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Saturday, December 27, 2025

Participants in the World Naked Bike Ride face attacks as Britain becomes less tolerant of nudity.


The newly elected president assured that he will coordinate with other Latin American governments for the repatriation of irregular migrants, in what he referred to as a "humanitarian return corridor." read more


Saturday, December 20, 2025

A Namibian politician named after German dictator Adolf Hitler was declared the winner by a landslide in a local government election, according to official results published late Thursday. read more


Thursday, December 18, 2025

The Trump administration announced an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan on Wednesday, marking the largest-ever U.S. weapons package for the island as it faces increasing military pressure from China read more


Wednesday, December 17, 2025

In a complaint filed on Monday evening, Trump sought $5bn in damages each on two counts: alleging that the BBC defamed him, and that violated Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, when it broadcast an edited version of his Jan 6, 2021 speech. read more


Comments

"Link?"

I know you'll probably just ignore this, like you did with the earlier link to the Carter Center, but:

www.amnesty.org

The state authorities who have held power since at least 2014 have committed grave and massive human rights violations, including possible crimes against humanity, and have led the country into a complex humanitarian emergency that has pushed more than 25% of the population to flee Venezuela, leaving their homes and families behind.

The months leading up to this election have been marked by incessant attacks on civic space, tens of arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, reprisals against businesses and contractors providing services to opposition figures, and arbitrary and abusive administrative measures.

We are calling in the strongest possible terms for the immediate and unconditional release of all people arbitrarily detained for political reasons in the country, including Roco San Miguel, Javier Tarazona and Carlos Julio Rojas.

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.


english.elpais.com
Amnesty International has warned that forced disappearances in Venezuela have escalated following the presidential elections on July 28, 2024, and have become part of a systematic pattern of persecution against government dissidents.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International Secretary General Agns Callamard called for the International Criminal Court to advance investigations into crimes against humanity in the South American country, documented since 2014, and urged the international community to support the pursuit of justice through the use of universal jurisdiction in human rights cases, as Argentina has already done.

"Machado is a Fascist Traitor, why did she get a Nobel Peace Prize of all things, for Advocating a Military Attack on her Own Country?"

In late 2025, Mara Corina Machado expressed openness to increased international military pressure and escalation to force Nicols Maduro to step down. While she has not explicitly called for a ground invasion, her support for "escalation" and "strength" is based on the following arguments:

  1. . Enforcement of Electoral Will
    Machado argues that the 2024 presidential election gave a clear mandate for regime change, with over 70% of the population voting for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzlez. She contends that since Maduro has refused to recognize these results, external "strength" and "pressure" are the only remaining ways to enforce the will of the Venezuelan people.
  2. . View of the Government as a "Criminal Structure"
    She has stated that the Maduro administration is not a "conventional" dictatorship but a "criminal narco-terrorist structure" that cannot be removed through purely diplomatic means. By framing the government as a criminal enterprise rather than a political one, she justifies the use of "law enforcement" and military-style operations to dismantle its funding and control.
  3. . Claim of Pre-existing Foreign "Invasion"
    When questioned about supporting a U.S. invasion, Machado has countered that Venezuela is already "invaded" by foreign actors including:
    Adversarial states: Russian and Iranian agents and Cuban intelligence.
    Non-state actors: Colombian drug cartels, and alleged presences of Hamas and Hezbollah.
    She argues that Venezuela has become a "criminal hub" for these groups, making external intervention a matter of hemispheric security.
  4. . Failure of Previous Diplomatic Efforts
    Machado and her allies have expressed that 26 years of diplomatic negotiations and internal protests have failed to move the government. She maintains that only by significantly "raising the cost of staying in power" through military escalation will Maduro understand that his time is over.
  5. . Alignment with U.S. Strategy
    In 2025, Machado aligned closely with the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign, which included military strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels. She has called these U.S. actions "decisive" in weakening the regime and necessary to stop what she describes as Maduro's "war" against his own people.

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