International
Spain reduces the escalation of tension with Caracas in the midst of the diplomatic crisis
The Spanish Government chose this Friday to lower the escalation of tension between Caracas and Madrid and described as “sovereign” the decision of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to summon the Spanish ambassador to the country and call his representative in the Spanish capital for consultations.
“Convening an ambassador and calling for consultations are sovereign decisions of each State and therefore, there is nothing to comment on,” said the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in an interview with the public broadcaster Radio Nacional.
Albares thus responded to Maduro’s decision to call his ambassador in Spain, Gladys Gutiérrez, for consultations and summon the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, Ramón Santos, for what he considers “insolent, interent and rude statements” made by the Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles.
The PP calls for the withdrawal of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas
On Thursday, Robles described the government of Nicolás Maduro as a “dictatorship” and referred to Venezuelans who have left their country as “victims of restriction, violence, lack of democracy and lack of freedom.”
Comments on which the Spanish Government has not spoken out, but which have been applauded by the right because they are “the pure truth,” in the words of the leader of the conservative Popular Party Esteban González Pons, who has come to ask for the withdrawal of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas.
The head of Spanish diplomacy insisted on the will of the Executive to seek “the best possible relations with the brotherly people of Venezuela” and to ensure the interests of the community and national companies in the South American country.
A message of tranquility to which the Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, joined, who guaranteed that the Spanish Government “will defend its interests in case this were necessary.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo García was also convinced, in statements to EFE, that the crisis will not worsen because “the Maduro regime is not interested in breaking relations with Spain or Spain with Venezuela.”
“The diplomatic crisis is nothing more than a way to divert attention from what is really important, that is, the need for Spain to recognize Edmundo González as elected president,” said García, a member of the leadership of the Vente Venezuela (VV) movement.
Spain and the EU insist on the election minutes
The escalation of tension between Caracas and Madrid comes after the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, received on Thursday the flag bearer of the Venezuelan opposition Edmundo González Urrutia, who has asked for political asylum in Spain.
Sánchez will not recognize, for the moment, González Urrutia as elected president of Venezuela, as requested by the Spanish Congress, which this week approved the proposal at the request of the conservative Popular Party, the far right and nationalist groups.
Aligned with Brussels, Sánchez insists that Maduro must show the minutes of the July 28 elections that, according to the Venezuelan opposition, accredit the defeat of Chavismo.
At a press conference in Madrid, the high representative for EU Foreign Policy, the Spaniard Josep Borrell, recalled that the community bloc cannot recognize Governments or States because it is a power of the Member States, but what it can do is “recognize the democratic legitimacy of those who hold power, territorial control, the army, the police …”.
That control, “in fact, was Maduro’s before the elections and still Maduro’s after the elections. But we do not consider him a person who can claim democratic legitimacy from the power he holds,” he added.
Venezuela warns that it will not allow “interference”
The Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Yván Gil, told the Spanish ambassador in Caracas that the Caribbean country will not allow “any intervention action by the Government of Spain in matters that are the exclusive competence of Venezuelans.”
“The Government of Venezuela will adopt the necessary measures, within the framework of international law and Bolivarian diplomacy of peace to protect its sovereignty,” says the foreign minister’s note shared on Telegram.
For his part, the former president of Bolivia Evo Morales, an ally of the Maduro government, condemned the pronouncement of the Spanish Parliament that “medles in the internal affairs of Venezuela” and regretted that Spain “becomes a refuge of the Latin American right that continues to conspire against democracies” in the region.
“They have to realize that we are not in Cologne times. Spain does not have the authority to ignore any president,” he wrote on the social network X.
Pressure on Maduro is growing
Since his arrival in Madrid on Sunday, González Urrutia has maintained a low profile, although he has multiplied his political contacts with meetings such as those held this Friday with former presidents Mariano Rajoy (PP) and Felipe González (socialist).
While from the ranks of the Spanish right the pressure increases to act against Maduro: The PP trusts that next week the European Parliament will recognize Edmundo González as the winner of the elections and the far-right Vox asks the Government to seize property of members of the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro in Spain.
International pressure is growing on Venezuela after the sanctions announced on Thursday by the United States against 16 officials, including members of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), the National Electoral Council (CNE) and Parliament, for “falsely” proclaiming Maduro as the winner of the July elections.
In the same vein, Borrell called for specific sanctions to be applied to Maduro and his inner circle, his families and all those responsible for human rights violations in the country.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
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