US Reaffirms ‘Unwavering Support' for Restoration of Democracy, Justice in Venezuela
'One year since dictator Nicolás Maduro defied the will of the Venezuelan people by baselessly declaring himself the winner, the United States remains firm in its unwavering support to Venezuela's restoration of democratic order and justice,' the statement reads.
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Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Miami Herald
U.S. citizen dies following Israeli settler arson attacks in the West Bank
A U.S. citizen died in the West Bank on Thursday morning, the U.S. State Department confirmed to the Miami Herald. According to his family, Khamis Abdul Latif Ayyad, 41, died of smoke-related injuries, after Israeli settlers set fire to cars in his village in the middle of the night. A U.S. State Department official confirmed Ayyad's death and citizenship in a statement to the Herald, but did not provide information about his cause of death. 'We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them. We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank,' a State Department spokesperson said. Ayyad is the second known U.S. citizen to die this month in the West Bank, as residents tell reporters that the assaults from Israeli settlers have become nearly a daily occurrence. Just one town over from Silwad, 20-year-old Florida-born Sayfollah 'Saif' Musallet was beaten to death on Jul. 11 by Israeli settlers, who also shot and killed a second man. Musallet's death sparked outrage among Americans and Muslim groups in Florida who called for an investigation from the DeSantis administration and the Department of Justice. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, wrote on X on July 15 that he asked Israel to 'aggressively investigate' Musallet's death. 'There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act,' he wrote. 'Saif was just 20 yrs old.' The Herald reached out to Huckabee but has yet to receive a response about Ayyad's death. A national Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called for an investigation on Friday. Ayyad grew up in Silwad, a small village in the West Bank, but moved to the United States in 2008 with his wife, also a U.S. citizen, and settled in Chicago. Together they raised four sons and one daughter, ages 6 to 15. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved back to the West Bank, and continued working remotely for an IT company, according to his brother, Ayman Ayyad. The Herald reached out to Palestinian and Israeli officials, including the Israeli Defense Forces, but has yet to receive a response. Around 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning Khamis Ayyad called his brother, Ayman Ayyad, who didn't pick up. Ayman Ayyad received a call around 4 a.m. from another brother who informed him that Khamis Ayyad had been transferred to a nearby hospital in Ramallah. He arrived to find that his brother had died. Khamis Ayyad had rushed to his brother's aid after settlers set fire to a car under the family house, Ayman Ayyad said. He died from smoke inhalation, according to his family and a Palestinian news agency. The family said the fire was started by Israeli settlers who came into Silwad, a village in the central West Bank near several Israeli settlements, in the middle of the night and set cars and homes ablaze. A funeral took place on Friday, and relatives are waiting for an autopsy to determine his official cause of death. The family has strong ties in the United States. Khamis Ayyad is one of nine children – seven of whom are U.S. citizens, according to his brother Ayman Ayyad, who live in Chicago and Philadelphia. They have cousins in Tampa, Fla. Ayman Ayyad described his brother as a family man. Whenever he wasn't working, he was with his wife and children. He was well-liked in his community, and focused on his family and building his career. 'He was loved by everyone,' he said. 'He caused no problems at all.' Ayman Ayyad had little to say to U.S. officials. He said that the 'whole world' already knows about the attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem. 'What, is it something people can't see? The whole world already sees it,' he said. This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Appeals judges order ICC prosecutor to recuse himself from Venezuela investigation
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court on Friday ordered chief prosecutor Karim Khan to recuse himself from an investigation into Venezuela, citing a conflict of interest. Khan's sister-in-law, international criminal lawyer Venkateswari Alagendra, has been part of a team representing the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the five-judge appeals panel at the ICC says her involvement creates an issue of 'bias' for the prosecutor. The British barrister, who is currently on leave from the court , stepped down temporarily pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Alagendra and Khan worked together previously on cases, including as defense counsel for Kenyan President William Ruto and for Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Alagendra is the sister of Khan's wife, human rights lawyer Shyamala Alagendra. The Washington-based Arcadia Foundation, which focuses on human rights issues in Venezuela, filed a complaint with the court in 2024, asking for Khan to be removed from the case over a conflict of interest. The court dismissed the initial complaint in February. In written filings, Khan told the court he could not 'recall' any discussion with his sister-in-law about the facts of the case and did not attend any meetings where she was present. The ICC has an ongoing investigation into violence that followed Venezuela's 2017 election but has so far not sought any arrest warrants. Khan announced in late 2021 that he was opening the investigation after a lengthy preliminary probe and an official referral — a request to investigate — in 2018 from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. However, the full-scale investigation was put on hold when Venezuelan authorities said they wanted to take over the case. The ICC is a court of last resort that only takes on cases when national authorities are unwilling or unable to investigate, a system known as complementarity. Khan pressed ahead with efforts to continue the court's first investigation in Latin America. ICC judges agreed with Khan and authorized him to resume investigations in Venezuela in 2023 . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Migrants from Venezuela detained at an El Salvador prison open up about the abuse they endured
In the weeks since the U.S. government released hundreds of Venezuelan nationals incarcerated at El Salvador's infamous Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) and sent them back to their home country, several detainees have spoken out about the abuses they endured. Times staff writer Kate Linthicum and special correspondent Mery Mogollón spoke to Jerce Reyes Barrios, a 36-year-old former professional soccer player, who left Venezuela last year and tried to apply for asylum at the Otay Mesa border crossing in California. He was among the more than 250 men accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua street gang and sent to CECOT by the Trump administration in March. Reyes Barrios denies ever belonging to the criminal organization. His attorney, Linette Tobin, said in a court statement that her client was accused of being a gang member because of an arm tattoo that featured a soccer ball decorated with a crown — a nod to Spanish club Real Madrid CF. He says the maltreatment began the moment they were removed from the plane. 'Welcome to El Salvador, you sons of bitches,' Reyes Barrios claims the prison guards told them. 'You've arrived at the Terrorist Confinement Center. Hell on earth.' Inside, Reyes Barrios said the men were constantly beaten. They were kept in overcrowded cells and slept on metal beds. They were hardly fed, were given contaminated water and were supervised by a sadistic staff. 'There was blood, vomit and people passed out on the floor,' he said. Reyes Barrios' account of what he experienced at CECOT is consistent with what other former detainees have described. 'The doctor would watch us get beaten and then ask us 'How are you feeling?' with a smile,' Marco Jesús Basulto Salinas, a 35-year-old kitchen worker who had temporary protected status, told the Washington Post. 'It was the most perverse form of humiliation.' Some of the worst abuse took place at a cell dubbed 'La Isla.' It was there where Andry José Hernández Romero, a 31-year-old hairdresser who left Venezuela out of fear of being persecuted for being gay, says he was sexually assaulted. Conditions inside CECOT were so bad that some detainees attempted suicide, while others contemplated it. 'I'd rather die or kill myself than to keep living through this experience,' 39-year-old Juan José Ramos Ramos told ProPublica. 'Being woken up every day at 4 a.m. to be insulted and beaten. For wanting to shower, for asking for something so basic. ... Hearing your brothers getting beaten, crying for help.' At one point, the men staged a hunger strike. When that didn't work, some of them cut themselves and wrote messages on sheets and in the walls using their own blood. 'We wanted them to see we were willing to die,' Neiyerver Adrián León Rengel, another former detainee, told the Post. After nearly four months of alleged abuse, the men were told that they were finally going home. Their release was part of a prison exchange deal— Venezuela agreed to free 10 jailed Americans. 'At that moment, we all shouted with joy,' Reyes Barrios said. 'I think that was my only happy day at CECOT.' The Times reached out to a spokesperson for Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's president, seeking comment, but did not get a reply. For its part, the Trump administration is refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing. 'Once again, the media is falling all over themselves to defend criminal illegal gang members,' Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told the Washington Post. 'We hear far too much about gang members and criminals' false sob stories and not enough about their victims.' According to internal data obtained by ProPublica, the Trump administration knew that nearly 200 of the men sent to CECOT had not been convicted of crimes in the U.S. If you're looking for something to do this weekend that's both fun and free, come join the De Los team at 350 S. Grand Ave. on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., as we co-present a Grand Performances concert headlined by Adrian Quesada. The multi-instrumentalist will be performing songs from 'Boleros Psicodélicos,' a duo of albums released in 2022 and 2025 that takes boleros — love ballads popular across Latin America — and injects them with a healthy dose of psychedelia. Every track on both records features a different singer, so performing 'Boleros Psicodélicos' live is logistically difficult given Quesada's lengthy list of collaborators. Joining him onstage on Saturday will be Gaby Moreno, Trish Toledo, Angélica Garcia, Mireya Ramos and one or two surprise guests. El Marchante and Explorare will kick the night off. The De Los team will have a booth at the event, where we'll be giving out free posters and copies of our 'De Los 101' zine for subscribers of the Latinx Files. We will also be raffling off tote bags! You can RSVP here. Starting Monday, I'll be going on paternity leave for two months. But fret not, for I leave you in the very capable hands of De Los writer Carlos De Loera — next week will not be his first rodeo. Working on this newsletter has been one of the most fulfilling professional experiences I've had, and while I'll miss it, I'm very much looking forward to having quality baby bonding time. I'll return in time to write the Oct. 10 edition of the Latinx Files. Unless otherwise noted, all stories in this section are from the L.A. Times.
