International
Peru’s Minister of Education says about the deaths in the protests: “Human rights are not for rats”
The Minister of Education of Peru, Morgan Quero, said on Wednesday that human rights are not “for rats,” when asked about the 49 people who died from the repression of law enforcement in the anti-government protests of late 2022 and early 2023.
“Human rights are for people, not for rats,” Quero replied when asked by a journalist why the Executive had not pronounced on the deaths of demonstrators on International Human Rights Day, which is commemorated on December 10.
“Yesterday was human rights day, the Government has not pronounced on the 50 deaths of the protests,” asked the journalist of the newspaper La República, before the minister burst in with his response.
Controversial statement by the Minister of Education of Peru
The minister had attended an official event, at the end of which the press asked him about the debate opened yesterday by the president, Dina Boluarte, about applying the death penalty to rapists of minors.
In this regard, Quero said that his ministry has removed more than a thousand teachers involved in cases of sexual abuse of minors.
The video with the minister’s statement was widely spread on social networks and generated numerous criticisms and requests for resignation.
I reject
“My rejection of Mr. Morgan Quero’s expressions. Only a government without any moral taste like that of Boluarte can have a minister of Education who only demonstrates ignorance and contempt, equating the lives of victims of human rights violations with rats,” said Congresswoman Ruth Luque on the social network X.
The explanation of the Peruvian minister
Shortly after, Quero held a telephone interview with Channel N to clarify “the unfortunate circumstance” resulting from his statement, and initially maintained that his words “had been misrepresented”.
But when asked where the misrepresentation was, he acknowledged that he assumed that the question was about the previous topic that he was dealing with with the press.
“I assumed that the question was about the same thing (the rape of minors), because we were in a wide corridor and, perhaps, my mistake was to assume that the question was also about the issue of the death penalty,” said the minister, adding that, believing that he was being asked about the rights of pedophiles, it was “that forceful.”
When the Canal N journalist asked him if his words deserved a public apology, the minister said no.
“No, I repeat again, I assumed it was a question within the context in which this dialogue with the media had evolved (…) I deeply regret the pain of the victims and families who were affected in these circumstances,” he said.
The Peruvian Minister of Education already starred in a controversy a few months ago by calling the violations suffered among schoolchildren in Awajún communities, in the Peruvian Amazon, as “cultural practice.”
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
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