International
Anti-chavismo denounces the arrest of two members of Machado’s security team
The Venezuelan opposition denounced this Sunday the arrest of two members of the security team of the anti-Chavista leader María Corina Machado, among them, her “protection leader”, Milciades Ávila, who had already been imprisoned on July 17 and released 36 hours later, with precautionary measures.
“Milciades Ávila and Edwin Moya, members of María Corina Machado’s security team, were kidnapped this weekend by members of the regime’s repressive forces,” said the Human Rights Committee of the Vente Venezuela (VV) party, a formation led by Machado, on the social network X.
The committee indicated that it does not know the whereabouts of Ávila and Moya, so it demanded to know where they are and their “immediate freedom.”
Alleged escape of María Corina Machado
“This new attack is part of the false file set up by the ruling party against all political dissidence and occurs just after recent statements by the regime’s own spokesmen about Machado’s alleged flight from the country,” he added.
He maintained that it is, “once again, a scenario of disinformation to further fence the leader and demoralize the country.”
Machado’s reaction
Meanwhile, Machado said, on the same social network, that he will not rest until he achieves the release of Ávila and Moya.
“I reiterate to their children and partners that they must feel very proud of them and I assure them that we will not rest until we bring them back free,” said the former deputy.
He also said that “(Nicolás) Maduro is wrong if he believes that with this persecution of innocent Venezuelans” he will arrest her.
For her part, the president of the political party Primero Justicia (PJ), María Beatriz Martínez, said that these arrests do not change “the truth they intend to silence.”
“Two months ago we won the elections cleanly, the world knows it and with repression and persecution, (Nicolás) Maduro only manages to sink further,” he added in X, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed the president as the winner of the presidential elections of July 28.
Juan Guanipa, 36 hours detained
Likewise, former deputy Juan Pablo Guanipa indicated, on the same social network, that Ávila and Moya are “two Venezuelans committed to their country who should not be under kidnapping for a second.”
On July 17, Ávila was arrested when he was in his home, according to Vente Venezuela at the time.
Machado’s security chief released him after more than 36 hours of detention, with a “precautionary measure of presentation in court” every 30 days, according to the information of the former deputy.
On Saturday, Maduro assured that Machado is preparing to leave the Caribbean nation, because – he said – the anti-Chavistas “are cowards.”
“Today I tell you, the supposed queen bee ran out of bee and is preparing Gucci suitcases (…) she knows what I am saying and ‘La Sayona’ (in allusion to Machado) is preparing to leave, compadre, I am also saying it, they are cowards,” said the president at the demonstration called to celebrate his controversial re-election in the state of La Guaira (north).
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.”
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
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