Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

local news & events Amnesty International group for Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch

South America Newsletter July 2025

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

Highlights are:

  • Regional: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that governments have a legal obligation to tackle climate change.
  • Colombia: A law was passed a year ago recognising the work and rights of women searchers for victims of enforced disappearance, Amnesty has expressed concern that implementation is still pending. 
  • Venezuela: A new report by Amnesty says Venezuelan authorities continue to commit enforced disappearances as part of the policy of the repression of dissidents
  • Peru: Amnesty has strongly criticised a new bill, which proposes granting amnesty to members of the Armed Forces, the Police, and other State officials who have not received a final sentence in “cases related to the fight against terrorism in the period 1980-2000”.
  • Ecuador: Human Rights Watch has stated that new laws passed by Ecuador’s National Assembly and signed by President Daniel Noboa include dangerous provisions that threaten the rights of Ecuadorians.
  • Brazil: Human Rights Watch has called on Brazilian legislators to reject a new bill which dismantles environmental licensing requirements and, if approved, could accelerate oil and gas extraction, cattle ranching and deforestation in the Amazon.
  • Bolivia: The UN human rights office has called for an investigation into the deaths of six people during clashes between police and supporters of former president Evo Morales that have deepened Bolivia’s political and economic crisis.
  • Argentina: The son of Graciela Alicia Romero and Raul Eugenio Metz, two of the 30,000 Argentinians who “disappeared” during the dictatorship, has become the 140th child found by Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
  • Chile: The government is presenting a bill to Congress to decriminalize abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy.

REGIONAL

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that governments have a legal obligation to tackle climate change. States have a duty under international law to prevent, mitigate and remedy environmental harm that threatens human rights, including through laws, policies and actions aimed at curbing climate change. “States now have clear guidance and can no longer claim ignorance of their human rights obligations… now is the time for immediate, concrete, and positive action to urgently tackle the climate crisis.” said Ana Piquer, Regional Director for the Americas at Amnesty International

COLOMBIA

While acknowledging that Colombia has been the first country in the world to approve a law recognising the work and rights of women searchers for victims of enforced disappearance, Amnesty has expressed  concern that implementation is still pending one year after the passing of the law.  Organisations of women searchers have drawn attention to the risks and threats involved in this activity.  Between 100,000 and 200,000 persons have been forcibly disappeared in Colombia and even today one person disappears every 36 hours. [Read more…]

South America Newsletter June 2025

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This month we bring you news from Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Suriname

Highlights are:

REGIONAL

Amnesty has released its 2025 report on the State of the World’s Human Rights.  The report assesses national, regional and global developments across a wide range of human rights themes, and documents human rights concerns during 2024 in 150 countries, including 10 South American countries, connecting global and regional issues and looking to the future.  Individual country chapters can be found here.

ECUADOR

Amnesty has published an article by the “Warriors for the Amazon”, the movement of young Ecuadorian women who are fighting the suffering and devastation wrought on the Amazon region by oil extraction.  The movement has called on Ecuador’s recently re-elected President Noboa to acknowledge that he has a duty not only to govern, but also to protect life, health and nature.

BRAZIL

Amnesty has joined a multitude of other non-governmental organisations in calling on the Brazilian Government to use its position as host of COP30 to lead influence climate negotiations and establish best practice for future COP hosts and advance the participation of those who have long been at the forefront of the fight against climate change, including environmental and human rights defenders.

PERU  

Marisiela Monzon Ramos, the daughter of  Celia Cruz

The Inter-American Court for Human Rights (IACHR) is hearing the case of a forced sterilisation carried out in Peru in the 1990s.  Demus, a Peruvian NGO for women’s rights, presented the case of Celia Ramos to the IACHR in 2010. Eleven years later, an IACHR report declared that the Peruvian state was responsible for the violation of Ramos’s rights and recommended the adoption of measures of reparation and non-repetition.  However, as Peru made no progress in complying with the recommendations, the commission sent the case to the Inter-American court in June 2023.  Celia Cruz died in 1997, 19 days after surgery for a tubal ligation caused respiratory failure. She was “harassed” into accepting the procedure, which was part of a nationwide family planning programme.  While this is the first case of a forced sterilisation in Peru to reach the inter-American court, the Celia Ramos case is representative of thousands of others. 

ARGENTINA

Santos Manfredi, llama breeder, badly injured by rubber bullets during the repression, who features in Amnesty’s report

Amnesty International has just published a report Silence is not an option: repression and impunity in Jujuy. Two years after the constitutional debate and social protests in Jujuy, there have been almost no concrete steps toward accountability for the repression and criminalization that characterized the state response to the massive grassroots mobilization in 2023. Amnesty’s investigation found that the provincial police used force in an illegitimate, arbitrary and excessive manner with the clear aim of dispersing the protests. At least 170 people were injured, at least ten of whom were hit in the face with a rubber bullet or tear gas canister. Three lost vision in one eye.

Amnesty International Argentina has just issued a report (Spanish) “It’s Also for You: Defending Access to Abortion in the Face of Public Policy Rollbacks,” This investigated the difficulties faced when trying to access legal abortion. The report highlights five main barriers: A lack of medical supplies; Lack of information regarding rights; Counsellors who spread misinformation and try to deter women; Unjustified delays;  Mistreatment by health professionals.  It also criticizes the government’s role in dismantling services and spreading fake news about abortion in order to “reinstate the stigma surrounding this right”

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released its 2024 Annual Report, warning of serious challenges and setbacks in the protection of human rights in Argentina. The IACHR warned that state reorganization policies have weakened the protection of rights and that government cuts and restructuring have hindered efforts to fight gender-based violence and discrimination.  The report coincides with the government downgrading the Secretariat of Human Rights to an under-secretariat, implementing a 40% reduction in its structure and a 30% cut in staff.

The government has been criticized for scrapping 13 programmes that protected women, gender minorities and the families of femicide victims. These focused on gender equality, diversity training, provision of menstrual products, support for gender-based violence victims and the promotion of transgender individuals’ rights. Making the announcement, Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona labelled these programmes as “ideological” and a waste of money.

The Milei administration has tightened migration legislation via a decree which human rights organizations have said takes away foreigners’ rights in Argentina. The decree makes deportations easier, restricts migrants’ access to health and education, and adds more requirements for foreigners obtaining Argentine citizenship or permanent residency.  The only ones who can now apply are those who have continued legal residence in Argentina for two years or those who prove “to have made a relevant investment in the country,” regardless of how long they lived there.

CHILE

President Boric presents initiatives to expedite land distribution, create an indigenous affairs body, and revive the economy in Mapuche regions.

President Boric announced a comprehensive plan to address the Mapuche conflict, based on recommendations from the Commission for Peace and Understanding. This includes expediting the distribution of lands and creating an indigenous affairs body. Chile’s Senate had just approved a 30-day extension (for the 56th time) of the constitutional state of emergency in some Mapuche provinces.  Last year Amnesty Chile’s report (Spanish) on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Chile highlighted ongoing violations. It concluded urgent action is required to address the criminalization of Indigenous Peoples and to address systemic issues within the justice system.

The President was making his final annual address to Chile’s National Congress, ahead of Novembers elections (presidents cannot serve consecutive terms). He also announced the prison dedicated to housing inmates convicted of human rights abuses during the 1973-1990 military dictatorship will be converted to a normal penitentiary. The 100 former military dictatorship personnel who committed crimes against humanity and other rights violations have better conditions than those endured by the rest of Chile’s prison population. Boric concluded there was no justification for this privilege.

During the dictatorship thousands of babies are known to have been taken from their biological mothers and sold into adoption, mainly to foreign couples from the United States and Europe. The first ever prosecution has now been instigated, with the Santiago Court of Appeals ordering the preventive detention of five individuals accused of participating in a network of illegal adoptions.  Judge Aguilar Brevis classified these acts as crimes against humanity, basing the criminal prosecution on the American Convention on Human Rights and the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Forensic experts from the Chilean Servicio Médico Legal (SML) have begun excavations at Cerro Chena, on the outskirts of Santiago. The site served as a military barracks during the dictatorship, and remains in operation today. The excavation is aimed at finding traces of some of the thousands who disappeared. Despite its history, Cerro Chena was not formally investigated until less than two years ago.  Many believe this area was a clandestine burial ground, and relentless public pressure and legal actions have led to this in-depth probe of the site.

VENEZUELA

We have issued a new Urgent Action calling on the Venezuelan government to release all arbitrarily detained individuals, including Eduardo Torres, Javier Tarazona, Rocio San Miguel, Carlos Julio Rojas, and Kennedy Tejeda. After concealing Eduardo Torres’ fate and whereabouts since 9 May, high ranking Venezuelan authorities confirmed his detention on 13 May and disclosed he was being held at the infamous El Helicoide in Caracas. Javier Tarazona has been detained since 2 July 2021; Rocío San Miguel has been detained on 9 February 2024 and requires urgent surgery and rehabilitation; Carlos Julio Rojas has been detained since 15 April 2024; and Kennedy Tejeda was detained on 2 August 2024.

Almost 900 other politically motivated arbitrary detainees, including nationals from Spain, the US, Uruguay, Colombia, and Ukraine, amongst other nationalities, are currently being unfairly held in Venezuelan detention centres. This comes alongside smear campaigns and the criminalization of human rights organisations, such as PROVEA.

All the best,

South America Team – David Rogers (Argentina and Chile), James Baird (Venezuela) and Graham Minter (rest of South America,). And please don’t forget that you can follow us on our Facebook page and Twitter.

 

 

South America Newsletter May 2025

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Check out our new website at https://amnestysouthamerica.org.uk!

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

Highlights are:

  • Peru: Amnesty has called for the repeal of new legislation which violates freedom of expression and other rights
  • Colombia: Amnesty has called for the unblocking of investigations into violence against the community of San José de Apartadó
  • Chile: Amnesty has warned of problems with the effectiveness of the body tasked with reforming the carabineros
  • Argentina: Amnesty has reported that, during the 2024 Write for Rights Campaign, over 400,000 people took action in support of Joel Paredes, who lost an eye during a peaceful protest. A casefile is being developed to enable further action by Amnesty Local Groups
  • Venezuela: Human Rights Watch has documented widespread abuses by the authorities since the 2024 Presidential elections
  • Brazil: A US NGO has filed a petition to block the import of Brazilian coffee associated with forced labour

PERU  

Amnesty has called on the Peruvian authorities to repeal a recent amendment to a law which, it says, violates freedom of expression, freedom of association and access to justice for hundreds of victims in Peru. The amendment, which relates to the functions of the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI), strengthens APCI’s control over the work of civil society organisations, leaving the door open to arbitrary decisions, discretionality and the censoring of voices that are critical of and inconvenient for those in power, while weakening State accountability.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Peruvian President to veto an amendment to Peru’s General Law on Persons with Disabilities, recently passed by the Peruvian Congress, which threatens to institutionalise people with disabilities through the creation of specialised care centres and temporary and permanent shelters.  According to HRW, the amendment ignores the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), to which Peru is a party, and which promotes deinstitutionalisation. [Read more…]

South America Newsletter April 2025

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This month we bring you news from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil.

Highlights are:

  • Colombia: Amnesty has a new Urgent Action calling on President Petro to stop making stigmatising statements about civil society organisations in Catatumbo
  • Venezuela: Venezuela has reached an agreement with the United States to resume the flights carrying migrants to Venezuela.
  • Peru: Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action calling on the President not to enact amendments to a law passed by the Congress.
  • Paraguay: Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action urging the Prosecutor’s Office to drop charges against environmental defender, Vidal Brítez.
  • Argentina: An Urgent Action has been republished calling on Congress to guarantee an adequate standard of living for older people.
  • Ecuador: Amnesty has condemned a decision by Ecuador’s Constitutional Court to dismiss an extraordinary action for protection brought by the “Guerreras por la Amazonia” (Warriors for the Amazon).
  • Brazil and Paraguay: Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has endorsed a settlement agreement in a lawsuit seeking redress for human rights violations suffered by indigenous communities in Brazil during construction of the Itaipú Dam.

COLOMBIA

Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action calling on President Petro to stop making stigmatising statements about civil society organisations in Catatumbo and instead be open to dialogue and to the participation of local organisations in the implementation of human rights centred solutions to the Catatumbo crisis.  This follows a statement by President Petro on 3 March claiming that civil society organisations in Catatumbo were “permeated” and “subordinated” to armed groups.  Amnesty said that, besides being unjustified and unacceptable, this statement endangered the members of these organisations and legitimised the violence that they, as well as the civilian population of Catatumbo in general, have been enduring since mid-January. This is a letter we sent at our April meeting you can use.

VENEZUELA

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Maduro have agreed that the two countries are “strategic partners“, announcing that they intend to expand ties. It comes after US President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke a sanctions waiver permitting US company Chevron to operate in Venezuela. Putin is one of the few leaders to have recognized Maduro’s re-election, widely seen to be fraudulent.

Venezuela has reached an agreement with the United States to resume the flights carrying migrants to Venezuela. The agreement comes after a diplomatic argument between the countries after the United States deported Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. The flights are being challenged. The US’s deportation drive is under challenge in US courts.

The Venezuelan army is alleging that it uncovered a US plot seeking to fabricate an incident in the Essequibo region, as a ruse for military action. The resource-rich Essequibo region, currently recognised as part of Guyana, is disputed by Venezuela. The claims come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travelled to the region and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to Guyana’s security.

The Urgent Action issued at the end of February remains active. At least four human rights defenders are currently arbitrarily detained for defending human rights: Javier Tarazona, detained in 2021; Rocío San Miguel, Carlos Julio Rojas, and Kennedy Tejeda, all three detained in 2024. They are prisoners of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally. We demand Nicolás Maduro ensures they are released as a matter of urgency. Whilst in state custody they should not subjected to torture and remain safe.

[Read more…]

South America Newsletter March 2025

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This month we bring you news from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Suriname

Highlights are:

  • Colombia: Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action calling on the National Police to guarantee the safety of members of the fishers’ association FEDEPESAN and to prevent their forced displacement
  • Ecuador: Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action calling on the Attorney General to undertake a search for 23 men whose whereabouts remain unknown following military operations carried out during 2024 and to investigate these events as possible cases of enforced disappearances.
  • Uruguay: Uruguay’s new president, Yamandu Orsi, has taken office. Orsi, who is regarded as centre-left, narrowly won last November’s election against the ruling centre-right coalition.
  • Suriname: The government is considering legislation that would finally establish territorial rights for Indigenous and Tribal communities.
  • Argentina: President Javier Milei temporarily appointed two Supreme Court judges by decree, bypassing Congress during its summer recess in a move seen as an overreach of executive power.
  • Chile: Five adoptees flew from the USA last month to reunite with their birth families in Chile for the first time after they were stolen as infants during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship
  • Venezuela: Amnesty International has issued a new Urgent Action calling for the release of four human rights defenders arbitrarily detained.

COLOMBIA

Amnesty has issued a new Urgent Action calling on the National Police to guarantee the safety of members of the fishers’ association FEDEPESAN and to prevent their forced displacement.  On 15 February, FEDEPESAN announced that they felt forced to carry out a collective displacement from the lakes and rivers surrounding the city of Barrancabermeja.  In recent years, including the first two months of 2025, FEDEPESAN members have been subjected to numerous instances of harassment, threats, robbery, extortion, and even attempted murder by armed groups.

A new report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) details how armed groups use violence to exert control over the population, furthering their own economic interests and undermining governance. According to the report, the situation disproportionately affects Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities and peasants.  The OHCHR urges the authorities to prioritise the protection of civilians emphasises the need to strengthen governance in a number of regions of the country.

[Read more…]

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