The United States on Wednesday announced new sanctions against Cuba, aimed at further denying sources of revenue to the government in Havana. U.S. President Donald Trump said the sanctions prohibit Americans from residing at Cuban government-owned properties and importing Cuban cigars and liquor. Trump made the announcement at a White House event honoring Bay of Pigs veterans and observing the 40th anniversary of the Mariel boatlift that transported 120,000 Cubans to Miami. President Donald Trump speaks during an event to honor Bay of Pigs veterans, in the East Room of the White House, Sept. 23, 2020.Trump has tightened restrictions that were relaxed by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump imposed stringent travel restrictions on Cuba in June 2019, maintaining they were designed to apply more pressure on the communist government because of its support of embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Treasury Department said then the U.S. banned people-to-people educational travel to Cuba, one of a dozen authorized categories of travel to the country, and one of the most popular exemptions to the broad ban on U.S. tourism to the island. The island’s president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, described the Trump administration as a “morally corrupt regime,” in recorded comments made this week before a session of the United Nations General Assembly.   The U.S. sanctions have further weakened Cuba’s economy, which was already contracting as a result of declining aid from Venezuela. The latest sanctions come as Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden are in a tight race in Florida just weeks before the November 3 election. Trump won the southern state by 1.2 percentage points in 2016. Florida is a state where Trump’s advisers believe a tough stand against Cuba would be well received by its large Cuban-American population. 
 
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As the European Union introduces a new migration and asylum plan after a blaze at an overcrowded camp in Greece left thousands without shelter, a FILE – Venezuelan migrants on their way to Peru sleep along the Pan-American Highway between Tulcan and Ibarra in Ecuador, after entering the country from Colombia, Aug. 22, 2018.”Many of the countries leading the global downturn have been on the receiving end of the mass exodus of Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis in their country,” the report shows. Biggest shiftThe most significant change came from Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, which have absorbed millions of Venezuelans since 2015. “Initially, many of the migrants and refugees were welcomed in these countries, but public sentiment started to turn against them as their economies, and their health, education and social assistance programs buckled under the strain,” according to the report.FILE – Volunteers carry donated items towards a group of undocumented migrants looking for work as day laborers alongside a hardware store in San Diego, California, Feb. 4, 2017.Ray added that despite the Trump administration’s efforts to curb immigration, the U.S., which ranked sixth overall in the index, has generally positive attitudes toward newcomers. “Despite the fact that immigration is such a hot topic in the U.S., Americans are mostly very accepting of migrants,” she said. Experts note that, around the world, greater acceptance is often displayed by younger generations and people with advanced levels of education. 
 
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UN investigation into Venezuela’s human rights record has uncovered gross violations and abuse ordered and committed at the highest level of the Government of President Nicolas Madura, accusations angrily dismissed by Venezuelan authorities.  The report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council. The UN investigators say they regret the lack of cooperation from the Venezuelan government.  Since they were not allowed to enter the country, they interviewed victims and witnesses inside Venezuela using remote technological means.Nevertheless, they say they have been able to collect an abundance of material and evidence showing grave violations have been perpetrated directly by members of State security forces and by civil and military intelligence services. UN Investigators Accuse Venezuelan Government of Crimes Against HumanityReport says President Nicolas Maduro was likely aware of murders and other atrocities allegedly committed by security forces; the government has not responded to the accusationsChair of the Fact-Finding mission, Marta Valinas, says violations include extrajudicial executions committed in the context of security operations, arbitrary detentions, torture, and acts of sexual violence against people who disagree with or oppose the Government.  She speaks through an interpreter.“Our comprehensive analysis of the 223 cases that we investigated…complemented by a legal analysis gives us reason to believe that those violations were perpetrated as part of a wide-spread systematic policy and in line with State policy and which, for that reason are tantamount to crimes against humanity, said Valinas.Venezuela’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Jorge Valero, views these findings with contempt.  He accuses the United States of trying to overthrow his government.  He refers to the so-called Operation Gideon, in which a private, US-based security firm led by a former U.S. Army Green Beret  and Venezuelan expatriates led an aborted effort to capture President Nicolas Maduro.The United States has flatly denied any involvement.  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “If we had been involved, it would have gone differently.” And U.S. President Donald Trump said, “It has nothing to do with our government.”Ambassador Valero criticizes the council by saying it is supposed to ensure universality, objectivity and non-selectivity.  He he says it has failed in this task.  He speaks through an interpreter.“The Office has spent around $3 million to draft the report…The CIA and other U.S. Government bodies have poured millions into these international efforts,” vALERO SAID. “They use NGOs, which have converted human rights into a profitable business.” The Fact-Finding Mission says it stands by its report.  It says it is crucial to investigate and prosecute those responsible for crimes, and, above all to provide justice for the victims.
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The caged jaguar, hit by a tranquilizer dart, rises with a pained growl on to her bandaged, burned paws.
The spotted female, named Amanaci, is one of countless victims of the worst wildfires ever recorded in Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. A jewel of biodiversity, it is home to the densest population of jaguars anywhere on Earth.
Amanaci was one of the lucky ones. Rescued by volunteers, she was brought to a farm in the state of Goias run by an NGO dedicated to protecting endangered wild cats.
She is being treated with cutting-edge medicine: stem cell injections to hasten the recovery of burned tissue and the regeneration of new tissue.
“We hope to see her walking on all four paws soon, with her quality of life restored,” said vet Patricia Malard.
The stem cells were taken from Amanaci two weeks earlier and cultivated in a lab before the first injection on Saturday. While she was out, her dressings were changed.
“It makes me angry and sad to see how these animals are suffering,” said Cristina Gianni, founder of the sanctuary called NEX Institute, for No Extinction, where 23 jaguars are being looked after.
“Imagine ourselves in their place. It would be like stepping barefoot on hot coals,” she said in an interview.
Gianni said she had never seen so much death and pain caused to wildlife as that from the blazes in the Pantanal this year, and accused Brazil’s authorities of not doing enough to prevent the fires.
The Pantanal, whose name derives from the Portuguese word for “swamp,” sprawls over more than 150,000 square kilometers (58,000 square miles) in Brazil and also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay.
The fires are the worst since records began in 1998. The flames threaten the region’s wildlife, rich with tapirs, pumas, capybaras and jaguars.
Jaguars used to be found from the south-west of the United States down to northern Argentina, but today their range has shrunk. The World Wildlife Fund says Brazil may hold around half of the estimated 170,000 wild jaguars remaining.
For Amanaci, it is too soon to say if or when she will be able to return to the wild. In the meantime, she wakes up from her sleep, and gazes out at her new surroundings.
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As the Northern Hemisphere prepares for colder months ahead, in the Southern Hemisphere spring is beginning to blossom.  Indigenous Bolivians in the Andes Mountains believe a centuries-old celebration of burnt offerings brings them closer to the goddess of earth and fertility.  In 2020, the ceremony includes asking the goddess to rid them of COVID-19.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.
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News reports in the Bahamas say local police and U.S. law enforcement agents have seized more than $3 million worth of marijuana following a high-speed boat chase. The Tribune newspaper quotes Police Commissioner Paul Rolle as saying officers, acting on a tip, chased the suspect’s boat for more than hour before it rammed the police vessel in the Barraterre area of Exuma, injuring one police officer, who was thrown from the boat. Police responded by firing at the suspects, striking one person.  Police say the driver of the suspect’s boat then stopped, allowing officers to board their vessel.  The newspaper says Monday’s bust was a joint operation between police, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and U.S. agencies, including the Coast Guard. Police say all four suspects are Bahamians. The condition of the suspect who was wounded was not immediately available. 
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The United States is offering a reward up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of a leader of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group in Colombia. The U.S. accuses Wilver Villegas Palomino of participating in an ongoing scheme to distribute Colombian cocaine in the United States to finance the rebel group. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently described Palomino on twitter as an “indicted narcoterrorist” following a visit to Colombia. The ELN, founded more than 50 years ago to fight against unequal distribution of wealth in Colombia, has gained international notoriety for terrorist activities, including murders.  
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Protesters gathered on Sunday in drought-hit northern Mexico in an attempt to retain control of a dam key to government efforts to diffuse tensions over a water-sharing pact with the United States.Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has been working to maintain a good relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Friday that Mexico must comply with its obligations.Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico must deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the United States over a five-year period.Mexico also gets U.S. water from the Colorado River.Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week asked the State Department to help enforce the agreement. Mexico has until October 24 to meet a five-year quota, and owes nearly a year’s supply of water, Abbott said.Protesters took control of the La Boquilla dam in Chihuahua, which borders New Mexico, in September. A week ago, a protester was killed in gunfire from the Mexican National Guard after the early protest.Anger boiled over amid plans to divert additional water at the dam due to obligations.Several protesters told Reuters the water is being “stolen” and that they had gathered because they worried the National Guard would recover control of the dam.”We’re here united to defend Chihuahua, defend the water they’re stealing from us,” said Marisa Flores, 60.The National Water Commission of Mexico shows in its drought monitor that large parts of Chihuahua have suffered moderate and severe drought for more than six months. Neighboring states Sonora and Coahuila are also affected. Along the U.S. border in Chihuahua state, several areas on the commission’s drought monitor are marked as in severe drought. Much of the rest is marked as abnormally dry. 
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Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra told lawmakers Friday that he had committed no crime and would not be cowed ahead of an impeachment hearing. “I am here, with my head high and my conscience clear,” Vizcarra said in a speech to Congress, adding that the country should not be “distracted” from real challenges. “Let’s not generate a new crisis, unnecessarily, that would primarily affect the most vulnerable,” he said.  Peru has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, along with an economic contraction. Lawmakers planned to vote later Friday on whether to oust Vizcarra from office. The impeachment proceeding is centered on the president’s relationship with a little-known singer, Richard Cisneros, who was given $50,000 in government contracts.  FILE – Event organizer Richard Cisneros arrives to the National Congress to deliver documents for an ongoing investigation into his hiring at the Ministry of Culture, in Lima, Peru, Sept. 11, 2020.Most experts expect Vizcarra to survive the vote. Two-thirds of lawmakers would need to approve the vote to remove him from office. Congress voted last week to begin impeachment hearings against Vizcarra on the ground of moral incompetence, following allegations he tried to interfere in a probe into government contracts given to Cisneros.  The move by Congress was fueled by opposition legislators airing secretly recorded audio that appears to show Vizcarra orchestrating a strategy with his aides to answer questions about his meetings with the singer.  Cisneros claims the $50,000 worth of contracts were legal, according to media reports.  Earlier this week, the country’s top court rejected a request by Vizcarra to stop the impeachment proceedings.  
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Journalists at Canal 12 News, one of Nicaragua’s two remaining independent news broadcasters, face an uncertain future after a court in the capital, Managua, ordered the station’s assets seized as part of a tax case that one of its editors says is political retaliation.The freeze affects Nicavision S.A., which operates Canal 12. The court order enforces a demand by the country’s tax agency that Canal 12 pay more than U.S. $500,000 in taxes due from 2011 to 2013, according to Managua weekly newspaper Confidencial.Judge Luden Quiroz García’s September 11 order to seize the broadcast facilities, station vehicles and the owner’s personal estate is the latest in a series of audits and asset seizures faced by news organizations that report critically on the government of President Daniel Ortega.“The government is going to try to silence the few TV stations that are left and telling the stories they don’t want to hear,” Canal 12 News director Marcos Medina told VOA.In Nicaragua, the majority of large media outlets are owned by members of Ortega’s family or his political allies.“This perverse action threatens freedom of the press and expression,” tweeted the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights. “We demand that the regime desist from its strategy of intimidating journalists and destroying independent media.”FILE – Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega.Officials at the Nicaraguan General Income Directorate, the country’s tax agency, and Managua’s embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. The Ortega government, which is currently observing a weeklong holiday, has not commented on the court order, although sources close to the ruling party told VOA’s Latin America division that the decision was justified. They did not elaborate.Silencing last independent voicesCanal 12 News director Medina said the decision, which creates uncertainty for more than 20 staff at the station, mirrors harassment of other outlets.”The same type of pressure was faced by 100% Noticias and La Prensa,” he said, referring to outlets that faced Ortega government-led actions after reporting on the 2018 demonstrations.La Prensa, Nicaragua’s longest-running and best-known daily broadsheet, nearly folded after an 18-month government-enforced blockade of newsprint supplies, resulting in massively diminished circulation and newsroom-wide layoffs. The government lifted the blockade in February amid international pressure and calls from the Vatican.In December 2018, 100% Noticias, also known as Canal 15, had its operating license revoked and its offices confiscated by Nicaragua’s National Police. The channel’s director, Miguel Mora, and journalist Lucía Pineda Ubau both served six-month jail sentences for inciting terrorism.”Now the same is happening to Canal 12,” Medina said. “They don’t like the type of journalism we do, especially since April of 2018.”Tabloid newsroom taken overAlso commandeered by police was the newsroom of weekly tabloid Confidencial, whose publisher, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, fled to Costa Rica, where he spent 10 months operating the publication in a digital-only format. Chamorro returned to Nicaragua in November 2019 to run Confidencial from a new building.In January, Nicaraguan Supreme Court Magistrate Francisco Rosales told VOA a verdict on the police-confiscated outlets would soon be issued, but the court has yet to rule.If Canal 12 doesn’t survive, Canal 10, which boasts Nicaragua’s largest television audience, would remain the country’s sole independent broadcaster. On September 13, Managua-based news site Articulo66 reported that Canal 10 received a tax assessment declaring it more than $3 million in debt to the tax agency.Some already speculate that the Canal 10 assessment is also politically motivated.”[Canal 10] has fulfilled [all of its tax obligations], but you know how this is,” said a source who spoke with VOA on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.Washington imposed sanctions on the Ortega government and national police for human rights violations following the anti-government protests in 2018 and urged Managua to ease restrictions on other organizations. In May, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Nicaraguan army commander Julio Cesar Aviles Castillo and Finance and Public Credit Minister Ivan Adolfo Acosta Montalvan for human rights abuses and “seeking to silence pro-democracy voices in Nicaragua.””Daniel Ortega strangles dissent and denies Nicaraguans access to information,” Michael G. Kozak, acting U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, tweeted Sept.13. “On the eve of Nicaraguan independence day, his regime is using spurious tax measures to close two vital independent TV broadcasters. Until Ortega releases his grip, Nicaraguans will not be free.”Daniel Ortega strangles dissent and denies Nicaraguans access to information. On the eve of Nicaraguan independence day, his regime is using spurious tax measures to close two vital independent TV broadcasters. Until Ortega releases his grip, Nicaraguans will not be free.— Michael G. Kozak (@WHAAsstSecty) September 13, 2020This story originated in VOA’s Latin America division.
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Friday in Brazil and visited a Venezuelan refugee processing center, while calling for democracy and for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.About 250,000 Venezuelan refugees are now in Brazil, with about 600 arriving daily before the border was closed because of the coronavirus. Pompeo visited the center alongside Brazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo.During a joint press conference in Guyana earlier in the day, Pompeo and Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali discussed the need for democracy in Venezuela.”We know that the Maduro regime has decimated the people of Venezuela and that Maduro himself is an indicted narcotics trafficker. That means he has to leave,” the secretary of state said, referring to U.S. drug trafficking charges against Maduro. “The United States and dozens of countries have made clear that Juan Guaidó is the duly elected leader of Venezuela. This is the objective — we want democracy and freedom and the rule of law.”Suriname’s President Chan Santokhi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walk together, in Paramaribo, Suriname, Sept. 17, 2020.The visit to Brazil comes after a historic first-ever trip to Suriname and Guyana by a U.S. secretary of state. There, he met with those nations’ leaders to discuss economic development in the wake of recent oil discoveries in both countries.Pompeo met Thursday with the president of Suriname, Chan Santokhi, before heading to Guyana. Both presidents are newly elected.In 2015, Exxon announced it had discovered a large oil reserve off the coast of Guyana, South America’s second-poorest nation. The BBC has reported that the 5.5 billion barrels’ worth of crude could make it the continent’s wealthiest nation.Exxon is already working in Suriname.During a brief appearance Friday, Ali and Pompeo both said they had not discussed Exxon’s deal with Guyana.“We did not discuss this. But I want to say that we are open to investment,” Ali said. “We are open to investors. … As we have said, prior to the elections, there are issues that we’ll have to review.”Pompeo said the negotiations were between Exxon and the Guyanese government, something he called “the American model.”China has been courting both Guyana and Suriname as they seek foreign investment.
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In a historic first-ever trip to Suriname and Guyana by a U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo met with those nations’ leaders to discuss economic development in the wake of recent oil discoveries in both countries. Pompeo met Thursday with the president of Suriname, Chan Santokhi, and on Friday with the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, both of whom are newly elected. In 2015, Exxon announced it had discovered a Suriname’s President Chan Santokhi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walk together, in Paramaribo, Suriname, Sept. 17, 2020.Pompeo said the negotiations were between Exxon and the Guyanese government, something he called “the American model.” A State Department official told reporters that Pompeo “will highlight through these meetings how U.S. companies throughout the hemisphere invest responsibly and transparently.” “This draws a stark contrast with China, whose predatory loans and vanity projects saddle countries in the Western Hemisphere with unsustainable debts,” the official said. China has been courting both Guyana and Suriname as they seek foreign investment. Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and a former State Department official, told AFP that getting a U.S. secretary of state to visit Latin America or the Caribbean was “a heavy lift.” “For him to go to both of these countries is extraordinary and shows that something big is happening.” During a joint press conference Friday, Pompeo and Ali also discussed the need for democracy in Venezuela, reiterating the call for that country’s President Nicolas Maduro to step down. “We know that the Maduro regime has decimated the people of Venezuela and that Maduro himself is an indicted narcotics trafficker. That means he has to leave,” the secretary of state said, referencing U.S. drug trafficking charges against Maduro. “The United States and dozens of countries have made clear that Juan Guaidó is the duly elected leader of Venezuela. This is the objective — we want democracy and freedom and the rule of law.” From Guyana, Pompeo travels to Brazil later Friday for talks with the Brazilian foreign minister. 
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Canal 12 is one of the few independent TV stations in Nicaragua. But it could be forced to shut down if the Nicaraguan Justice Department seizes what it says is some $350,000 the station owes in taxes. If that happens, observers say it will continue a trend by the government of President Daniel Ortega of censoring the media and harassing journalists who are critical of the government. VOA’s Donaldo Hernandez in Managua filed this report, narrated by Cristina Caicedo Smit. 
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Bolivian Interim President Jeanine Áñez says she has dropped out of the nation’s presidential race in an effort to block ex-leader Evo Morales from returning to power.Áñez said she did not want to split the votes in the October 18 election, enabling the Movement for Socialism party of Morales return to power.Prior to her announcement, Áñez was trailing in fourth place in recent opinion polls.Áñez has yet endorse another candidate but she said she wants to link up with a party that has support in opposing Morales’ party.She said if voters do not unite, Morales will return, and democracy will lose.Áñez was named interim president when Morales fled Bolivia last year during protests over allegations of election fraud. 
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Peruvian lawmakers will hold an impeachment hearing Friday, a day after the country’s top court rejected a request by President Martin Vizcarra to stop the proceedings.Congress voted last week to begin impeachment hearings against Vizcarra on grounds of moral incompetence, following allegations he tried to interfere in a probe into government contracts given to a singer.The move by Congress was fueled by opposition legislators airing secretly recorded audio that appears to show Vizcarra orchestrating a strategy with his aides to answer questions about his meetings with singer Richard Cisneros.Media reports say Cisneros claims the $50,000 worth of contracts were legal.On Thursday, the president did not comment on the allegations while touring a banana plantation in the region of Piura, but a day earlier Vizcarra seemed to lash out at his detractors for attempting to create a political crisis in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. 
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General Eduardo Pazuello has become Brazil’s third health minister after taking the job on an interim basis in April.Pazuello, who has no health credentials, was officially sworn in Wednesday at the Planalto Palace, in the country’s capital, Brasilia.Pazuello first became health minister following the resignations of the previous ministers after being at odds with President Jair Bolsonaro over policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus.President Bolsonaro, who has been infected with the coronavirus, has always downplayed its threat, clashing with local leaders who imposed restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, saying the measures hurt the economy.During the ceremony Wednesday, Bolsanaro repeated his support for a controversial anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, which most experts reject as an effective treatment for the coronavirus.Brazil has the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Latin America, with more than 4 million cases and more than 134,400 deaths.
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U.N. investigators alleged Wednesday that the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has committed crimes against humanity that include murders, torture and other atrocities.
 
Independent investigators commissioned by the Human Rights Council, the U.N.’s top human rights body, said in a report that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Maduro and his defense and interior ministers were aware of crimes committed by government security forces and intelligence agencies.
 
In attempts to silence the opposition, the report said, they committed crimes that include extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture. The report also said senior Venezuelan officials had control over the security forces and intelligence agencies, making those officials responsible.
 
Maduro’s socialist government did not immediately respond to the allegations in the report, which are based on 3,000 cases and more than 270 interviews with victims, witnesses, former officials, confidential documents and attorneys.
 
“Far from being isolated acts, these crimes were coordinated and committed pursuant to state policies, with the knowledge or direct support of commanding officers and senior government officials,” panel chair Marta Valinas said in a statement.
 
The report is likely to result in increased global scrutiny on the Maduro administration, which is governing a country torn by hyperinflation, a violent government crackdown and a migration of millions of citizens who have fled to nearby countries to escape the chaos that has persisted since he took office in 2013.
 
Maduro’s government has faced mounting pressure from the United States and dozens of other countries that recognize politician Juan Guaido as the legitimate president.
 
Maduro has said this is part of a plan to overthrow him so the U.S. can exploit Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
 
The U.N. fact-finding mission, established by the Human Rights Council to investigate alleged crimes since 2014, was not given access to Venezuela. The authors of the report said the Maduro government did not respond to inquiries.
 
Article 7 of the U.N. treaty that established the International Criminal Court defines a crime against humanity as an act that is part of a “widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.”  
 
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Venezuela is charging a recently arrested U.S. citizen with terrorism and weapons trafficking. Chief prosecutor Tarek Saab said Matthew John Heath, who was arrested in Venezuela last week, was plotting attacks against Venezuela’s oil industry and electricity system.  Saab said Heath was traveling in a vehicle and carrying a “coin” allegedly linking him to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, but he did not provide any details.  Saab also said three Venezuelans citizens detained with Heath, including one member of the military, are charged with treason in connection to the alleged plot. The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment after the charges were announced Monday. Heath’s plight was first revealed last week by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who said at the time, an unnamed U.S. citizen was arrested while allegedly spying on the country’s Amuay and Cardon refineries in western Falcon state and carrying “specialized weapons” and large amounts of cash. 
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Authorities in Panama are investigating the discovery of a mass grave in the vicinity of another grave site found in January where investigators believe a religious sect buried victims of violent exorcisms.  Forensic experts say they are still trying to determine how many remains are located at the newly found site in the indigenous Ngabe Bugle region, several hundred kilometers north of the capital, Panama City.Police and employees of the Public Ministry investigate near a mass grave with seven bodies at the indigenous region of Ngabe Bugle, Panama, Jan. 15, 2020, in this screen grab taken from Panamanian channel TVN Noticias.In January, authorities found a mass grave with at least seven victims, including a pregnant woman. The grave was linked to the “God’s New Light” church.  Police raided the church, arresting 10 people and rescuing 15 others, who told investigators the sect leader claimed he was fulfilling God’s orders to “remove the demon” from the victims in a violent exorcism.Authorities have, so far, not linked the latest grave site to the “God’s New Light” church. 
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A U.S. appeals court on Monday sided with President Donald Trump over his administration’s decision to end humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for decades.In a 2 to 1 ruling, a panel of three judges in the California-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that had blocked Trump’s move to phase out so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.The ruling is also expected to affect the status of people from Honduras and Nepal, who filed a separate lawsuit that was suspended last year pending the outcome of the broader case.The appeals court ruling means that those immigrants will be required to find another way to remain in the United States legally or depart after a wind-down period that will last at least until early March, and longer in the case of those from El Salvador.Judge Consuelo Callahan, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, wrote in a 54-page opinion that Trump administration decisions to phase out the protections were not reviewable and therefore should not have been blocked.Callahan also rejected a claim by plaintiffs that Trump’s past criticism of non-white, non-European immigrants influenced the TPS decisions.”While we do not condone the offensive and disparaging nature of the president’s remarks, we find it instructive that these statements occurred primarily in contexts removed from and unrelated to TPS policy or decisions,” she wrote.An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which represents plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said on Monday that they planned to seek another “en banc” review of the matter by 11 of the appeals court’s judges.The attorney, Ahilan Arulanantham, called the decision “deeply flawed” during a call with reporters, and said the case eventually could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, depending on the outcome of the request for a broader appeals court review.The termination of TPS for Haitians is also subject to separate litigation in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. The appeals court heard arguments in that case in June but has not yet ruled.Trump has made restrictive immigration policies a hallmark of his presidency and 2020 reelection campaign against Democratic challenger Joe Biden.TPS allows foreigners whose home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event to remain in the United States and apply for work permits. The status must be renewed periodically by the secretary of Homeland Security, who can extend it for six- to 18-month intervals.The Trump administration has argued that most countries in the program have recovered from the related disasters or conflicts, while the status has been renewed for years beyond its need.The Biden campaign has called the TPS decisions “politically motivated” and said that Biden would protect enrollees from being returned to unsafe countries.Immigrants from El Salvador make up the largest group of TPS recipients, with an estimated 263,000 Salvadorans covered by the program, but a bilateral agreement will allow Salvadorans an additional year to stay in the United States if the courts ultimately uphold Trump’s termination.
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Protests against police violence in Colombia have left at least 13 dead and hundreds wounded after police and protesters clashed in major cities across the country.The demonstrations were triggered after a video surfaced showing two officers in the capital, Bogotá, pinning down and repeatedly tasing 46-year-old lawyer Javier Ordóñez. Police say Ordóñez was drinking on the street with friends and not following social distancing rules.In the video, Ordóñez is heard begging, “Please, no more” to the officers. He died later in a hospital after suffering nine skull fractures.  As protesters took to the streets in Bogotá, smashing and setting fire to police vehicles and stations across the city, security forces responded.  Videos show groups of officers attacking civilians, and showering them with rubber bullets and tear gas, while others show security forces tear gassing and responding violently to peaceful protestsMost of the dead were young protesters who suffered gunshots wounds. Bogota’s mayor denounced what he described as the “indiscriminate” use of firearms by police.  That violence set off more demonstrations, which expanded across the country.Protesters march down the main street of downtown Medellín, Colombia on Sept. 11, 2020. Soon after, they clashed with police. (Megan Janetsky/VOA)While international observers have described the protests as Colombia’s “George Floyd moment,” referring to Black Lives Matter demonstrations that emerged in the United States after George Floyd died in police custody in May, many Colombians were quick to dub them as something else entirely.For Valentina Perez, 20, marching in Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city, it was a response to a trend of violence and frustration that has been building up for months.“This is nothing new,” Perez said. “In reality, this case had a big impact because there’s an accumulation of anger.”Perez noted the wave of massacres sweeping rural Colombia during the coronavirus pandemic as armed groups grapple for control, scandals that have struck the government in recent months, and longtime failures by the administration of President Ivan Duque to implement key facets of the country’s 2016 peace accords. The accords ended Latin America’s longest-running conflict, between the government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.Such frustrations have festered during the country’s five-month-long coronavirus quarantine, which had severe economic and mental health consequences, especially among the country’s poor.While police violence is certainly a problem in Colombia, said Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, such violence rarely runs just along racial lines.Rather, he said this ties more heavily to longstanding trends of impunity among security officials established by decades of armed conflict.  “There’s a host of reasons people are protesting, this just caused enough indignation to bring people out to the street,” Guzmán said. “Then when they were met with violence by members of the police, the indignation mounted on top of what was already a lot of angst.”Similar anger fueled protests which stretched on for more than a month late last year.While the Paro Nacional, or national strike, drew hundreds of thousands of largely peaceful protesters, the demonstrations that have erupted in Colombia this past week have been smaller, but more violent.In the first night of demonstrations in Bogotá alone, the government reported that 60 police stations, 91 cars, 77 public buses, five banks and three businesses were damaged. Authorities say a 40-year-old woman was also killed Thursday night after a bus hijacked by vandals hit her.Such violence has been seen in other parts of the country as well.Members of Duque’s Centro Democrático party criticized the protests. Party leader Álvaro Uribe, a former president widely credited for returning stability to Colombia after decades of drug violence and civil war – but also known for promoting controversial heavy-handed military tactics – denounced the vandalism and posted videos of torched public buses.  “A firm hand guarantees order, avoids vandalism and the brutality of some police,” he wrote. Esteban Liscano, 25, was among hundreds of people who clashed with police in Medellín over the last few days. Liscano said he feels the violence is the only way to get their voices heard.“For all the things that silence represents, violence represents an outcry, making noise,” he said. “It’s something we need for a society that always stays silent, that simply normalizes death,” Liscano said. “Nos Están Matando,” or “They are killing us,” is the message written on posters and graffiti lining the walls and vandalized buildings across the country. At the police station near where Ordóñez was reportedly killed, mourners set up a memorial to the victims of police violence.While officials have called for forgiveness and reconciliation, reactions have been varied among local and national governments. Bogotá Mayor Claudia López has called for police reform and visited victims and their families. At the same time, Duque’s government accused guerrillas and armed actors of infiltrating protests, but offered little evidence to support that claim.The officers accused of Ordóñez’s killing have been fired. They face charges of homicide and abusing authority.Guzmán said that while the clashes may not be the “tipping point” that organizers of last year’s protests were looking for to reignite mass demonstrations, they are adding to deep discontent against the country’s leadership. “This is going to be a buildup,” Guzmán said. “This is not a tidal wave that’s going to take over. This is not a tsunami, but this kind of gravitas offers the perfect moment for the next election to start.” 
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that a “U.S. spy” was captured while spying on the largest refining complex in the country, which is going through a severe fuel shortage crisis.In a live broadcast on state television, Maduro said the man was arrested on Thursday in the northwest state of Falcon where he was spying on the Amuay and Cardon oil refineries.They captured “a Marine, who was serving as a Marine on CIA bases in Iraq,” Maduro said. “He was captured with specialized weapons, he was captured with large amounts of cash, large amounts of dollars and other items.”Maduro did not give further details, but said the detainee was giving a statement in custody.Neither the U.S. State Department nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.Amuay and Cardon make up the Paraguana Refining Center, which has a nominal processing capacity of 971,000 barrels per day. Both have experienced multiple outages in recent years that the opposition blames on mismanagement and lack of maintenance.Word of the alleged U.S. spy came after a Venezuelan court last month sentenced two former U.S. Green Berets to 20 years in prison for their role in a failed incursion in May.Separately during Friday’s broadcast, Maduro said that in recent days security forces had also foiled a plot to cause an explosion at another oil refinery, El Palito in Carabobo state.He did not elaborate.Hit by U.S. sanctions that have exacerbated acute fuel shortages, the government on Friday announced a new fuel distribution initiative and said it was planning new refining projects, without providing further details. 
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Monferrier Dorval’s killing at home was a gut punch to his colleagues, students and admirers. The head of the Port-au-Prince bar association was shot dead August 28 by unknown gunmen who stormed his home in the same upscale neighborhood where Haiti’s president lives. Two other prominent Haitians were killed that same day in crimes that underscore the country’s struggle to improve security.  “Attacks on civil society are attacks on Haiti’s democracy and we look to Haitian authorities to investigate this heinous crime and bring justice to this case,” tweeted Michael G. Kozak, acting U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, condemning the crime. We stand with FILE – Men carry a picture depicting lawyer and President of the Bar of Lawyers of Port-au-Prince Monferrier Dorval, who was killed on Aug. 28, during a march to demand justice, in the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sept. 3, 2020.Dorval’s last hours In Haiti’s legal circles, Dorval had a reputation for being a brilliant constitutional expert and devoted professor who spent 27 years teaching law at the state university. He was described by friends, colleagues and his students as a principled, humble, independent thinker. Hours before he was killed, Dorval, 64, had a phone interview with popular Port-au-Prince radio station Magik 9, where he spoke out about the constant crises plaguing the country, the lack of leadership and the “inapplicable” constitution, which he said must be gutted. The law professor criticized the country’s lawmakers, opposition leaders, prime minister and even the president himself for the state of Haiti’s government. “The government is dysfunctional and that is why we are suffering. We must change the government and we must do this via the constitution,” Dorval said. His outside-the-box plan, laid out during the show, included seeking experts in history, geography and demographics and the nation’s top legal minds to draft a new constitution. He suggested examining how South Africa had successfully approached the issue, as well as some Latin American countries.  “The objective should be to reorganize Haiti so we can regain [the national] pride that we lost long ago,” he said. “We are constantly in crisis, relying on foreigners to tell us what to do. This country is not truly governed.”  Monferrier Dorval, head of the Port-au-Prince bar association and a constitutional law expert. (Photo: VOA Creole)Circumstances of Dorval’s killing Chief prosecutor and investigator Gabriel Ducarmel told VOA he arrived at the scene of the killing on the night of the crime with a judge, police and doctors. They found that Dorval had been shot three times in the chest. One bullet went through the body; two remained lodged in the chest. He said crime scene investigators recovered bullet casings. Describing the location of the crime as “very dark,” Ducarmel said there were no surveillance cameras at the home. The lawyer’s wallet and cellphone were missing, he said. The phone has since been recovered and is being examined, Ducarmel told VOA, describing the find as “hugely important.” “This is a revolting crime that offends the national consciousness,” Ducarmel told VOA. “We will do everything in our power to bring his killer to justice. Whoever is involved, be it near or far, we will find him.” Minister of Justice and National Security Rockefeller Vincent echoed that sentiment as he sought to reassure the nation about his commitment to investigate the crime and find those responsible. “No acts of terror will go unpunished,” he said at an August 31 press conference. “I consider the murder of the head of the bar association to be an act of terrorism.” Moise expressed full support for the investigation and asked law enforcement to expedite the process. “The PNH has all the support of the government to investigate [the crime] and put the criminals who assassinated one of the beneficent spirits of the nation behind bars,” Moise said in the prepared statement. “The police and judicial services must quickly move forward to arrest and bring to justice those responsible.” Moise announced three days of national mourning a day after the killing, ordering the nation’s flags to be flown at half staff and asking radio stations to play solemn music. L’assassinat de Me Dorval attriste toute la République. Un homme de grande culture. Une grande perte pour le pays. J’adresse aux membres de l’Ordre des avocats de P-au-P et à ses proches, mes plus sincères condoléances. Ce crime, comme tant d’autres, ne restera pas impuni.— Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) Lawyers chant slogans as they march to demand justice after the killing, on August 28, of the lawyer and President of the Bar of Lawyers of Port-au-Prince Monferrier Dorval.Legal community protests On September 3, judges, lawyers and law students took to the streets of the capital and several other cities to decry the killing and demand justice. Law students have since staged two other protests in Port-au-Prince, which police dispersed with tear gas. On September 10, one protester was shot and killed.  “It’s time to say no to the rampant crime. It’s time to start caring about this violence,” one of the professor’s students told VOA. “Today it’s him. Tomorrow it could be us.” Reynold Georges, Moise’s former legal adviser, told VOA he has discussed security risks the judiciary faces with the president but was told there were no plans to relocate to a more secure location.“It’s obvious this act was planned, concocted,” Georges said. “If we accept this crime, we cease being a nation.” Gervais Charles, the former head of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association, told VOA the September 3 march was only the beginning, and that the judiciary has more events planned. “Our motto is ‘Justice for Dorval,’ equal to the [South African] motto of ‘Free Nelson Mandela,’ ” he said. “Nothing will move forward in terms of the judicial system until that happens.”
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Protests aimed at police brutality in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, erupted into violence for a second night Thursday, with at least nine deaths reported over the past two days.Protesters set fire to city buses and some threw stones and bottles at police, who fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades toward the demonstrators protesting this week’s death of a 46-year-old law student.Police were caught on video repeatedly shocking the student, Javier Ordonez, with a stun gun as he begged them to stop. He died at the hospital.Police say Ordonez was detained after he was spotted drinking alcohol in the street with friends, in violation of coronavirus distancing rules.Since the protests started Wednesday, Bogota officials say police stations and vehicles have been vandalized and hundreds of civilians and police officers injured in addition to the nine deaths.Two officers suspected of involvement in the alleged abuse of Ordonez have been suspended pending an investigation. 
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