内容摘要：LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal protections could soon be extended to

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal protections could soon be extended to

Researcher and bullfighting fan Antonio Rivera lives in, a southeastern state where bullfights reflect ancient Mayan traditions.

“In local celebrations, the roots of bullfighting are sacrificial rites,” Rivera said. “Ancient cultures believed the gods requested sacrifices and blood fertilizes the earth.”Every year, the Yucatán peninsula celebrates about 2,000 events featuring bulls, he said.In 2021, Yucatán’s Congress declared bullfighting part of its cultural heritage. It was a way to keep the ancestral memory alive, the official declaration said, and a way to honor its people’s identity.

“When I see a bull, I feel an immense devotion,” Rivera said. “It’s a mirror of myself. It’s like looking at a living museum containing all the rituals from our collective memory.”Mexican bullfighter Arturo Gilio partakes in a bullfight in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Mexican bullfighter Arturo Gilio partakes in a bullfight in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Instead of soccer balls, Silveti grew up playing with “muletas” and “capotes” — the brightly colored capes matadors use to channel the bull’s charge.“The regime is trying to kill the civil society,” Japaridze said. “They’re killing the opposition parties and this is just one example of what they are doing now.”

“We have to continue the fight; we have to go out to the streets. We will win this battle only from the street, because there are no democratic institutions holding elections in this country anymore.”Japaridze and seven other opposition leaders who did not attend the commission are expected to appear before a court in coming days. If found guilty of failure to comply with a parliamentary investigative commission, they face up to a year imprisonment.

Georgia has seen widespread political unrest since the country’s last parliamentary election onwhich was won by Georgian Dream. Protestors and the country’s opposition declared the result as illegitimate amid