International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors have brought charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity, alleging he orchestrated thousands of murders during the grisly anti-drug campaign that has come to define his presidential legacy. The charges must be approved by the Pre-Trial Chamber.

International human and civil rights groups on Sept. 15 urged the UN Human Rights Council to maintain its oversight of the situation in Sri Lanka. The appeal comes ahead of the Council's 60th session, where member states' compliance with international human rights treaties is to be reviewed.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists and the Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development called for the renewal of the Sri Lanka Accountability Project, led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In their statement, the groups accused Sri Lanka's government of lacking the political will to establish an independent prosecutorial mechanism to ensure accountability for human rights violations and international crimes. The reported failures span across such questions as victim and witness protection, reconciliation between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities, and the repeal of counter-terrorism laws.

Civil society organizations in the Mexican city of Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa state, held a march for social peace that brought tens of thousands to the streets Sept. 7, with ongoing public vigils over the following days. Held under the slogan "Ya basta, queremos paz" (Enough already, we want peace), the mobilization was called to mark one year since an outbreak of violence in the city as rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel vied for supremacy.

Kilmar Abrego García, released from extrajudicial detention in El Salvador, now fights deportation to Uganda. Hundreds of the Venezuelans sent by the US to the Salvadoran prison gulag have now been returned to Venezuela in a prisoner swap. But El Salvador remains on the growing list of human rights offendors cultivated by the Trump regime as surrogate detention states. The Trump State Department's farcical "Human Rights Report" seeks to sanitize dictator Nayib Bukele's anti-crime police state. And adding to the Orwellian nature of the Trump-Bukele axis, the US Justice Department has dropped charges against MS-13 leaders who collaborated in the consolidation of the new Salvadoran dictatorship. In Episode 293 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg exposes the perverse charade.

Three US Aegis guided-missile destroyers have been dispatched to waters off the coast of Venezuela, as part of what the Trump administration calls an effort to counter threats from Latin American drug cartels. The mobilization follows Washington's decision to increase the bounty for the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, doubling it to an unprecedented $50 million. Last week, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the seizure of assets worth $700 million from the Venezuelan head of state.

The US on Aug. 12 indicted Jimmy Chérizier AKA "Barbecue," leader of the gang coalition in control of most of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Chérizier and an alleged stateside collaborator, Bazile Richardson, are charged with sanctions violations related to arms sales. Meanwhile, private military contractor and Trump ally Erik Prince told Reuters he has signed a 10-year deal with the Haitian government to fight armed groups and help collect taxes—a move some observers fear could further weaken the Haitian security forces and lead to rights violations. Prince's new security firm, Vectus Global, has been operating in Haiti since March. (TNH)

At least 17 people were killed in an armed attack on a bar in El Empalme, a small town north of Ecuador's port city of Guayaquil July 28—three days before US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the country and signed a deal to fight organized crime and illegal migration. The deal includes training for Ecuadoran security forces in the US and collaboration on border security.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa says he is seeking assistance from Israel and the United Arab Emirates to combat the drug cartels that are terrorizing the South American country. In an interview in Paris on May 8, the hardline rightist who won re-election last month said Israel and the UAE have agreed to provide intelligence aid "to help" fight the narco gangs. (ToI)