一 | GUATEMALA CITY -- One person died and at least two more were injured by gunshots near a pro-democracy demonstration in Guatemala on Monday, local authorities said.Victor Gomez, spokesman for the volunteer firemen in Malacatan, near the border with Mexico, said it was not clear whether the victims were protesters themselves, or just caught nearby.The incident marked the beginning of a third week of demonstrations against Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who protesters accuse of attempting to undermine a popular vote for progressive President-elect Bernardo Arévalo.Videos from Malacatan circulating on social media painted a chaotic picture. Some appear to show civilians and police officers fleeing as bursts of gunfire are heard. In one recording, a vehicle and a police patrol are burning. It is not clear who fired the shots. In response to the incident, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said authorities were “carrying out corresponding investigations” and promised more details in due course.The National Police later announced the arrest of 11 people.The Interior Department said in a statement that after the attack it coordinated a search for the vehicles involved and found three wounded people, but it made no mention of a death.Arévalo took to the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, to condemn the violence. “We demand that the authorities ensure the safety of those who peacefully demonstrate and guarantee that this act does not go unpunished,” he said.The incident is the latest violent episode after 15 days of protests and roadblocks in the Central American country. On Sunday, Porras' supporters in Guatemala City called for violence against demonstrators blocking roads. Then on Monday, other social media videos appeared to show people in civilian clothing carrying machetes attacking protestors at three roadblocks in the township of El Asintal, Retalhuleu, just under 55 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Malacatan.Porras herself has called for the roadblocks to be cleared, using force if necessary, “in the public interest.” On Monday she urged the government to sack Interior Secretary Napoleón Barrientos for failing to do so.Demonstrators maintain that after Arévalo’s victory in the August runoff election, Porras mounted an undemocratic challenge against Arévalo, his left-wing Seed Movement party and electoral authorities. They have called for the resignation of Porras, prosecutors Rafael Curruchiche and Cinthia Monterroso, and Judge Fredy Orellana.。
二 | Disgraced singer-songwriter R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Wednesday, marking the end of a six-week trial in Brooklyn that included testimony from dozens of witnesses, including those who accused the 55-year-old of both sexual and physical abuse.,The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York was aiming for Kelly to be given at least 25 years behind bars, per a June 8 memo. The filing set forth that Kelly, now 55, should spend the rest of his life behind bars due to the fact he "avoided punishment for almost 30 years and must now be held to account.",Kelly's attorneys argued their client should only serve a decade behind bars because he "experienced a traumatic childhood involving severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence.”,During sentencing Wednesday afternoon, US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly stated to the court that “the public has to be protected from behaviors like this.”,"These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years," Donnelly said, as reported by the New York Times.,The judge recounted a number of testimonies during sentencing, highlighting Kelly's pattern of sexual abuse and violence against women, girls, and boys.,Kelly's legal team plans to appeal the sentencing.,"We were prepared for it," said defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who represented disgraced comedian Bill Cosby in a civil case he lost earlier this month. "We are now prepared to fight this appeal.",© AP Photo / Elizabeth WilliamsIn this courtroom sketch, R. Kelly and his attorney Jennifer Bonjean, left, appear during his sentencing hearing in federal court, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, in New York. The former R&B superstar was convicted of racketeering and other crimes. In this courtroom sketch, R. Kelly and his attorney Jennifer Bonjean, left, appear during his sentencing hearing in federal court, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, in New York. The former R&B superstar was convicted of racketeering and other crimes. © AP Photo / Elizabeth Williams,Federal prosecutors say Kelly used his "deep network" and "larger-than-life musical persona" to gain access to teenagers and young adults--"many of whom were particularly vulnerable.","The government has little doubt that if afforded an opportunity to offend again, the defendant would do so," prosecutors said earlier this month. "He poses a serious danger to the public.",Lizzette Martinez, a woman featured in the documentary 'Surviving R. Kelly,' was accompanied by her attorney Gloria Allred when she took the stand to provide a witness statement.,"January 1995 eventually changed me forever," Martinez testified, detailing that she was a 17-year-old aspiring singer when she met Kelly in a mall.,Now 45, Martinez told the court that she was "left in shock, confused, and in tears" when Kelly, who promised to mentor her, began to abuse her.,“Robert, you destroyed so many people’s lives,” Martinez told Kelly, who did not make eye contact.,YouTube Deletes Two R. Kelly’s Channels Amid Sex-Trafficking Conviction6 October 2021, 09:18 GMT,“I do not know how to put a price on all I’ve gone through,” she said. “I am now 45, a mother and I struggle with mental health.”,Rumors and even footage of Kelly's misdeeds with minors and women have been circulating since the 90s, around the same time Kelly married teenage R&B artist Aaliyah. Despite dozens of alleged victims coming forward over the decades, accountability appeared to avoid Kelly until the 2019 documentary "Surviving R. Kelly" coincided with the #MeToo movement.,The intersection of the #MuteRKelly and #MeToo movements drummed up public support for victims seeking litigation against the Grammy-award-winning singer. Kelly is still facing a number of criminal charges in Chicago, Illinois, and Minnesota.,Kelly has remained behind bars since his initial arrest in July 2019. The singer-songwriter did not take the stand during trial.。
Current article:http://3eg.cousizhegaobaolengkuo.bond/list_p2zvmu/wef0ps.html
Published on:05:16:22
