AIUK SOUTH AMERICA TEAM OCTOBER 2024 NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends
This month we bring you news from Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Peru. 
Highlights are:

  • Regional: Amnesty has called on seven South American Presidents to strengthen action to reduce the risk of wildfires after recent record fires had a devasting impact on indigenous territories
  • Colombia: We have an Urgent Action calling for threatening and harassing Jani Silva to be brought to justice
  • Argentina: We have a new Urgent Action urging Congress to insist on the passage of a law to improve pensions for older people.
  • Venezuela: Amnesty has called for the extension of the mandate of the UN’s International Independent Fact-Finding Mission for Venezuela
  • Brazil:  Global Witness reports that 25 land and environmental defenders were killed in Brazil during 2023
  • Chile: President Boric has promised to push for the repeal of a dictatorship-era law that rules out most investigations of crimes against humanity committed under General Pinochet.
  • Peru: Former President Alberto Fujimori, who was convicted of human rights abuses and corruption, has died aged 86.
  • Uruguay: Human Rights Watch report Uruguay’s shortcomings in meeting the support requirements of people with disability

REGIONAL

August and September 2024 saw record fires across South America, with several millions of hectares burning not only in rainforests of the Amazon basin, but also in diverse ecosystems stretching across entire countries.  Amnesty has published an Open Letter addressed to the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru calling for governments to ramp up action to extinguish wildfires, strengthen efforts to abandon fossil fuels, protect territories of Indigenous Peoples and provide guarantees to environmental human rights defenders.

COLOMBIA

Marino Pavi Julicue, indigenous leader, killed 16 December 2023 in Toribio, Cauca

Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action : On 10 September Jani Silva, a defender of land, territory and the environment in the Colombian Amazon (department of Putumayo), received a phone call threatening to “blow you up, car and all”. Jani and her association ADISPA have protection measures in place, provided by the government’s National Protection Unit (UNP). We call on the Colombian authorities to identify those responsible and to bring them to justice. Please take action.

Global Witness reports that in 2023 Colombia was the most dangerous country in the world for land and environmental defenders ‘with a record 79 defenders killed last year compared to 60 in 2022, and 33 in 2021. With 461 killings from 2012 to 2023, Colombia has the highest number of reported environmental defender killings globally on record.’ [click to continue…]

Thanks to everyone who supported our Jamnesty at Chaplin’s & The Cellar Bar last Saturday. We raised a fantastic £1300. Unfortunately persistent rain curtailed performances outside, and made for a slow start, but soon the Cellar Bar filled up. And we sold lots of cake! Many thanks to Nic, Connie, Geoff and all the staff at Chaplins. And a big thanks to all the music acts and poets who performed to help raised money for Amnesty International. Also local businesses and people who donated raffle prizes

Welcome!

Millie Watson and Roxanne Phillips

Amica

Blues band For Pete’s Sake, with local group founder (1986!) member Keith Dear on vocals

poet Hester

Westbourne Strings

We sold plenty of cakes!

Roxanne Phillips

poet C W Blackburn

Mik ‘n Simon

poet Rosanna

Roxanne Phillips and Millie Watson

the cake kept selling…

Pierina Nochetti Video

September 11, 2024

This is a translation (by technology, rather than human);- “Well, my name is Pierina Nochetti.  Two years ago I was accused of asking “Where is Tehuel”,  a young trans man who disappeared. I am a municipal worker, and the municipality of Necochea are the ones accusing me of being the writer of this graffiti. I […]

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Urgent Action Argentina

September 10, 2024

A new Urgent Action for Argentina has been published. It’s not yet on the AIUK website, so please follow the link below to take action. President Javier Milei vetoed a bill that had been passed by Congress to improve pensions for older people. This was to adjust for the large loss of purchasing power they have suffered […]

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Please write to your Member of Parliament

September 7, 2024

Apologies to those living in Christchurch, but most of you are still getting used to having a new MP.  And, hopefully, one with a much more progressive outlook than the person they replaced. As an Amnesty International supporter you can help. Let your MP know you want them to commit to supporting and defending human rights […]

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South America Newsletter September 2024

September 5, 2024

Dear Friends, This month we bring you news from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and Argentina.  Highlights are: Colombia: The UN’s Working Group on Business and Human Rights has found that ‘Colombia suffers from long-standing structural problems that have led to serious human rights violations’ Brazil:  Amnesty International has launched a petition to urge […]

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Group Newsletter August 2024

August 27, 2024

Welcome to the latest newsletter. Our next meeting  is on Thursday 5th September 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will catch up on campaigns, letter writing, and finalize planning for… Jamnesty After lasts years success, we are holding another Jamnesty on Saturday 7th September at Chaplin’s Bar Last year was our first Jamnesty, but we still had a fantastic […]

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Europe Newsletter August 2024

August 9, 2024

Dear Amnesty activists and supporters. The Olympic games should be a time of celebrating diversity, but the French ban prohibiting Muslim women from wearing sports hijabs is excluding French athletes from taking part. Please join the on-line campaign to end discrimination in France. For any inquiries about France please contact our coordinator for Western Europe […]

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South America Newsletter August 2024

August 6, 2024

Dear Friends, This month we bring you news from Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador and Brazil. Highlights are: Colombia and others: Amnesty has a new petition directed at governments to support a Torture-free Trade treaty. Argentina: An Urgent Action demands that charges against 33 people opposed the controversial ‘ley de bases’ be dropped. […]

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South America Newsletter July 2024

July 8, 2024

This month we bring you news from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Suriname, and Venezuela.  Highlights are:  Amnesty has raised an alarm about the proliferation of legal initiatives to curtail the work of civil society organisations in Latin America and which seriously threaten the efforts of these organisations to promote and defend human rights in the […]

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