Kenyan rights activist charged with unlawful possession of ammunition
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The Star
10 minutes ago
- The Star
Venezuelan makeup artist returns home, describes torture during El Salvador detention
Andry Hernandez, who was held for months in an El Salvador prison after the U.S. alleged he was a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, talks with friends at his home following his release, in Tachira, Venezuela July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez CAPACHO, Venezuela (Reuters) -A makeup artist who became the face of more than 250 Venezuelan migrants deported by the U.S. to El Salvador's most notorious prison arrived home to his family on Wednesday after what he described as "an encounter with torture and death." Andry Hernandez, 32, and the other detainees returned to Venezuela on Friday as part of a prisoner exchange, after spending four months in El Salvador's CECOT prison, where they and the Venezuelan government allege they were beaten, shot with rubber projectiles, held in dark cells, and served rotten food. "Many of our fellows have wounds from the nightsticks; they have fractured ribs, fractured fingers and toes, marks from the handcuffs, others have marks on their chests, on their face ... from the projectiles," Hernandez told journalists at his home in Capacho, near the Colombian border. U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport the men, who his government accuses of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, without normal immigration procedures. The deportations sparked a legal battle led by civil rights groups. Families and lawyers of many of the men have denied they have gang ties. Hernandez, detained at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden administration, had an active asylum case when he was deported to CECOT. His case was widely covered in the media. Advocates in the U.S. have voiced concerns that Hernandez, who is gay, faces risks in Venezuela due to LGBTQ persecution. The U.S. alleged Tren de Aragua membership based on his tattoos: crowns on his wrists that read "mom"and "dad." Hernandez denied the allegation. In a video broadcast on state television on Monday, Hernandez alleged sexual abuse by the guards at CECOT, and Venezuela's attorney general has said his office will investigate El Salvador President Nayib Bukele over alleged abuses. Bukele's office has not responded to requests for comment on the alleged torture. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson has referred allegations of mistreatment to El Salvador's government, while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security dismissed the allegations of abuse on Tuesday, calling the men "criminal, illegal gang members." Reuters was not able to immediately confirm the abuse allegations. Hernandez's parents, Felipe Hernandez and Alexi Romero, have been anxiously awaiting his return since Tuesday, when he called to say he was on the way from Caracas, some 820 kilometers (510 miles) away. Hernandez said he was most happy to see them and his brother, but was also touched to find out that friends and family held vigils on his behalf and campaigned for his return. "It fills me with so much peace, so much comfort, so much tranquility that I was never alone, from day one. There were many people who worried for me," he said. (Reporting by Tathiana Ortiz in Capacho, additional reporting by Kristina Cooke in San FranciscoWriting by Julia Symmes CobbEditing by Rod Nickel)
The Star
40 minutes ago
- The Star
Ukraine brings home new group of POWs from Russia, Zelenskiy says
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference on the first day of the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025), on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Zelenskiy vows to protect Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, bows to protests
Ukrainians protest in the first wartime rally against a newly passed law, which curbs independence of anti-corruption institutions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Wednesday to retain the independence of anti-corruption agencies, bowing to pressure from the first wartime street protests and rare rebukes from European allies. For a second day in a row, thousands of people across the country - from Kharkiv in the northeast to the capital Kyiv to Lviv in the west - took to the streets demanding reversal of the law curbing the independence of anti-graft agencies. In his evening address to the nation on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said he would submit a new bill to ensure the rule of law and retain the independence of the anti-corruption agencies. "Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days... on social media, to each other, on the streets. It's not falling on deaf ears," Zelenskiy said. Thousands of people turned up for a second day of protests in central Kyiv, close to Zelenskiy's office. In the first such demonstrations of the war, the youth, activists, and war veterans chanted 'Shame' and 'Veto the Law'. "It's like a knife in the back, to be honest," Maryna Mykhalchuk, 26, who has friends killed in the war and plans to join the army soon, told Reuters. Opposition lawmakers and European officials also called for reversal of the law, which Zelenskiy signed overnight. The law gives the Prosecutor General appointed by Zelenskiy more power over two investigative anti-corruption agencies. It was rushed through parliament on Tuesday, a day after the security services arrested two anti-corruption officials for suspected Russian ties. In a joint statement, both agencies - the anti-corruption bureau NABU and the specialised prosecutors SAPO - said they wanted their independence restored through legislation. Parliament is expected to hold an emergency session next week to consider the new draft bill from Zelenskiy's office, several lawmakers said. STRONGEST CRITICISM SINCE THE WAR BEGAN The law prompted some of Ukraine's European allies to deliver their strongest criticism of Zelenskiy's government since Russia's invasion in February 2022. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her strong concern to Zelenskiy and asked for an explanation, said the spokesman. The law's critics say the government appears to be trying to rein in anti-corruption agencies to protect officials. After decades of endemic corruption in Ukraine, cleaning up its government has been held up as the key condition for the country to join the EU, tap billions of dollars in foreign aid, and integrate more broadly with the West. The issue risks antagonising Kyiv's most loyal allies at a time when it is trying to smooth over the relationship with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has frequently criticised Zelenskiy. "Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions are vital to its reform path. Restricting them would be a significant setback," Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said in a post on X. Benjamin Haddad, France's European Affairs minister, said it was not too late to reverse the decision. Ukrainian political analysts said the legislation risked undermining society's trust in Zelenskiy during a critical stage of the war against Russia. Fierce fighting rages along more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) of the frontline. Russian troops continue their grinding advance in the east and have stepped up near daily attacks on Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones. Hundreds of protesters, some clad in military uniforms, in the city of Zaporizhzhia, close to the frontline in the southeast, demanded overturning the law with chants of "Ukraine is not Russia." Similar rallies took place in other major cities across the country. The public's European aspirations are vital to sustaining the war effort, said Valerii Pekar, a Kyiv-based analyst: "Only democracy and the European choice give us a chance to win," he posted on Facebook. (Additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Editing by David Gregorio)
