Systematic Torture Alleged for Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador
A damning new report has uncovered that more than 250 Venezuelan nationals, deported from the United States to El Salvador during the Trump administration, were subjected to systematic and prolonged torture and abuse. The investigation, conducted by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Central American rights group Cristosal, details horrific conditions at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) in Tecoluca.
The organisations accuse the previous US administration of wilful complicity, arguing it was aware that the deportees faced severe mistreatment or even threats to their lives. The deportations occurred in March and April, with the report noting that the then US homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, toured the Cecot facility in March.
Pattern of Abuse and Inadequate Justification
According to the findings, detainees reported suffering constant beatings, sexual violence, lengthy incommunicado detention, and being provided with inadequate food. These conditions are a direct violation of the UN's standard minimal rules for the treatment of prisoners.
Despite the Trump administration's justification for the deportations—labelling the individuals as members of the Tren de Aragua organised crime gang—the report found that only 3% had been convicted in the US of a violent crime, challenging the official narrative.
Fossil Fuel Projects Pose Health Threat to Billions
In a separate landmark report from Amnesty International, new research indicates that the health of a quarter of the world's population is being threatened by the fossil fuel industry. The study found that over 2 billion people live within three miles of active oil, gas, and coal sites.
Proximity to these 18,300 facilities across 170 countries heightens the risk of serious health conditions, including cancer, respiratory and heart diseases, premature birth, and death. The situation is set to worsen, with approximately 3,500 new fossil fuel sites proposed or under development, placing a further 135 million people at risk.
US Government Shutdown Nears its End
Meanwhile, in the United States, the longest government shutdown in the country's history looked set to end. The House of Representatives prepared to vote on a bill to fund the federal government after a stalemate lasting 42 days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson instructed lawmakers to return to Washington, with the vote scheduled for Wednesday. The shutdown led to hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers missing paychecks. The deadlock broke after a group of Senate Democrats sided with Republicans to advance legislation, despite a lack of concession on healthcare and after the Supreme Court enabled the Trump administration to continue withholding funds for food stamps (SNAP). The freeze on SNAP funding was due to expire after midnight on Thursday, affecting 42 million Americans.
In Other News
Artist Anish Kapoor is considering legal action after US Border Patrol agents were photographed in front of his Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago, a scene he said represented 'fascist America'. Scuffles broke out at the Cop30 climate summit in Belém between protesters and security. The Pentagon has escalated its military buildup with Venezuela by sending its largest warship into Latin American waters.
A study in Nature suggests mRNA vaccines activate an immune response that could raise median survival time by around 75% for certain cancer patients, indicating a potential for repurposing these safe medicines. Intersex campaigners are fighting to limit irreversible surgeries on children born with genitals that don't fit typical male or female categories.
Renewable Energy Boom Makes Fossil Fuel Decline 'Inevitable'
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has declared that the transition away from fossil fuels is 'inevitable', driven by a supply boom in cheaper renewable energy. In its annual report, the IEA found that renewables will be the fastest-growing energy source in the next decade, with more renewable capacity set to be built in the next five years than in the last 40 years, led by a surge in cheap solar power.
