According to the government, ‘permanent monitoring’ by the Defense Council gathered characteristics of these gangs and their financial ties
The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, declared the EO as “international terrorist organizations”, according to a decree published this Friday (31), after the mega police operation against the first group, which, according to official sources, left at least 121 dead.
“The transnational criminal organizations known as ‘Comando Vermelho’ (‘CV’) and ‘Primeiro Comando da Capital’ (‘PCC’) are designated as international terrorist organizations”, states the decree signed by the government official, dated Thursday (30).
The decree details that, after “permanent monitoring” by the National Defense Council of Paraguay, which is headed by Peña and brings together, among other authorities, the ministries of Interior, Defense and Foreign Affairs, it was determined that the operational characteristics of these gangs, their financial links and the scope in which they carry out their illicit activities combine “the characteristics of being transnational criminal organizations with traits of true international terrorist organizations”.
Furthermore, it warns that “there are sufficiently proven elements to support that both transnational criminal organizations are operationally present” in Paraguay, which, according to the document, extends “the scope of their illicit activities” to the national territory.
Last August, the Paraguayan government declared the so-called Cartel de los Soles, the group that links them to the government, as an “international terrorist organization”.
Previously, in April of the same year, it designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and expanded this designation to the “entirety” of the structures of the Palestinian Islamic group and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
In August 2019, the South American country had classified the armed militias of Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations, as well as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, during the government of then president Mario Abdo Benítez (2018-2023).
*With information from EFE
Published by Nícolas Robert
