Venezuela released 225 political prisoners
Nov. 18, 2024
Venezuela’s government said released 225 political prisoners detained in a post-election crackdown on dissent. The local human rights organization Foro Penal verified the release of 107 political prisoners from at least four prisons across Venezuela, including the country’s infamous Tocorón prison. (Efecto Cocuyo, Washington Post)
The releases included 11 teenagers who had been detained for nearly four months — just a small portion of the 69 adolescent political prisoners, reports Efecto Cocuyo.
The releases were based on new evidence gathered by prosecutors, Attorney General Tarek Saab said late on Saturday. (Reuters)
It was the first major release of political prisoners since the post-election wave of repression, which advocates say has been the worst in the country’s recent history. At least 1,976 people have been arrested since July 29, including 246 women and 69 children, according to Foro Penal. At least 11 foreigners also have been detained. (Washington Post)
Regional Relations
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hopes to make the fight against hunger one of the priorities of the G20 summit that starts today. (El País)
U.S. President Joe Biden, visited the Amazon — the first sitting U.S. president to do so — and witnessed the devastation of deforestation. During brief remarks from the forest, Biden sought to highlight his commitment to the preservation of the region, reports the Associated Press. (See also El País, which discusses Theodore Roosevelt’s exploration of the Amazon in 1914.)
Biden pledged new financial help to protect the Amazon, “but his initiatives may be short-lived,” reports the New York Times.
Brazil's first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, swore at Elon Musk during a G20 social event on Saturday. She was discussing the need to regulate social media to limit misinformation. A ship's horn sounded as she spoke and she joked, "I think it's Elon Musk," before adding, "I'm not afraid of you, fuck you, Elon Musk," reports Reuters.
Musk reposted a video of the incident, captioned "lol." In another post, Musk added two laughing emojis and wrote: "They are going to lose the next election.” (BBC)
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, will make a “historic” state visit to Guyana this week — the first from an Indian PM since 1968. The two countries are expected to sign energy and defense agreements, reports the Guardian.
French President Emmanuel Macron was in Argentina this weekend, where he met with President Javier Milei. “I told the Argentine president very sincerely and clearly that today France would not sign this Mercosur treaty as it stands,” Macron told reporters yesterday before leaving for Rio de Janeiro for the G20 Summit. “He told me himself that he was not satisfied” with the current wording, he added. (Mercopress)
Argentina has ordered the arrest of 61 Brazilian citizens for participating in the 2023 storming of government buildings in Brasília by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, reports Reuters.
Haiti
Though U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has denigrated Haitian migrants, its unclear what his approach to Haiti’s crisis and the Kenya-led, UN backed international security mission, according to the Washington Post.
“Efforts to stabilize Haiti are floundering, and the country presents a dangerous and disastrous challenge,” writes Frances Robles in a New York Times explainer. The Biden administration has tried, unsuccessfully, to convince China and Russia to support a UN peacekeeping mission. The ongoing security crisis means Haitian authorities will eventually need to negotiate with gangs, say experts.
“More than 20,000 people have been displaced across Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince in just four days, including over 17,000 hosted in 15 displacement sites even as gang violence escalates,” according to the IOM. “The closure of air traffic following the targeted shootings at three commercial aircraft over Port-au-Prince, restricted access to the country’s main seaport, and unsafe roads controlled by armed groups have left the metropolitan area in a state of near-total paralysis, compounding the suffering of already vulnerable populations.” (via Americas Migration Brief.)
Journalist Sandrine Exil writes about how Port-au-Prince residents try to live their lives in the midst of the gang violence that dominates Haiti — El País.
Mexico
The U.S. capture of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July unleashed horrific gang warfare in Mexico — a concern Mexican authorities raised from day one. “The violence has revived a long-simmering debate: Does the U.S. pursuit of kingpins cripple organized crime groups or simply set off power fights that leave Mexico awash in blood?” according to the Washington Post.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first proposed budget cuts funding to health, environment, security and culture, reports Animal Político. Spending will focus on social programs and invest in passenger and cargo trains.
Regional
“Tropical Storm Sara has caused significant disruption across Central America in recent days after forming in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday afternoon. It is the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the third this month,” reports the Guardian.
Chile
Chileans will vote in runoff municipal elections on Sunday. In the Santiago Metropolitan Region, incumbent center-left governor Claudio Orrego faces off against right-wing television panelist Francisco Orrego, reports El País.
Uruguay
El País interviews former Uruguayan President José Mujica: “I dedicated myself to changing the world and I didn't change a damn thing, but I was entertained.”
Critter Corner
“Peruvian authorities arrested a 28-year-old South Korean man for allegedly trying to smuggle hundreds of tarantulas, centipedes and bullet ants out of the South American country,” reports the Washington Post.
“All of the critters found were native to the Amazon region of Peru, said Walter Silva, a wildlife specialist for the government. The tarantulas are on the country’s list of endangered species,” he told the New York Times.