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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 1 September 2018
General: Rise in Rio police killings not sign of failed plan

By PETER PRENGAMAN However, he said the situ-
SERGIO RAMALHO ation wasn't comparable
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio because a year ago police
de Janeiro's public security forces were suffering from
secretary said Friday that underfunding and a lack of
a rise in killings during po- motivation, which added
lice operations was a sign to a situation where many
that authorities were more criminals groups were oper-
aggressively confronting ating with few checks.
crime, and not of a worsen- Retraining, the hiring of
ing situation. some new recruits and
In an interview with The cracking down on corrup-
Associated Press on Fri- tion within police ranks was
day, Gen. Richard Nunes having a positive impact,
pushed back against critics he said. Nunes cited a sig-
who argue that a military nificant drop in robberies of
intervention is leading to cargo on long-bed trucks,
more violence in the city a persistent problem in the
that two years ago hosted state, as a sign of improve-
the 2016 Summer Olympics. ment. He noted that fewer
Nunes said that any analy- robberies meant less asso-
sis had to take into account ciated crime.
the level of crime and prob- Public Security Secretary of Rio de Janeiro Gen. Richard Nunes speaks during an interview, in Rio "We now have a much
lems in the police forces de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. stronger police presence in
when the military was put Associated Press the streets," said Nunes.
in charge of security. Nunes said one of the big-
"The situation was really Temer decreed the inter- fearing it would lead to deaths during police op- gest challenges had been
bad," said Nunes, a Rio vention in February after more violence, particularly erations compared to 547 working to find solutions
native and career Army muggings and beatings in marginalized neighbor- during the same period last amid large budget defi-
member who was tapped were captured on camera hoods. Six months in, there year, according to state cits. Brazil, with Latin Amer-
to lead the state's public during Rio's world famous are some indications of in- figures. ica's largest economy, has
security secretariat as part Carnival celebrations. From creasing violence. Nunes lamented the deaths struggled to fully emerge
of the intervention. the onset, civil rights groups Between February and July and predicted the numbers from its worst recession in
Brazilian President Michel have criticized the move, of this year, there were 736 would start coming down. decades.q

Guatemala president shuts down UN anti-corruption commission

By SONIA PEREZ D. manipulating justice, ac- vestigation for possible illicit
SONNY FIGUEROA tions that attack the pre- campaign financing.
Associated Press sumption of innocence "I think there's a conflict of
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — and due process." interest, and an attempt by
Guatemalan President Jim- The announcement was President Morales to try to
my Morales on Friday shut promptly met with criticism protect his own interests in
down a crusading U.N.- from human rights officials light of the ongoing inves-
sponsored anti-graft com- and advocates. tigation and probe," said
mission that has pressed a "We sincerely regret the Adriana Beltran, director
number of high-profile cor- great mistake that the for citizen security at the
ruption probes — including president made public in Washington Office on Latin
one pending against him not renewing Cicig's man- America, which advocates
over purported illicit cam- date," Guatemalan human for human rights in the re-
paign financing. rights prosecutor Jordan gion.
Speaking in front of civilian Rodas said. Beltran said Cicig and
and military leaders as army Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales speaks to the nation in a "We are grateful for its valu- Velasquez have made
vehicles surrounded the televised address, surrounded by military officers, in Guatemala able contribution in the remarkable progress in
commission's headquarters City, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. country to the fight against strengthening the rule of
in the capital, Morales said Associated Press corruption and impunity." law in Guatemala "despite
he had informed the U.N. Morales is suspected of re- constant attacks and ef-
secretary-general of his de- announced that he was Morales accused the com- ceiving at least $1 million in forts to try to undermine
cision to revoke the body's expelling the commission's mission Friday of "violating undeclared contributions (their) work," and that
mandate and "immedi- chief, Ivan Velasquez, but our laws, inducing people during the 2015 campaign. "there's still much more that
ately" begin transferring its that move was quickly and institutions to partici- He has denied wrongdo- needs to be done."
capacities to Guatemalan blocked by Guatemala's pate in acts of corruption ing. At least 12 military vehicles
institutions. top court. and impunity," and "selec- Last week the Supreme were outside the commis-
The decision caps a long At the time Morales de- tive criminal prosecution Court allowed a request sion's headquarters Friday,
history of friction between clared Velasquez a perso- with an ideological bias." brought by Cicig and Gua- and Cicig spokesman Ma-
the president and the In- na non grata and fired his "Selective justice has been temalan prosecutors to tias Ponce told The Associ-
ternational Commission foreign minister for refusing used to intimidate and strip his immunity from pros- ated Press that police and
Against Impunity in Guate- to carry out the order to ex- terrorize the citizenry," he ecution to go to Congress army vehicles intercepted
mala, or Cicig for its initials pel him, before later back- charged. "Judicial inde- for consideration. If 105 a car carrying a team from
in Spanish. ing off and saying he would pendence has been vio- lawmakers vote in favor, it the commission on a street
In August 2017, Morales obey the court's decision. lated, with the intention of could open him up to in- in the capital.q