SUMMARY
In this month’s report, we have urgent actions on Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia. In Peru, the President granted a humanitarian pardon to an ex-president who was serving a lengthy prison sentence, including for human rights abuses. Health in Venezuela continues to be undermined by the government’s failure to order the purchase of antiretroviral medication. The security forces violently broke up demonstrations in Argentina, Chile elected a new President, and human rights work in Bolivia was obstructed. Meanwhile communities across Colombia continued to find themselves under threat from paramilitary groups, and new data emerged in Brazil highlighting the overcrowding of its prison system and the extent of police violence.
PERU
President Kuczynski has granted a humanitarian pardon to ex-President Fujimori, who was serving a lengthy prison sentence for human rights abuses and corruption during his time in office in the 1990s. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Lima and other cities to protest against the decision. Kuczynski has acknowledged the anger triggered by his decision but said he could not allow Alberto Fujimori to die in prison. The announcement came days after Kuczynski had narrowly survived impeachment by Congress over allegations that he lied about his links to Odebrecht, the Brazilian contractor at the centre of a string of major corruption cases in Peru and elsewhere in the region. Amnesty described the decision as a tough blow for the struggle for justice for victims of humanitarian crimes committed by Fujimori. BBC report here.
VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s opposition-led National Assembly, along with “all political prisoners”, have been awarded EU’s prestigious Sakharov prize for human rights for 2017 (Guardian report here) while the government has expelled the senior diplomatic representatives from Brazil and Canada and those two countries have responded in kind (BBC report here).
We have circulated two Urgent Actions: one for prisoner of conscience Villca Fernández, whose transfer to hospital has been repeatedly postponed and whose health has continued to deteriorate (take action here); and the other highlighting the government’s failure to order the purchase of vital antiretroviral medication, putting the lives of at least 77,000 people living with HIV at risk (take action here).
For more on the current health crisis in Venezuela, including for those with HIV, and the rising numbers fleeing the country as refugees, see this interesting report.
ARGENTINA [Read more…]