Mexicans elect judges under shadow of crime
The government and its supporters said the reform making Mexico the world's only nation to select all of its judges and magistrates by popular vote was needed to clean up a rotten justice system.
Arturo Giesemann, a 57-year-old retiree, said his main motivation for voting was "the disgust I have with the current judiciary because of its corruption." Turnout appeared to be low as many voters struggled to choose from hundreds of largely unknown candidates.
"We are not very prepared," said Lucia Calderon, a 63-year-old university teacher. "I think we need more information." In the western state of Jalisco, 63-year-old housewife Maria Estrada said she used her "intuition" as she did not know the candidates.
Experts were concerned that the elections would politicize the justice system and make it easier for criminals to influence the courts with threats and bribery.
While corruption already exists, "there is reason to believe that elections may be more easily infiltrated by organized crime than other methods of judicial selection," Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, told Agence France-Presse.
Hundreds of opponents of the reforms marched through Mexico City waving flags and banners with slogans including: "Hands off our democracy" and "No to electoral fraud." The elections send the judiciary "to its grave," said Ismael Novela, a 58-year-old company worker.
"It was the last counterweight we had against the totalitarianism of the executive branch."
President Claudia Sheinbaum hit back at her critics on the eve of the vote.
"Those who want the regime of corruption and privileges in the judiciary to continue say this election is rigged. Or they also say it's so a political party can take over the Supreme Court," she said in a video message.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," she insisted.
The run-up to the vote was not accompanied by the kind of violence that often targets politicians in Mexico.
But "it is logical that organized criminal groups would have approached judges and candidates who are important to them," said consultant Luis Carlos Ugalde, a former head of Mexico's electoral commission.
Rights group Defensorxs has identified around 20 candidates it considers "high risk," including Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Another aspiring judge, in Durango state, spent almost six years in prison in the US for drug crimes.
Voters were tasked with choosing around 880 federal judges — including Supreme Court justices — as well as hundreds of local judges and magistrates. Another election for the remainder will be held in 2027.
Candidates are supposed to have a law degree, experience in legal affairs and what is termed "a good reputation," as well as no criminal record.
To do a good job, voters "would have to spend hours and hours researching the track record and the profiles of each of the hundreds of candidates," said David Shirk, a professor at the University of San Diego.
He believes that most of the corruption in Mexico's judicial system is in law enforcement agencies and public prosecutor offices.
"If you can avoid being prosecuted, you don't have to worry about the judge," said Shirk, who heads the Justice in Mexico research project.
The judicial reforms were championed by Sheinbaum's predecessor and mentor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who frequently clashed with the courts before stepping down last year.
The main reason for the elections seems to be "because Lopez Obrador had a grudge against the judges," Shirk said.
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Korea Herald
16 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Tens of thousands flee their homes as Thailand and Cambodia clash
Thailand (AP) -- Tens of thousands of people sought refuge as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day Saturday, heightening fears of an extended conflict with the total death toll reaching 32. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors late Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. The council did not issue a statement but a council diplomat said all 15 members called on the parties to deescalate, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully. The council also urged the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations known as ASEAN, to help resolve the border fighting, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chhea Keo told reporters afterward that his country, which called for the emergency meeting, 'asked for immediate ceasefires, unconditionally, and we also call for the peaceful solution to the dispute.' He responded to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand asking how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, stressing, 'We do not do that.' Keo said the Security Council called for both sides to exercise 'maximum restraint and resort to diplomatic solution' which is what Cambodia is calling for as well. Asked what he expects next, the ambassador said: 'Let's see how the call can be heard by all the members there.' Thailand's UN ambassador left the meeting without stopping to talk to reporters. The Thai Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border. The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand -- mostly civilians -- while Cambodia said Saturday that 12 people more people have killed on its side, bringing its death toll to 13. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the 'utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression' from Cambodia. Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours. The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as 'appropriate supporting fire' in return. Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Early Saturday, Cambodian Gen. Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers have died from two days of fighting. It earlier reported one fatality -- a man who was killed when the pagoda he was hiding in got hit by Thai rockets. The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed. The Thai army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80 kilometers from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets and queued for food and drinks. Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai was accompanied by four cats in two fabric carriers. She said she was doing laundry at her home near Ta Muen Thom temple when shelling began Thursday. 'I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared,' she recalled. Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. 'Children, old people, were hit out of the blue," she said. 'I never imagined it would be this violent.' At the nearby Phanom Dong Rak hospital, periodic explosions could be heard Friday, and a military truck arrived with three injured Thai soldiers, including one who had both legs severed. Thursday's shelling shattered windows at one of the hospital's buildings and damaged its roof. In the neighboring Sisaket province, more villagers took their belongings and left homes in a stream of cars, trucks and motorbikes after they received an evacuation order on Friday. Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside. Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. A remote Buddhist temple surrounded by rice fields accommodated several hundred evacuated villagers. Women rested in hammocks, some cradling babies, while children ran about. Makeshift plastic tents were being set up under the trees. Veng Chin, 74, pleaded with both governments to negotiate a settlement 'so that I can return to my home and work on the farm.' The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between ASEAN member countries though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbor Myanmar. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, but requested more time before implementing the action, according to a report by Malaysia's Bernama national news agency. Anwar said he had spoken to both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's Phumtham and urged them to open space for 'peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution,' while offering to have Malaysia facilitate talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. The 800-kilometer frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics . Things got worse when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday, leading Bangkok to close the border and expel the Cambodian ambassador. The next day, clashes broke out along the border.
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Korea Herald
N. Korea set to celebrate 72nd anniversary of armistice signing
North Korea is set to hold a series of events Saturday to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, the North's media reported. North Korea will hold celebrations for the anniversary to mark the country's victory in the Fatherland Liberation War in Pyongyang, and participants invited to the event arrived in the capital Thursday, according to the Korean Central Television. The media said nighttime fireworks, a parade and a variety of performances would be held in the capital. The Korean War, which started with an invasion by North Korea, ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, on July 27, 1953. Since 1996, North Korea has celebrated the armistice signing date as Victory Day, claiming that it won the Liberation War against US-led aggression. North Korea has used the anniversary to honor war veterans and reinforce internal unity. For this year's celebrations, authorities have invited war veterans and people with wartime merits, as well as officials, the media said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also sent gifts to war veterans on the occasion of the anniversary. Kim may attend the events, but it is unclear whether he will deliver a celebration speech. In 2023, North Korea held a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary by inviting then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong in an apparent move to show its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, which backed Pyongyang during the war, as Seoul, Washington and Tokyo were bolstering three-way security cooperation. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
US takes flurry of steps to disrupt N. Korea's illicit revenue generation
The United States announced a package of actions Thursday to disrupt North Korea's illicit schemes to generate revenue for its nuclear and missile programs, including offering rewards for North Koreans involved in the schemes, and sanctioning a North Korean firm and associated people. The move came although US President Donald Trump has signaled his openness to reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, raising speculation that he could seek to resume his personal diplomacy, which led to three in-person meetings between him and Kim during his first term. The Trump administration described the move as a "whole-of-government" effort that involved an array of organizations, including the Department of State, Justice and the Treasury. The State Department said its Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering rewards totaling up to $15 million for information leading to arrests or convictions of seven North Koreans -- Sim Hyon-sop and six co-conspirators. Sim and the others were charged for their role in illicit activities to buy and sell tobacco from North Korea to gain access to US dollars, according to the department. The reward offers include an increase of up to $7 million for Sim, up to $3 million each for Myong Chol-min and Kim Se-un, and up to $500,000 each for Kim Yong-bok, Kim Chol-min, Ri Tong-min and Ri Won-ho. Sim and some of his co-conspirators, including Kim Se-un, have also been involved in illicit information technology IT worker schemes. The North is thought to have sent thousands of IT workers abroad to orchestrate fraudulent IT work, often to Russia and China, the department said. The department stressed that the North's revenue generation schemes, including cryptocurrency theft, trafficking in counterfeit goods, oil smuggling, and other transnational criminal activities, often target US companies and US citizens to raise funds for Pyongyang's weapons programs that threaten the US homeland and stand in breach of UN and US sanctions. "Today's actions illustrate the US government's commitment to mitigating such threats posed by North Korea to protect US companies, the US financial system, and American citizens," the department said. "The United States will not stand idly by while North Korea profits from criminal activity to fund its destabilizing actions." In a coordinated move, the Treasury Department sanctioned the North's Korea Sobaeksu Trading Company and three associated individuals -- Kim Se-un, Jo Kyong-hun and Myong -- for their involvement in the evasion of US and UN sanctions and efforts to generate revenue clandestinely for Pyongyang, including through IT worker schemes. "The DPRK relies on front companies like Korea Sobaesku Trading Company and key facilitators to procure materials and generate revenue for the regime's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Bradley Smith, the director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said. "Our commitment is clear: Treasury, as part of a whole-of-government effort, will continue to hold accountable those who seek to infiltrate global supply chains and enable the sanctions evasion activities that further the Kim regime's destabilizing agenda." Alongside the Treasury and State Departments, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against seven North Koreans for it called the criminal avoidance of sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act involving the illicit trafficking of counterfeit cigarettes. Asked if Thursday's actions signaled that diplomacy with Pyongyang would be difficult for the time being, a State Department spokesperson pointed out the recalcitrant regime's advancing military threats to the US and its allies, and reaffirmed the US' commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of the North. "North Korea continues to advance its destabilizing weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. These programs pose a threat to America, our allies, and partners, and undermine security in the region," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency via email. "We continue to consult closely with the Republic of Korea, Japan, and other allies and partners to deter North Korean aggression. Our commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan are ironclad," the official added, referring to South Korea by its official name. The spokesperson also recalled attention to Trump's diplomacy with the North during his first term, saying it resulted in the first leader-level commitment from the North to denuclearize. (Yonhap)
