20/02/2025
FTS 8.30
*South Korea: Yoon attends first hearing of insurrection trial
*Panama: 83 illegally detained workers released
FTS 8.30
*South Korea: Yoon attends first hearing of insurrection trial
*Panama: 83 illegally detained workers released
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00The United Nations has reported a significant deterioration in the human rights situation
00:15in North and South Kibu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the M23 armed groups
00:21continues its aggressive territorial expansion.
00:27South Korean President Yun Sung-kyo appeared in court for the first preliminary hearing
00:31of his criminal trial on charges of insurrection.
00:37And in Panama, the government released the 83 workers illegally detained for protesting
00:42against government policies.
00:55Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:56My name is Belen de los Santos, I'm from the Tercer studio and I'm reporting on the
01:03deterioration in the human rights situation in North and South Kibu in the Democratic
01:08Republic of the Congo as the M23 armed group continues its aggressive territorial expansion.
01:15During a recent Security Council meeting, Bintu Keita, the head of UN's peacekeeping
01:20mission in the DRC, emphasized the urgent need for decisive action to prevent a wider
01:27regional conflict.
01:29The ongoing violence has led to increased civilian casualties and displacement, with
01:34humanitarian organizations struggling to provide assistance amid the chaos.
01:39In January alone, medical facilities in the region treated around 1,400 wounded individuals.
01:45The situation is particularly dire in Goma, where power outages have left residents without
01:51water and electricity, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
02:03Despite many international calls for a ceasefire and the cessation of offensives, the M23,
02:10supported by the Rwandan army, has continued to make progress in the provinces of North
02:14Kibu and South Kibu.
02:16This advance has had devastating consequences, leading to the loss of many human lives during
02:22the taking of Goma.
02:29The human rights situation in North and South Kibu has considerably worsened.
02:34In addition to deaths due to fighting between the M23 and the security forces of the DRC,
02:40UNESCO has also documented cases of forced recruitment.
02:49In this sense, nearly 200 patients were injured in recent fighting in the eastern part of
02:54the country.
02:55Among those, 44 were wounded during the battle for control of South Kibu's capital.
03:00The patients are currently being treated at Bukavu's Provincial General Reference Hospital,
03:06according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
03:09The hospital is operating at over 100% of its capacity, facing significant challenges
03:15in medication supply following the looting of the ICRC warehouses in Goma.
03:21As the M23 rebels advance, the situation remains precarious, with reports of looting and violence
03:28further complicating medical existence.
03:32The day I was wounded, I was leaving the compound and saw the M23 were chasing the
03:49children of the soldiers they had captured from the Sayo military camp.
03:59When we were returning to our compound, they confused us and shot us.
04:03There were three of us, two have died.
04:05I'm the only survivor, even though we were in civilian clothing.
04:17We currently have 181 patients in hospital who have been injured by firearms.
04:25More specifically, for those who were injured as a result of the events in Bukavu, we have
04:31a total of 44 wounded.
04:34The majority are male, and we also have three children under the age of 15.
04:55And now we move on to Palestine, as the resistance movement handed over the bodies of four Israeli
05:06captives as part of the ceasefire agreement.
05:09The handover, scheduled for Thursday in Gaza's Han Yunis, included the bodies of members
05:14of the Bibas family and added live shields.
05:17Spokesmen for the Al-Qassam Brigade and the Al-Quds emphasized that they were all alive
05:22before Israeli military aircraft deliberately bombed their locations in the Gaza Strip.
05:29This comes as part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the prisoners' exchange
05:34deal under the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance Hamas and Israel,
05:40with exchanges having taken place in recent weeks.
05:48We now move on to other topics.
05:50South Korean President Yun Sung-kyo appeared in court this Thursday for the first preliminary
05:55hearings of his criminal trial on charges of insurrection following his declaration
06:00of martial law last December.
06:02The hearing, which took place at the Seoul Central District Court, aimed to clarify the
06:07facts in dispute and plan future legal procedures.
06:11Although South Korean law does not require the accused to attend a preliminary hearing,
06:16Yun chose to do so.
06:18He has been detained since January 15 amid a criminal investigation into the alleged
06:22crime of insurrection for briefly declaring martial law in early December.
06:27The penalty for insurrection in South Korea is life imprisonment or capital punishment,
06:33for which there has been a moratorium since 1997.
06:42And in other news, Germany prepares for preliminary elections on February 23rd, a few days before
06:48the elections are special Envoy Yunus Soner reports from Berlin.
06:55These are extraordinary times for German politics.
06:58The ruling coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals has failed to reach the
07:02end of its time, which would have been September 2025.
07:07I think it is incredibly difficult to keep track of this early election campaign.
07:12And that's because many parties ultimately don't want to form a coalition with each other
07:15or can't imagine one.
07:17But there has to be a coalition.
07:25Germany's economy has stopped growing for two years, with an official recession.
07:30Right-wing parties blame climate change policies, subsidies for renewable energy, discrimination
07:35of traditional energy.
07:37They propose deregulation in favor of oil and even a return to nuclear energy.
07:44The decisions we take here in Germany have global consequences.
07:48We have responsibilities.
07:50And it is also time for us to grow up a little.
07:52Germany was occupied by foreign countries after the Second World War.
07:56And now we have to show that we can do justice to this economic power in foreign policy and
08:01also in climate policy.
08:0559 million citizens are called to vote, 2 million less than in 2021, the last federal
08:13election.
08:14The voting population is decreasing.
08:16Despite this, right-wing and ultranationalist parties want to close doors to immigrants
08:21and expel those they can.
08:26Migration is being dragged through the parties, but it is not the main issue.
08:33Migration is declining across Europe, but it is still being pushed as an issue.
08:44Alternative for Germany party, AfD, claims to be challenging the political system.
08:51None other than US Vice President Vance called on the other parties to form a coalition with
08:55it, which they consider to be outside the democratic order.
09:01I think it is extremely important to vote and I have already done so by post and what
09:05I think everyone hopes is that the AfD party does not become the strongest force in the
09:09country.
09:10I hope that also the country will move forward again and that we will find the way back to
09:13commonality and go forward after so many problems.
09:21The population will elect 630 members of parliament on Sunday.
09:25According to all polls, no party will have an absolute majority.
09:29The party with the most votes will have to build a majority.
09:33Then the new prime minister and the government will be elected.
09:36No mean feat with the programmatic differences that exist.
09:44And now we have a short break coming up, but first, remember you can join us on TikTok
09:48at Telesur English where you will find news in different formats, news updates and much
09:52more.
09:54Stay with us.
10:06Welcome back from the South.
10:14We continue with more information.
10:16After several days of struggle in the courts and less than 24 hours after a protest, the
10:21government of Panama released the 83 workers that were illegally detained for protesting
10:26against government policies.
10:28The union leadership, the social movement and the families of the detainees did not
10:33rest for a single hour until their release.
10:36The judge, Luzmila Jaramillo, questioned by the defense of the workers as being taken
10:41over by the executive, ordered their release but obliged them to report every 15 days and
10:47prevented them from leaving their provinces of residence.
10:50The workers denounced the criminalization of the right to protest and affirmed that
10:54they were victims of cruel and degrading treatment during their detention.
11:06The struggle continues, comrades, the fight has to continue.
11:10This is not going to restrict our right to continue fighting for the non-law 163 that
11:14the Social Security Fund wants to impose on us.
11:19And meanwhile in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro presided a meeting with the Board and
11:24National Commission for the Constitutional Reform.
11:27During the meeting, the Venezuelan head of state urged the commission to disseminate
11:31the four items of this constitutional reform, which will be discussed nationwide.
11:36Maduro further called on the Venezuelan people to take part in this great debate, stressing
11:41the need to resume the spirit of plurality and high participation of the 1999 constituent
11:48process.
11:49In this sense, the president spurred to use all available technological capabilities to
11:53encourage popular debates.
12:04A day in which we must prepare the whole intense process to debate, to consult, to draft and
12:10have the proposals for a constitutional reform 2025.
12:14It is a necessary and very complex task, but it must be solved with inclusive democratic
12:21methods.
12:36This means that we must listen to and take everyone into account, as we did in the consultation
12:42and debate of 1999.
12:45For the first time in history, the doors of this federal legislative palace were opened.
12:51And for the first time in history, the constituents, who are full members of parliament, went out
12:57for the first time to the countryside.
13:14The neighborhoods, the streets, the squares, the universities.
13:19For the first time, a debate on the Constitution was held with the whole country.
13:29And we stay in Venezuela as the National Electoral Council, the CNE, set May 25 as the new date
13:35for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
13:38The president of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, declared that by virtue of the meetings between the
13:43electoral authorities and organizations of the Venezuelan democratic life, a new date
13:47was set for the elections of members of the National Assembly, governors and legislative
13:52councils of the states.
13:54Amoroso pointed out that these modifications were made with the intention of promoting
13:58the participation of the different actors of society.
14:02In addition, the authority confirmed April 27 as the date for the second public consultation
14:09of the communes and communal circuits.
14:21The National Electoral Council decides second national public consultation to choose communal
14:26circuit projects for Sunday, April 27, 2025.
14:46Elections for National Assembly, state governors and regional legislative councils to be held
14:51on Sunday, May 25, 2025.
14:58And now we switch topics because moments before leaving for the United States, Argentinian
15:02President Javier Milley transformed the National Bank into a joint stock company.
15:08The move comes amid his alleged involvement in a crypto fraud case.
15:13Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni made the announcement confirming that the president
15:17continues with the deepening of the reform of the state.
15:21The decision was promoted by the directors of the banking institution.
15:25From now on, it will be called Bank of the Argentinian Nation.
15:29The state will own 99.9% of the shares, while the Foundation Bank of the Argentinian Nation
15:36will have the remaining 0.1%.
15:46And now we have a second short break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our
15:49YouTube channel, AdSales of English.
15:51There you will be able to re-watch our interviews, top stories, special broadcastings and more.
15:56Hit the subscribe button and activate the notification bell to stay up to date on the
15:59world's most recent events.
16:01Final short break, don't go away.
16:19Welcome back to FUNDOSAU.
16:25Colombian President Gustavo Petro has appointed General Pedro Sánchez as the new Minister
16:30of Defense during the Governor's Summit.
16:32Sánchez, widely praised for leading the dramatic search and rescue of four indigenous children
16:37who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash, becomes the first military
16:44officer to hold the role since the 1991 constitutional reforms.
16:49His appointment signals a notable shift in Petro's administration given the president's
16:54history as a former guerrilla leader.
16:56As Defense Minister, Sánchez faces mounting security challenges, including escalating
17:02violence from armed groups in regions like the Catatumbo.
17:06The government's peace efforts have struggled to curb the conflicts, placing pressure on
17:10Sánchez to address Colombia's deteriorating security landscape.
17:20We managed to resist for 40 days with troops in the territory and with indigenous people
17:27in the territory, living together, and we saved boys and girls.
17:32While generals were killing children in Palestine, Colombian generals were saving children in
17:37the Colombian Amazon jungle.
17:39And that is why I wanted the next Minister of Defense to be General Pedro Sánchez, as
17:44I have discussed with the authorities.
17:49We continue in Colombia as more cases and indictments of former military personnel involved
17:54in false positives or extrajudicial executions are known, known in the Department of Antioquia.
18:00Hernán Tobara expands with more details.
18:07Four generals and more than 35 officers and ex-sub-officers were charged by the Special
18:11Jurisdiction for Peace for their alleged responsibility in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
18:17They were arrested in the Department of Antioquia between 2004 and 2007 and when they belonged
18:22to the Army's 4th Brigade.
18:24According to the order read by the magistrates of the reconnaissance chamber, there was a
18:28systematic practice of body counts and killings over captures as a general rule, where pressure
18:33was exerted on the troops by senior commanders.
18:37Thus, for example, General González Pena urged the troops in radio programs broadcast
18:46between the 17th and the 21st of March 2000 for that, and I quote, the only thing that
18:51counts are the casualties, captures are of no use to us, the only thing that counts is
18:56to kill the enemy, and this type of statement was echoed by RodrĂguez Clavijo, putting
19:01pressure on and threatening the men under his command.
19:12Four hundred and forty people were killed by extrajudicial executions or also known
19:16in the country as false positives and forced disappearances, a practice that was mainly
19:21carried out against the weakest, minors, street dwellers, people with physical or mental disabilities,
19:26unemployed or peasants and members of the LGBT community, and who were reported as casualties
19:32in combat by members of the guerrillas in the Department of Antioquia.
19:36For human rights organizations, it was a state policy promoted by the president of the country
19:40in that moment.
19:48It is no secret that the speeches of former President Alvaro Uribe were related to the
19:53body count that would tell the effectiveness of the national army.
19:58From then on, from the casualties in combat, in this case fraudulent, it cannot be ignored
20:03that the 4th Brigade was the brigade with the most cases of executions, but at the same
20:08time it was the one that received the most injection of capital from the Colombia plan.
20:13And then, just as it received capital, so it was asked for casualties, as the only operational
20:19result that served as an indicator to measure the effectiveness of the national army.
20:31This is the first time that the Truth Recognition Chamber has identified acts of torture against
20:36direct victims or their relatives.
20:38In 22 cases involving 41 victims, most of the peasants arbitrarily accused by the military
20:44of aiding the guerrillas, including children, have been tortured.
20:51Unfortunately, among the provisional universe of 442 victims of false positives, there are
20:59also 26 minors.
21:03These are not mere coincidences, but rather criminal patterns whose existence has been
21:07proven by the Reconnaissance Room throughout the length
21:17of the country.
21:18This determination is made in case 3 which investigates false positive events throughout
21:21Colombia.
21:22The defendants have 30 working days to present additional arguments or evidence.
21:33And now we move on to other topics.
21:48In Peru, the National Emergency Operations Center reported that heavy rains left 47 people
21:54dead.
21:55More than 48,000 people have been affected in the Andean region.
21:59These also register 635 houses that have been destroyed and over 3,600 that have been
22:07rendered unavoidable throughout the country.
22:10Specialists from the National Institute of Civil Defense reported that over 1,700 emergencies
22:16have been recorded throughout the country.
22:19In descents, the department reporting the highest number of emergencies due to rains
22:24and related events were Cusco, followed by Ayacucho, Cajamarca and Arequipa.
22:54This is a production of the U.S. Department of State.