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Opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia calls for fair treatment amidst political persecution claims
Edmundo González Urrutia, a rival of Nicolás Maduro in his disputed re-election, called on Wednesday for the Attorney General to avoid a “political persecution” given that the judiciary is accused of serving the Chavismo regime.
The 75-year-old opposition figure has been in hiding for the past month. He claims to have won the election in which Maduro was declared for a third consecutive term, an election that has led to a severe crisis with Colombia and Brazil leading efforts to find a peaceful solution.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro are expected to meet with Maduro “probably” on Wednesday, shortly after expressing their “deep concern” over the arrest warrant against González.
The prosecution is investigating González for alleged “disobedience of laws,” “conspiracy,” “usurpation of functions,” and “sabotage,” focusing on a website managed by the opposition led by María Corina Machado, which published over 80% of the voting records, claiming it serves as proof of a landslide victory for their candidate.
It is unclear whether charges have been formally brought against him. His lawyer, José Vicente Haro, has not been able to access the case file but went to the prosecutor’s office in an attempt to halt the process against his client. Haro submitted a legal document explaining González’s absence from three summonses issued by the office, which led to the arrest request.
“I was told that the correspondence (…) could not be received because they did not have the proper authorization,” Haro explained to reporters after the proceedings.
“This is the kind of situation that prevented Mr. Edmundo González Urrutia from attending the summons he was issued,” Haro continued. “There is a situation of defenselessness, an inability to guarantee his right to defense, to due process.” “What would have happened if Mr. Edmundo González Urrutia had shown up?”
Opposition figures and legal experts agree that the Venezuelan judiciary operates in service of the ruling Chavismo.
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Tehran engulfed in toxic cloud after strikes on fuel facilities
Tehran woke up under a sky that shifted from gray to black following strikes on fuel infrastructure, as the city has become engulfed in a toxic cloud that is turning daily life into a public health and environmental emergency.
Residents warn that what is falling from the sky is no longer just rain, but a mixture of oil and pollutants. Attacks on fuel depots have triggered prolonged fires, releasing thick plumes of smoke that continue to spread across the العاصمة.
For several days, facilities have remained ablaze, while a dark layer has settled over streets, homes, and even water reserves. Authorities have urged the population—more than nine million people—to remain indoors, especially vulnerable groups.
The extreme toxicity is linked to mazut, a dense petroleum byproduct with high sulfur content still used in Iran due to industrial limitations and sanctions. When burned, it releases hazardous particles that, when combined with moisture, result in contaminated rainfall.
The situation is worsened by Tehran’s geography. Surrounded by mountains, the city is affected by a temperature inversion phenomenon that traps pollutants near the ground, preventing their dispersion and creating a stagnant layer of toxic air over the population.
Residents have reported symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, headaches, and respiratory difficulties. Emergency agencies have also warned of potential chemical burns caused by acid rain.
Long-term concerns are mounting, as prolonged exposure to fine particles and heavy metals could lead to serious health conditions, including lung damage and cancer.
Contamination is also spreading to water sources and agricultural land, threatening the food supply in a country already facing water scarcity.
At a regional level, the environmental impact is expanding, with oil spills reported in the Persian Gulf, affecting marine ecosystems and fishing communities.
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FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Arrested in Mexico and Deported to U.S.
Authorities in Mexico announced Thursday that Samuel Ramírez Jr., a U.S. citizen accused of murdering two women and listed among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, was arrested in the northern state of Sinaloa.
Ramírez Jr., 33, was detained Tuesday in Culiacán just 1 hour and 13 minutes after being added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ten Most Wanted list, the agency said in a statement.
The suspect, who was born in California, has already been deported to the U.S. state of Washington, where he faces charges related to the fatal shooting of two women at a bar in Federal Way in May 2023.
A court issued an arrest warrant for Ramírez in November last year, and the FBI initially offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture, later increasing the amount to up to $1 million.
“To protect individuals’ privacy and ensure continued cooperation from the public, the FBI does not confirm the identity of those who provide information,” the agency said in its statement.
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UN experts warn Nicaragua runs vast transnational network to monitor exiled dissidents
Nicaragua maintains an “extensive” transnational network to monitor and intimidate opposition figures living in exile, affecting “hundreds of thousands” of people, the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua warned on Tuesday.
In a statement, the experts said their report “details an extensive transnational architecture of surveillance and intelligence used to monitor, intimidate and attack the hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans living abroad.”
The report, which will be presented on March 16 to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, states that the structure maintained by the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo includes the army, the police, migration authorities and diplomatic missions.
According to the statement, “the government has arbitrarily stripped 452 Nicaraguans of their nationality, left thousands more exiled in a situation of de facto statelessness, and prevented many from returning to Nicaragua.”
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