More than one in three residents go days without eating, and other nutrition indicators have dropped to their worst levels since the conflict began.
The agencies also noted the difficulty of “collecting reliable data in current conditions, as Gaza’s health systems —already devastated by nearly three years of conflict— are collapsing.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported on Sunday that hospitals in the enclave recorded six deaths from hunger and malnutrition on Saturday, all of them adults.
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction