Latest news with #paramilitaries
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Colombia's cycling star ‘Lucho' Herrera quizzed over murder conspiracy
Luis 'Lucho' Herrera has publicly denied belonging to criminal organisations. (EPA Images pic) BOGOTA : Former top cyclist Luis 'Lucho' Herrera appeared before Colombian prosecutors yesterday, to address claims he was involved in the murder of four farmers decades ago. Sixty-four-year-old Herrera voluntarily appeared at the offices of prosecutors in the capital Bogota, AFP reporters witnessed. He was to be questioned about allegations by two former paramilitaries that in 2002 he conspired to kill four of his neighbours in central Colombia. The two ex-paramilitaries – members of one of the bloody far-right death squads that for decades fought Colombia left-wing guerrillas – claim 'Lucho' gave them about US$9,700 to murder four men. They alleged that Herrera claimed the men were rebels who wanted to kidnap him, but were in fact farmers who had refused to sell their land. Lawyer Hernando Benavides said his client Herrera was innocent and a 'victim of events of which he is unaware'. One of the paramilitaries was recently sentenced to more than 22 years in prison over the forced disappearance of the men. A source from the prosecutor's office told AFP that Herrera had been invited to provide his 'free version' of events, and was not obliged to attend as he is not listed as a defendant. Herrera has publicly denied belonging to criminal organisations or purposely causing anyone harm. But he could yet face formal charges. His brother Rafael Herrera was also requested to be present yesterday.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
David Coleman sentenced over Ballymena knife and hatchet attack
A man has been sentenced to 11 years for a "sustained, brutal attack" on a man who was stabbed in the chest, slashed on the face, hit with a hatchet and dumped in a field in County victim, who was found by binmen outside Broughshane in October 2021, suffered permanent and life-changing injuries including a brain Coleman, 39, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and grievous bodily harm and was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on will serve half of his 11-year term in prison and half on licence. Four other men involved in the attack were jailed last said throughout the "nightmarish attack", the victim was kicked and continually forced to wipe up his own blood as his attackers court was told the victim was asked to bag cocaine at Coleman's Ballymena flat before he was accused of stealing was repeatedly punched in the face by Coleman who then took a large knife and stabbed him in the chest before putting it in his Coleman, who was laughing throughout, slashed the blade across the victim's then called someone and asked "where do I get rid of somebody?" The victim was later bundled into the back of a car by other men and dumped in a field on the Lisnamurrican Road near was there that he was assaulted with a hatchet. 'Association with paramilitaries' During sentencing Judge Gordon Kerr KC said the fracture to the victim's skull caused by the hatchet was not caused by Coleman but said he "used a knife in a cruel way" and that the victim was subjected to a "sustained, brutal attack".A Crown barrister previously told the court Coleman encouraged and directed others involved in the also said he had a "long-standing association with paramilitaries".At an earlier hearing, Coleman's barrister said his client had already served more than three years in custody and did not inflict the skull fracture which caused significant and permanent was given a nine-year sentence with a further two years added due to him being considered Kerr said Coleman's record contains violence including links to paramilitary offences and that he is assessed as being a high-risk offender by the Probation Board NI."The most significant matter is that he has a history of dealing in drugs and that this incident arose from that," the judge said."His total indifference to his victim shows a mindsight that he does and will pose a significant risk of causing serious harm." 'Shocking level of violence' Police described the attack as "barbaric and depraved" and said "the level of violence inflicted is shocking"."The defenceless victim was viciously beaten, stabbed in the chest with a knife and sliced on both sides of his face," Det Insp McCoy said. "Throughout the nightmarish attack, he was kicked and continually forced to wipe up the blood. Meanwhile, the defendants laughed."He added: "This man, somehow, survived. His journey, however, has been traumatic and for the first number of weeks he remained in intensive care under sedation. "Injuries included a stab wound to his chest, fracture and detachment of the jaw, injuries to his face and mouth, and a fracture to the base of the skull. He has in fact sustained a permanent brain injury."Today, with the support of colleagues in the Public Prosecution Service, David Coleman has been held accountable for his actions."
Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Death threats against Northern Ireland journalists increasing, says Amnesty
Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of violent threats from paramilitaries, making it the most dangerous place in the UK to be a reporter, according to Amnesty International . Death threats – including under-car booby trap bombs – issued to crime journalists have increased in recent years, with repeated home visits by police warning they are at risk. Others have been told they will be shot or stabbed and given 48-hour ultimatums to leave the country. Interviews carried out by Amnesty with 22 journalists uncovered more than 70 incidents of intimidation or attacks in the North since the start of 2019. READ MORE Loyalist and dissident republican paramilitaries as well as organised crime groups are behind most of the incidents. Journalists most at risk have their homes protected by bulletproof windows and doors with alarms linked to police stations. One reporter was visited by police nine times in just under a year to inform her that her life was at risk. A pipe bomb was placed close to her home after a threat. 'Several journalists report that they are receiving more threats in recent years than ever before. It goes beyond threats: they are physically attacked,' according to the Amnesty report entitled Occupational Hazard? Threats and Violence against Journalists in Northern Ireland. The report, published on Tuesday, says frustration with the police response means some journalists have stopped reporting the crimes to the authorities, citing 'time-consuming processes and lack of action or positive outcome'. [ Lyra McKee: A bright star, fallen, sacrificed to bigotry and hatred Opens in new window ] To date, two journalists have been murdered in Northern Ireland. Investigative reporter Martin O'Hagan of the Sunday World was killed close to his Lurgan home by loyalist paramilitaries in 2001 and Lyra McKee died after being struck by a bullet fired at police during rioting in Derry in 2019. Dissident republican group, the New IRA, admitted responsibility. A photographer was shot in the thigh covering a riot in Belfast in 2011. Concerns are raised in the report about a lack of prosecutions. Amnesty is calling on the State to create a 'safe environment where journalists can work freely and report without fear of reprisals'. 'It is currently failing to do so,' said Amnesty International UK's Northern Ireland director, Patrick Corrigan. 'Journalists are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence. This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed,' he said. Yet, he said, there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups. [ Lyra McKee: Lost Girl of the Troubles Opens in new window ] 'This sense of impunity only emboldens those behind the threats. When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack.' Among the report's recommendations is the establishment of a new media safety group, with representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Public Prosecution Service, media organisations and the National Union of Journalists to deliver a new journalist safety strategy. The PSNI should also review its procedural response to threats and attacks against journalists and 'conduct investigations capable of leading to successful prosecutions', the report advises. A Police Ombudsman's report examining the original police investigation into O'Hagan's murder is expected to be published this year. Amnesty recommends the UK government should order a public inquiry into the killing if 'serious failings or wrongdoing by the police' is found by the watchdog.
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Ex-Guatemalan paramilitaries jailed for raping indigenous women
The former paramilitaries were found guilty of raping six indigenous women between 1981 and 1983. (EPA Images pic) GUATEMALA CITY : A top Guatemalan court today sentenced three former paramilitaries each to 40 years in prison after they were found guilty of raping six indigenous women between 1981 and 1983, the bloodiest period of the Central American nation's civil war. The trial against the former members of the so-called civil self-defence patrol, armed groups recruited by the army, began four months ago. 'The soldiers arrived late at night, threw me onto the ground and raped me,' Paulina Ixpata, a Maya Achi woman, said during the trial. Prosecutors presented more than 160 pieces of evidence against the men. 'That's how the whole night went,' Ixpata said, recounting how she was held for 25 days by the military patrol. Judge Maria Eugenia Castellanos sentenced the three for crimes against humanity in the form of sexual violence. 'The women recognised the perpetrators, they recognised the places where the events took place. They were victims of crimes against humanity,' she said. This is the second trial in the so-called Maya Achi case, and follows reports of sexual violence filed between 2011 and 2015 by 36 victims against former military personnel, military commissioners and civilian self-defence patrol members. The first trial, which took place in January 2022, saw five former patrol members sentenced to 30 years in prison. They remain incarcerated. In 2016, a Guatemalan court sentenced two former military officers for holding 15 women from the Q'eqchi community, who are also of Maya origin, as sex slaves at the Sepur Zarco military base, a landmark case that marked the first convictions in Guatemala of military officers for wartime rape. Both officers were sentenced to a combined 360 years in prison, where they remain incarcerated. The court also stipulated a reparations programme, whose progress remains limited despite advocacy by the 15 women who were at the trial, known as the 'Grandmothers of Sepur Zarco'.
LBCI
06-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Explosions rock Port Sudan: AFP
Explosions were heard across Sudan's wartime capital Port Sudan on Tuesday, the third consecutive day since paramilitaries began attacking the army-aligned government's seat of power. An AFP correspondent reported loud explosions at dawn and a plume of smoke over the city coming from the direction of the port, where witnesses reported a blast in a warehouse. Witnesses in the city's north reported anti-aircraft missiles launched from a military base AFP
