By: Antonio Dey | HGP nightly news |
Barbados Appoints First Human Rights Commissioner; Petronas Advances Offshore Exploration in Suriname; U.S. Tightens Sanctions on Venezuela
Barbados has taken a major step in strengthening its human rights framework with the appointment of former Senate President Kerrieann Ifill as the country’s first Human Rights Commissioner. Her appointment took effect on December 1, 2025, and will initially be on a contractual basis while legislation is finalized to formally establish the post within the next year.
Following her appointment, Commissioner Ifill held preliminary discussions with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Attorney General Dale Marshall on the mandate and scope of the new office. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Human Rights Commissioner will operate independently and is expected to play a key role in shaping a comprehensive human rights framework for the country.
Prime Minister Mottley noted that while Barbados already has protections against discrimination in employment under existing legislation, broader laws are needed to address discrimination in other areas of public life. She encouraged the Commissioner to consider these gaps as part of her work in advancing human rights protections across the country.
Meanwhile, in Suriname, Petronas Suriname, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s national oil company, has completed drilling operations at the Kaiman-1 exploration well in offshore Block 52. According to a statement from state-owned Staatsolie, the well was plugged and abandoned on December 6, 2025, after being spudded on July 21.
The company reported that the well delivered encouraging results and represents the first of four wells planned under the 2025–2026 drilling campaign in Block 52. Petronas Suriname’s exploration and appraisal programme aims to further delineate offshore resources and assess potential development concepts toward a commercially viable project in the block.
On the international front, the United States has imposed new sanctions on Venezuela, escalating pressure on the administration of President Nicolás Maduro. The latest measures target three of Maduro’s nephews, his wife, and six crude oil tankers and shipping companies accused of engaging in deceptive shipping practices to finance the Venezuelan government.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions are part of a broader effort to curb illicit oil exports and weaken the Maduro administration’s access to revenue. The move follows the recent seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast and coincides with an increased U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean.
The new sanctions have reportedly caused concern among ship owners and operators involved in transporting Venezuelan crude, prompting many to reconsider or halt planned voyages from Venezuelan waters amid the heightened enforcement environment.
