Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 9 November 2017

Argentina: Mexico defends

Prosecutor says colleague’s death was murder rights record after
abuse reporting

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina MEXICO CITY (AP) — The
(AP) — An Argentine pros- Mexican government reaf-
ecutor is formally declar- firmed its commitment to
ing for the first time that the human rights Wednesday
man probing the country’s after a study found that
biggest terror attack was nearly all cases of alleged
murdered rather than pos- abuses against civilians by
sibly committing suicide, a soldiers fighting the war on
member of his team said drug gangs go unsolved
Wednesday. and unpunished. A govern-
The opinion presented by ment statement said the
a judge by Eduardo Taiano Attorney General’s Office is
reignites a case that shook working toward “structural
Argentine politics with sus- and institutional changes
picions of high-level homi- to put an end to impunity
cide in the 2015 death of and pursue human rights
crusading prosecutor Al- violations” through the
berto Nisman. creation of special investi-
Judge Julian Ercolini will gative units. It added that
now decide whether to ac- prosecutors have already
cept Taiano’s decision and put in motion changes that
formally declare the case a emerged from a February
murder investigation, rather executive report and that
than one of “suspicious In this 2015 photo, Diego Lagomarsino, a computer specialist whose gun was used to kill the late address several recom-
death.” prosecutor Alberto Nisman, pauses during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An mendations in the study
The prosecution staffer, Argentine federal prosecutor is asking the judge in the case to require testimony from Lagomarsino, released Tuesday by the
who spoke on condition a former Nisman aide who said he’d loaned the gun to Nisman for protection. Washington Office on Latin
of anonymity due to the (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) America. The government
agency’s rules, said Taiano days after he formally ac- were not immediately pub- Nisman was found dead of said the military has broad-
also asked the judge to or- cused then-President Cris- licly available. a gunshot in the bathroom ened human rights training
der testimony by computer tina Fernandez of covering The initial police reports of apartment on Jan. 18, for soldiers, resulting in a
specialist Diego Lagomarsi- up Iranian officials’ role in a and autopsies concluded 2015. reduction of complaints to
no, a computer specialist 1994 bombing that killed 85 there was no sign anyone It was four days after he the National Human Rights
who owned the gun used people at a Jewish com- else had been present had given a judge his re- Commission, and it values
to kill Nisman. The aide has munity center. when Nisman died. The na- port accusing Fernandez the military’s assistance in
said he’d loaned the gun Fernandez has always in- tional forensics team said of cover-up in the Jewish cracking down on violent
to Nisman for protection sisted she had nothing to there was no concrete evi- center bombing and a day cartels across the country.
because the prosecutor with a cover-up or with Nis- dence it was a homicide before he was scheduled The military has played a
feared for his life. man’s death. and federal police said the to describe his conclusions central role in the war on
Nisman’s death came four Details of Taiano’s report prosecutor shot himself. to Congress. q drug cartels since at least
late 2006, when then-Pres-
Venezuela: ident Felipe Calderon de-

Assembly passes new law clamping down on media ployed soldiers across the
country to fight the gangs.
The militarized offensive
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) The law passed law will be stiff: Anyone accuse the opposition of has continued under cur-
— Venezuela’s all-powerful Wednesday by the pro- who publicly promotes promoting hate. rent President Enrique
constitutional assembly has government assembly hate aimed at specific The new law also allows Pena Nieto.
passed a wide-reaching prohibits Venezuelans from groups — including for the state to order public During that time there
law that clamps down spreading any message political orientation — or private media outlets have been numerous ac-
on the media and orders through TV, radio or social could potentially face 10 to broadcast messages cusations of serious human
prison sentences of up to media that instigates to 20 years in prison. “aimed at promoting rights violations by soldiers,
20 years for anyone who violence or hate. President Nicolas Maduro peace” for a period of 30 such as torture, killings and
“instigates hate.” Penalties for breaking the and his allies frequently minutes every week.q forced disappearances. q