Marielle Franco was born and raised in a favela in Rio, Brazil. An elected councillor, she worked tirelessly to promote the rights of black women, LGBTI and young people.

Marielle inspired many people. She refused to stay silent about police killings and continued to speak out against injustice right up until hours before her brutal killing in March 2018. A car pulled up beside hers, and Marielle was shot four times in the head. Her driver Anderson Pedro Gomes was also killed.

People who defend human rights in Brazil, like Marielle, are often attacked or threatened. The authorities do not respond adequately – and most of these crimes go completely unpunished. Two ex military policemen are currently under arrest; unfortunately that can often lead to no further action. We need to maintain the spotlight on her case.

Marielle dedicated her life to speaking out for LGBTI, black and women’s rights in Brazil. She paid the ultimate price for defending human rights.

Demand a full, independent investigation into her murder by signing the AIUK petition to the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro. Click on the link below…

Welcome to the latest newsletter. The next meeting  is on Thursday 11th July, 7.30pm  at Moordown Community Centre. We don’t meet in August so the agenda will focus on the forthcoming events – BourneFree, Speaker, Quiz Night, Schools conference. Plus some letter writing.

For the 5th year running we will be holding a stall, and taking part in the parade, at BourneFree. Its this Saturday 13th July. This is Bournemouth’s LGBTI Pride event and the stalls are in Bournemouth Gardens. In many countries the LGBTI community are persecuted and, sadly, there are always cases we can feature. Unlike some events we do, its relatively easy to get cards signed and have conversations about Amnesty International and the work we do. You can read more about last years event here   https://amnestyat50.co.uk/bournefree-2018 We are still desperate for more people to help run the stall or take part in the parade.  We have to cover from 8am till 5pm, so any help – even just an hour – will be very welcome. Please reply to this newsletter if you would like to help in any way.

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We held our third AmnesTea in our secretary Lucy Freeman’s garden at the end of June. The weather again stayed fair and, as requested, everyone overindulged in cake and hot beverages. This year we also had a second hand book stall which proved quite popular – most participants left with as many books as they’d tried to get rid of! We raised £167.62. Far more fun than doing a street collection, although you do gain more calories…  Many thanks again to Lucy – we’re now left wondering what to do with all the leftover books?

This month we report on the continued undermining of human rights and threats to the environment posed by the Brazilian government and updates on the ongoing crisis in Venezuela. While aggressions and killings of human rights defenders in Colombia continue to mount, British MPs ask questions during President Duque’s visits the UK. There’s good news from Ecuador, where same-sex marriage is now legal. Plus we have news from Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.

REGIONAL

The Organisation of American States (OAS) held its General Assembly in Medellin, Colombia, on 26-28 June. The Venezuelan crisis dominated the discussions, complicated by the continuing dispute over who should be recognised as President. In 2017, Nicolás Maduro had announced Venezuela’s withdrawal from the OAS, but Juan Guaidó sent a representative.  Member States were divided by his presence and Uruguay withdrew from the Assembly in protest.  20 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, the United States and Peru backed recognition of Guaidó’s representation until Venezuela holds its next elections. Eight countries voted against, including Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and several Caribbean nations, while six abstained.

In advance of the Assembly, Amnesty published an open letter calling on OAS members to move beyond stale political debate and strengthen their focus and commitment to human rights protection.  It highlighted in particular its concerns over the situation in Nicaragua and Venezuela, the situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Americas, and its concern that some States were seeking to undermine the independence and autonomy of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.  The Final Declaration has not yet been published.

In a public statement on 20 June, Amnesty called on States in the Americas to protect those fleeing human rights violations in their own countries and to promote a coherent regional response.  It expressed concern that some States had taken steps back in their international obligations to welcome and protect Venezuelan refugees.  The statement also addressed those fleeing Nicaragua and those seeking safety and protection in the USA.

BRAZIL

A statement by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) on 12 June said that the decision by the Brazilian Government to cripple its key national anti-torture body will have devastating effects on the situation of people deprived of liberty.

In a Presidential Decree published on 11 June 2019, the Brazilian President dismissed the eleven members of the National Mechanism to Prevent and Combat Torture (MNCPT), an institution established in 2013 whose role is to inspect the prisons in Brazil and monitor the situation of persons deprived of liberty and the respect of their human rights. The Decree also establishes that the new MNCPT will now function on a voluntary and unpaid basis. Torture is endemic in prisons and police stations in Brazil.

The Guardian, Deforestation of Brazilian Amazon Surges to Record High, reports that environmentalists fear 2019 will be one of worst for deforestation in recent memory. Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon surged last month to the highest May level since the current monitoring method began, prompting concerns that President  Bolsonaro is giving a free pass to illegal logging, farming and mining. Aljazeera reports that the head of Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency(FUNAI) was dismissed amid a push to develop the Amazon. He said he was fired after being pressured by Bolsonaro to open up reservation lands to commercial activity.

Front Line Defenders states that imminent mass evictions increase risks to human rights defenders in Pará.  Since 1985, 466 conflicts have been recorded by the Brazilian Catholic NGO CPT, which have resulted in 702 killings of rural workers and human rights defenders. The evictions’ hearings planned for June, July and August 2019 will increase the vulnerability of local leaders, social movements, human rights defenders and organizations that support land redistribution processes. These could leave more than 2000 families with no place to live and without land to work on. Front Line Defenders learned of at least 11 communities that face imminent eviction in the south and southeast of Pará.

David attended the London premiere of the new TV series Aruanas, which is supported by Amnesty International. It’s a fictional environmental thriller about three courageous women human rights defenders and climate activists in Brazil defending the environment and the Amazon and the risks they face by doing so. Although fictional, this series relates to the stark reality that in Brazil the great majority of the killings of human rights defenders have occurred in the context of conflicts over land and natural resources. Global Witness documented the killings of over 80 people in conflicts over land and natural resources in 2018. To find out more and to watch the trailer click here [Read more…]