International
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office processes the request for an arrest warrant against Javier Milei
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office is processing the request for an arrest warrant against the President of Argentina, Javier Milei – to whom it opened “an investigation” – for the “theft” of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane that was detained in Buenos Aires since June 2022 and was sent to the United States in February, the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, reported on Wednesday.
The institution “announces the assignment of two prosecutors specialized in the matter, who are advancing the relevant steps to the case and are processing the arrest warrant” also against the Secretary General of the Presidency of Argentina, Karina Milei, and the Minister of Security of the Southern Country, Patricia Bullrich.
“This, in the coming hours, will have its consequences in a competent court here in Venezuela with the respective arrest warrants in the competent bodies, because that cannot go unpunished,” said Saab, whose statements were transmitted by the state channel VTV.
He explained that, in the case of the plane, which was “totally dismantled” in the United States, the crimes of “aggravated theft, legitimation of capital, illegitimate deprivation of liberty, simulation of a punishable act, illicit interference, aircraft inactivation and criminal association” were incurred, according to Venezuelan legislation.
On the other hand, Saab reported the appointment of a “specialized prosecutor in human rights protection to carry out the corresponding investigations” against Milei and Bullrich for “the actions committed against the Argentine people.”
“We could be in the presence of serious human rights violations that could constitute crimes against humanity,” he said.
In that sense, the prosecutor, who called Milei “fascist” and “neo-Nazi,” said that in Argentina a “program of premeditated institutional violence” is applied against his population, so he pointed to the president of the southern country as “the most fierce human rights violator on the continent” and as “a brutal danger to the entire hemisphere.”
This month, the Argentine Foreign Ministry urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to request an arrest warrant against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and “other leaders of the regime,” in the face of “the worsening situation” after the presidential elections in the Caribbean country on July 28.
The Government of Argentina repudiated on Wednesday the decision of the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office to process the request for an arrest warrant against Argentine President Javier Milei, in the case of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane detained in Buenos Aires since 2022 and sent to the United States last February.
“The Argentine Republic repudiates the arrest warrants issued by the Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela against the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, and the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, following the incident of the Emtrasur plane,” the Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Government of Milei, “the aforementioned case was resolved by the Judiciary, an independent power over which the Executive cannot and should not have any interference, in application of an international agreement.”
“The Argentine government reminds the Venezuelan regime that the division of powers and the independence of judges prevail in the Argentine Republic, something that unfortunately does not happen in Venezuela under the regime of Nicolás Maduro,” the statement adds.
International
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
The United States announced on Wednesday that it will suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 nationalities, marking another move by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb the entry of migrants into the country.
“ The United States is freezing the processing of all visas for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia and Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. According to Fox News, the measure will take effect on January 21 and will remain in force indefinitely.
Based on an internal State Department memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visa applications under existing law while the agency conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. The stated goal is to tighten criteria to prevent the entry of foreigners who could eventually rely on public assistance.
The list of affected countries includes several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Somalia and Yemen, among others. Fox News reported that exemptions to the suspension will be “very limited” and will only be granted once applicants pass an assessment related to the public charge requirement.
Other countries in the Americas subject to the suspension include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The decision is based on a strict interpretation of the so-called “public charge” clause of U.S. immigration law. A cable sent to U.S. consulates worldwide in November 2025 had already signaled the shift, instructing officials to apply tougher standards when evaluating applicants, taking into account factors such as age, health status, English proficiency, financial situation, history of public assistance, and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
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.
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