Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

This month we bring you news from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela

Highlights are:

• In Argentina, President Javier Milei has signed an emergency decree allowing authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people accused of inciting hatred against Argentina or its people
• For Venezuela, Amnesty continues with its Urgent Action calling for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in Venezuela
• Protests have intensified in Bolivia over government plans to open protected areas and Indigenous territories to mining and agribusiness, with communities warning of deforestation and land dispossession
• The area of Brazil’s rainforest burnt in 2025 was smaller than previous years, although critics still note the government’s decision to approve oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon river.
• More than 50 years after the kidnapping, torture and murder of Chilean folk singer and human rights activist Víctor Jara, retired army colonel Nelson Haase Mazzei has been jailed for 25 years.
• Human Rights Watch has called US-Ecuador Security Cooperation “a dangerous partnership”, noting that co-operation was “deepening at a moment when both governments have engaged in serious human rights violations fuelled by their insistence on framing their confrontations with organised crime groups as a kind of war”
• Amnesty has issued a media release in support of the demand from the Guerreras por la Amazonía (Women Warriors for the Amazon) that the Ecuadorian Government fully implement the landmark court ruling of 5 years ago requiring Ecuador to eliminate oil industry gas flares located near populated areas and provide reparations to affected communities. Amnesty has also called for an investigation into the role of the United States in an attack on an Ecuadorian vessel.
• Amnesty has denounced the Peruvian Government’s enactment of a Law which allows alleged crimes committed by members of the Armed Forces and the Police to be investigated and tried by military and police courts
• Amnesty continues with its Urgent Action calling for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in Venezuela

ARGENTINA

President Javier Milei has signed an emergency decree allowing authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people accused of inciting hatred against Argentina or its people. This follows controversy during the World Cup over the behaviour of players and fans. Milei claimed there was an international “anti-Argentina” campaign, with many labelling the country as racist. Amnesty Argentina has acknowledged racism in the country but criticised those “reducing the country to a stereotype”.  There are concerns that the broad wording of the decree could be used to restrict freedom of expression.  [Read more…]

This month, we bring you news from:

• Colombia: There are two Urgent Actions, one calling for an investigation into threats and attacks against members of the NGO CREDHOS, the other calling for an investigation into crimes committed against women searchers.
• Ecuador: Amnesty has welcomed the Armed Forces’ apology for the “enforced disappearance” of four boys and called on the government to reverse its militarised approach to public security policy.
• Venezuela: Amnesty has called on the Venezuelan authorities and the international community to do all they can to provide relief to those affected by the recent earthquakes
• Argentina: Amnesty Argentina has filed a lawsuit to stop the application of a municipal protocol that hinders access to voluntary and legal abortion.
• Brazil: Amnesty Brazil has denounced the request to close the investigation into the death of human rights defender Pedro Henrique Cruz.
• Chile: Human rights organisations, victims’ groups and supporters have marched in Santiago to oppose proposals to pardon individuals convicted of human rights crimes.
• Peru: The UNHCR has urged the Peruvian government not to adopt a law that would enable human rights violations to be investigated and prosecuted by military jurisdictions.
• Bolivia: The IACHR has expressed concern over the escalation of social conflict and has called on the Bolivian State and all social sectors involved to prioritise dialogue.

COLOMBIA

URGENT ACTION #1: On 1 June, a leaflet supposedly signed by the armed group Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN) was publicly distributed, declaring several people in Puerto Wilches to be “military objectives” of the group and ordering them to leave the municipality within 48 hours. Those threatened included members of CREDHOS’s municipal human rights committee.

This threat is one in a series of threats and attacks committed in recent months by armed groups in the Magdalena Medio region, including the Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia (EGC). These attacks have targeted members of CREDHOS and directly affected their work defending the human rights of communities across the municipalities of Santander, Bolívar and Antioquia that form part of the Magdalena Medio region.

Amnesty is calling on the Attorney General to investigate the threats and attacks against members of CREDHOS, establish who is responsible for ordering and carrying out these acts, and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials. Effective investigations are essential to prevent further attacks against human rights defenders in the Magdalena Medio region. Please click here to take action!

URGENT ACTION #2: On 8 June, human rights defender Cleiner Almanza was coerced into meeting with unknown individuals in an isolated area of Cartagena, where she was attacked, tortured, subjected to gender-based violence, and nearly killed. Cleiner is a woman searching for her brother, who was forcibly disappeared in 1998 in the Montes de María region, in northern Colombia. She is a recognised defender of women’s rights and has previously been attacked because of her work.

Amnesty is calling on the Attorney General’s Office to fulfil its commitment to women searchers by conducting a prompt, thorough, and effective investigation into the crimes committed against Cleiner Almanza. Please click here to take action! [Read more…]

This month, we bring you news from Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile.

Highlights are:

• Colombia: There is an Urgent Action regarding the need for stronger protection for members of the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace following death threats against a human rights defender in northern Colombia.
• Ecuador: There is an update regarding efforts to end toxic gas flaring in the Amazon, as activists delivered nearly 500,000 signatures to the government.
• Argentina: A new Amnesty report warns that cuts to sexual and reproductive health programmes are creating growing barriers to accessing legal abortion across the country.
• Brazil: A planned reform to strengthen independent investigations into police killings has been delayed by one year, despite ongoing concerns over record levels of police violence.
• Venezuela: Human Rights Watch says the new amnesty law excludes many arbitrarily detained people, with at least 457 political prisoners still held.
• Bolivia: Congress has lifted limits on emergency presidential powers to deploy the army and restrict freedoms amid economic crisis protests, raising human rights concerns.
• Chile: The UN and human rights groups urge stronger action on enforced disappearances under the National Search Plan, amid concerns over Indigenous land rights and threats to community leaders.

COLOMBIA

URGENT ACTION: In late March, human rights defender Juan Carlos Gaona, a member of the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace in northern Colombia, received a text message stating that an operation to murder him had been frustrated by chance – but that he would not be so lucky next time. This death threat highlights the urgent need for stronger protection for members of this organization across the country. Amnesty is calling on Colombian authorities to comply with international measures ordering it to protect the organization. Please click here to take action! [Read more…]