This month we bring you news from Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Chile. There is an Urgent Action in response to the repression of protests in Peru.  Amnesty is working with others to promote police reform in Colombia.  It has denounced ex-President Bolsonaro’s abolition of the Special Commission on Deaths and Disappearances in Brazil.  The International Criminal Court is investigating crimes against humanity in Venezuela.  Amnesty Chile has welcomed the guilty verdict against a soldier who killed a protester in 2019 but has called for more senior officers to be investigated too.  Argentina’s Vice President has been found guilty of fraud but has immunity and will appeal.

PERU

 Peru’s political crisis erupted in violence in December following then-President Castillo’s attempt to dissolve Congress on 7 December, his immediate impeachment by Congress and the installation as President of Vice-President Dina Boluarte.  Protests, sometimes violent, in Lima and other major cities were met with excessive use of force by security forces.  According to the Ombudsperson Office, seven people died, including two adolescents, all by firearms, and dozens of protesters and journalists were injured.

Amnesty has issued an Urgent Action asking activists to write to the Peruvian President calling on her to put an end to all excessive use of force against demonstrators, use all available resources to safeguard the life and integrity of all injured persons, provide the necessary support to the families of the deceased and collaborate with authorities investigating all allegations of human rights violations in the context of the current crisis promptly, thoroughly, independently, and impartially.  Here is a letter you can download and personalise.

COLOMBIA 

Following its three reports on the excessive use of force by the National Police (PN) during the National Strike – on use of firearms, use of non-lethal weapons and now gender-based violence – Amnesty International is working with 15 Colombian NGOs and the authorities on police reform. Proposals include demilitarisation of the PN, placing them under civilian control and the civil courts, a wholesale change in how the PN measures its effectiveness and to place human rights at the centre of its recruitment, training and promotion policies. President Petro and Defence Minister Velasquez are committed to police reform.

The Colombian Programa Somos Defensores (We are Defenders) has published its first report on the killing of Human Rights Defenders and social leaders in English. Up until now, their unique reports have been only available in Spanish, so this is a great opportunity for English speakers to understand what is happening on the ground and why so many HRDs, social leaders and their communities are targeted by armed groups.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has achieved something which appeared to be impossible: a bilateral ceasefire agreement with five armed groups for a period of six months. Petro stated the five paramilitary organizations that had signed up to the accord are the National Liberation Army (ELN), two dissident groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Gaitanist Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (also known as the Gulf Clan) and the Self-Defence Forces of the Sierra Nevada.

However, Colombia Reports discusses the reasons why the major armed groups in Colombia – the AUC narco-paramilitaries and FARC dissident and ELN guerrillas – are expanding into the cities and how this could derail the new Government’s plans for ‘Total Peace’. These follow the absorption of smaller armed groups by the three major groups in rural Colombia, leaving the cities as the new area of focus. These trends are identified by the Colombian think-tank Indepaz and they have mapped out the territories where each of these three major groups are now active.

Internal Displacement Monitoring records two further forced displacements of rural communities in Colombia in December 2022. In the department of Nariño, 624 people of the indigenous Awá community fled from fighting between two non-State armed groups while 191 members of a peasant farming community fled fighting in the department of Putumayo.

Peace Brigades International reports on the pressures that are forcing communities bordering on the Atrato river off their land and how communities are attempting to recover their land. ‘In particular, the Bajo Atrato, and the Urabá subregion have registered around 429,820 victims of forced displacement, dispossession, and selective murders, among other serious human rights violations.’ And ‘The actions of the banana, palm oil, and mining industries, tied to armed actors, have contributed to a dispossession of ethnic communities from their lands amid grave state omissions relative to protection guarantees.’

BRAZIL 

 In one of his last acts as President, Bolsonaro has extinguished the Special Commission on Deaths and Disappearances during the military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985.  Amnesty has denounced this as the Commission has not yet completed its prime objective to identify, locate and deliver all the bodies of political opponents for a dignified burial and to indemnify and provide reparation to the victims’ families. To date, the Commission has identified 434 deaths and disappearances, which is believed to be far fewer than those who were killed by the military.

President Lula took office on 1 January.  He has said that public services in Brazil face a “very real threat of collapse” as a result of the mismanagement by the outgoing far-right government, and the incoming administration will have a “herculean task” in rebuilding damaged institutions, particularly in the fields of health, education and the environment. He has appointed two well-known defenders of the Amazon to lead the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry for Indigenous people. Their first task will be to rebuild the departments which were depleted under former President Bolsonaro.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) has called on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to protect inmates at Rio de Janeiro’s Moraes prison. Numerous previously healthy young black men have died of unspecified ‘illnesses’, while inmates are kept in super-overcrowded conditions with a lack of food, water and medical attention. The CIDH notes that there has been no progress since its 2019 report on the vastly overcrowded prison.

VENEZUELA 

Leading Human Rights organisations, including Accion Solidaria, Human Rights Watch, and Centro de Justicia y Paz, have called for the release of political prisoners and the ending of human rights violations to be included in discussions between the Venezuelan government and the opposition coalition of the Unitary Platform.  The joint letter, signed by nine organizations and published on the 22 December, cast doubt on the real political will of those negotiating and urged the parties to guarantee the participation of victims, human rights organizations and Venezuelan civil society in the discussions.   

Government and opposition delegates met in Mexico City in late November to sign a deal to create a United Nations-administered fund to combat the country’s humanitarian crisis. The fund will be created from money currently held in bank accounts frozen in other countries, with the release of those monies dependent on the decisions of the respective countries’ courts. Further progress in the talks may depend on the progress of the fund.

The International Criminal Court, on 5 December, commenced receiving evidence of crimes against humanity in Venezuela. The results will be presented to the Pre-Trial Chamber by 7 March. Prosecutor Karim Khan asked on 1 November 2022 that the investigation be resumed, after he had received a request from the Venezuelan government in April 2022 to defer the investigation. 

The Instituto Prensa y Sociedad de Venezuela has counted, since July, at least 244 violations of the principles of a free press including administrative restrictions, “stigmatising” speeches, and physical and verbal aggressions. The non-governmental organization underlined an increase in censorship by the authorities in the past year, with 123 media outlets being impacted, along with organisations dedicated to defending freedom of expression. Meanwhile, The Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights organization, currently states in its annual analysis that there are 277 political prisoners in Venezuela, 154 of whom are military prisoners, the other 123 civilians. 

CHILE 

 

A Criminal Court unanimously found guilty the soldier who shot Carlos Astudillo on 20 October  2019.  At that time, Chile was under a State of Constitutional Emergency decreed by former President Piñera, which allowed the Armed Forces to take to the streets to manage public order together with the police.  Carlos Astudillo was participating in a demonstration in the Plaza de Armas in Colina when he was shot from behind. The bullet fractured his femur, severed his femoral artery and initially his life was in danger.  He is still receiving treatment.

Whilst welcoming the decision, Amnesty International Chile say the entire line of command must be investigated for the serious and unjustified acts that took place: – “not only those who pulled the trigger but also those who ordered, allowed or did not prevent this from happening”. 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has established the Joint Follow-up Mechanism for the recommendations of the report “Situation of Human Rights in Chile” (MESECH).  The IACHR and the State of Chile signed the work plan for the MESECH at a ceremony in Santiago on December 12^th. This will last 4 years and outlines a process by which the recommendations of the report will be implemented.

ARGENTINA 

In a country of 45 million, an estimated 5 million people took to the streets of Buenos Aires to welcome home the victorious football team.  Because of security concerns the open-topped bus was abandoned and the team flew over the crowds in a helicopter, as the “biggest party in the nation’s history” unfolded.

Argentina’s vice-president and former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has been sentenced to six years in prison and given a lifelong ban on holding public office. She was found guilty in a $1bn fraud case related to public works. Fernández de Kirchner isn’t expected to serve any prison time soon, as she has immunity due to her government roles and is expected to launch a lengthy appeals process that could take years.

Fernández de Kirchner was president of Argentina for two terms between 2007 and 2015. In September 2022 she survived an assassination attempt when a handgun was aimed at point-blank range, but failed to fire. She describes the charges against her as politically motivated.

Haydee Gastelu de Garcia, one of the co-founders of Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, has died at the age of 94. She became involved following the disappearance of her son Horacio Garcia and her daughter-in-law, who were kidnapped in August 1976 by the dictatorship in the city of Banfield.  In 1999 his remains were identified by the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team.

Meanwhile a separate organisation, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, continues to focus on the recovery of grandchildren who were born in captivity or disappeared during the dictatorship. They are believed to be alive but appropriated by other families, without knowing their true identity.

In December the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo announced the confirmation of two more identities, bringing their total discoveries to 132.  Most recently, genetic testing has confirmed that a 47-year-old man, Juan José, was the son of a young rural worker who went missing in Tucumán in 1976, when he was just nine months old.

As many as 500 children were taken from their imprisoned mothers, most of whom then disappeared under the country’s brutal military rule. Most of the children were gifted to people close to the leadership, with the military junta keen to have them raised as regime loyalists.

South America Team – Richard Crosfield (Colombia and Brazil), 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.

[Read more…]

This month we bring you news from Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Argentina and Chile. Amnesty has issued new reports on gender-based violence in Colombia and Ecuador and on institutional racism in Brazil. A transgender couple from Paraguay has been chosen for this year’s Write for Rights Campaign and we encourage you to write solidarity letters and to the Paraguayan authorities on their behalf.

VENEZUELA

On November 25^th, hundreds of women protested in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas to end violence against women, according to the Agencia EFE news agency. Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, feminist organizations in the country demanded state action, with non-governmental organization Provea stating that femicide has been made possible through “the abuses by, and the silence of, the state” (author’s translation). According to the register maintained by the non-governmental organisation Utopix, 193 women have been killed this year by men who form a part of their lives, meaning that a femicide has occurred every 37 hours. 

In addition, protesters have also marched for the decriminalization of abortion. The current Penal Code prohibits abortion in all cases except where it is an indispensable measure to save the life of the mother, otherwise, it is punishable by between six months and two years in prison.

On November 1^st, the International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan formally asked the Court to continue its investigation into alleged human rights violations committed in Venezuela. In 2020, Khan’s office found, in a preliminary investigation, that there was a “reasonable basis” to believe that “since at least April 2017, civilian authorities, members of the armed forces, and pro-government individuals have committed crimes against humanity”. The ICC has yet to make its decision on Khan’s request.

Researchers writing in the Lancet have found that mining activity in southern Venezuela is associated with hotspots in malaria transmission. The study noted that increased temperatures exacerbated malaria transmission in mining areas, with parts of Venezuela likely to be subject to rapidly rising temperatures because of climate change.  Much of Venezuela is subject to illegal mining, especially in the Bolívar state, where Human Rights Watch and the United Nations have found residents, including indigenous groups, suffer violence and sexual abuses at the hands of armed groups. Meanwhile, inhabitants of the town of Tumeremo have denounced the government efforts to dismantle illegal mining operations, citing the alleged arbitrary detention of individuals. Tumeremo has historically been the scene of violence due to government crack downs on illegal mining.

Talks between Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and the country’s opposition parties, grouped under the Plataforma Unitaria, will resume, according to the Norwegian government, which will act as a mediator. Talks had already occurred over a potential political settlement between Maduro and the opposition in September 2021, but they broke down after Alex Saab, a key ally of Maduro and a Colombian businessman with business interests in Venezuela, was extradited to the United States on money-laundering charges. The Director of the non-governmental organization Justicia Venezolana, Lilia Camejo, has demanded that Maduro and the Plataforma Unitaria make political imprisonment part of the negotiations, with Justicia Venezolana stating that 320 individuals are currently imprisoned for political reasons.  [Read more…]

This month, we have updates on Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Paraguay, as well as Amnesty’s call on governments throughout the region to fight inequality and discrimination.  You can sign a petition calling on the Colombian government to counter the discrimination and stereotyping of refugee Venezuelan women and LGBTIQ+ people; and another calling on the Brazilian authorities to counter police violence.

REGIONAL

In an open letter to heads of state attending the 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), Amnesty called on governments in the Americas to fight inequality and discrimination by adopting all measures necessary to ensure full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights in the region.  Amnesty also called on them to guarantee protection for refugees and migrants who face high levels of violence and discrimination based on their gender, race, or nationality, among other factors.

COLOMBIA

The Colombian Ombudsman has reported that between January and September 157 social leaders and human rights defenders have been killed so far this year. This compares to 109 killings in the same period for 2021. Most at risk are indigenous, farming and community leaders.

Colombia’s Congress approved a bill that allows new President Gustavo Petro to negotiate the dismantling of illegal armed groups. The bill gives Petro congressional support for his ambitious “Total Peace” policy, which seeks to reduce violence caused by illegal armed groups and organised crime. The new law will allow illegal armed groups to move to temporary locations where orders for their capture and potential extraditions will be suspended until talks are concluded. ‘Total Peace’ policy is based on the principles of deepening ‘democracy, solidarity and inclusion’.

Amnesty has launched a petition calling on the Colombian government to step in and counter the discrimination and stereotyping of refugee Venezuelan women and LGBTIQ+ people in Colombia. These refugees experience violence every day on the street, in their relationships and at work.

The WOLA Colombia peace monitoring centre has published a thoughtful article on the ‘lopsided’ defence establishment’s approach to security. While Colombia spends more on defence, as a % of GDP, than any other Latin American country, it remains one of the least secure for its citizenry. By comparison, the amount it spends on developing rural areas (PDETs), justice and effective administration of these areas is tiny. [Read more…]

This month, we update you on developments in Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, Suriname, and Argentina.

In Colombia, most of the country’s dissident FARC guerrillas declared a unilateral ceasefire: during the conflict over 1,700 people were forcibly displaced by non-state armed groups, and over a million individuals from ethnic minorities were displaced. In Brazil, general elections have taken place, with Lula polling 48% of the vote and Bolsonaro 43%. The United Nations Human Rights Council discussed the report of the latest Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, which was rejected by Venezuela’s government. The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture visited Ecuador, in response to the continuing violence, riots, and deaths in their prisons. This year, Paraguay will feature the Write for Rights campaign. In Suriname, Parliament continues to work to recognize the rights of indigenous people. Lastly, Argentine doctor Miranda Ruiz was cleared of all charges after performing an abortion.

COLOMBIA

In a hopeful development, the commander of the majority of Colombia’s dissident FARC guerrillas declared a unilateral ceasefire ahead of a possible multilateral ceasefire that includes the security forces.

Colombia Reports explains how the new government’s peace proposals could seriously disrupt the cocaine trade if it were taken up by the 22-armed groups fighting over cocaine cultivation, laboratories and trade routes. As drug traffickers largely fund the ongoing war in Colombia and Colombia accounts for nearly half the world’s production of cocaine, this would be a stunning success for the government of Gustavo Petro. But there is a long way to go, as the new plan resembles in many ways the peace accord with the FARC and earlier agreements to disband the paramilitaries, which have not put an end to the fighting or illegal drug trafficking.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP in Spanish) has identified 1.35 million victims from ethnic minorities, who have suffered from forced displacement during the 52-year conflict to 2016. The JEP has begun mega proceedings against landowners which are aimed to activate the process of reparations for these communities. This is also an opportunity for communities, who have never denounced their loss of land, to have their claims investigated.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre notes that 1,791 people were forcibly displaced by non-state armed groups from three different regions of Colombia in the month of September 2022. In 2021, 134,000 people were internally displaced, of whom 41 per cent were African Colombians and indigenous people. Around 5,235,000 people were living in displacement as result of conflict and violence as of the end of the year.

According to Global Witness, of the 200 land and environmental rights defenders killed worldwide in 2021 thirty-three were killed in Colombia. ‘Land disputes are a driving force behind the killings of land and environmental defenders, and the peace agreement acknowledges the need to address matters such as forced land displacement, unequal land tenure and the substitution of illegal crops by alternative legal crops.’

The London Mining Group and other international organizations are appealing to the highest court in Colombia over ongoing concerns of human rights violations at one of the largest open pit coal mines in the world. The organisations call on the court to uphold its earlier decision supporting the rights of Indigenous communities resisting the expansion of the Cerrejón mine, which is owned by London-listed Glencore. [Read more…]

Welcome to the latest South America newsletter. Several illegal armed groups in Colombia have agreed to talks after the new President proposed a conditional ceasefire, while new figures have revealed the huge numbers of deaths, kidnappings and disappearances in the civil war.  Brazilian police have arrested five more suspects of the killing of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, while UN experts have called on the government to take steps to put an end to police violence.  125 organisations including Amnesty have called for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela.  Human Rights Watch have highlighted the scale of sexual violence in schools in Ecuador.

COLOMBIA

Colombia’s recently inaugurated President Gustavo Petro has proposed a multilateral ceasefire with illegal armed groups that agree to negotiate their demobilization and disarmament. According to Colombia Reports, opposition armed groups that have agreed to talks include the ELN (National Liberation Army) two dissident FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) commands and dissident AUC (United Self-defence forces of Colombia) paramilitaries.

Colombia’s Truth Commission has issued its final report and executive summary on the six decades long civil war in Colombia. Its estimates for the number of victims are much higher than previously thought.

• 450,000 fatalities. Those responsible for deaths were mainly paramilitaries (45%), guerrillas (27%) and state agents (12%).
• Over 110,000 forcibly disappeared. Main perpetrators were paramilitaries (52%), FARC (24%) and state agents (8%).
• At least 50,000 kidnappings. Main perpetrators FARC (40%), paramilitaries (24%), ELN (19%).
• At least 8 million people have been forcibly displaced. 70% of the perpetrators are not recorded.
• Recruitment of child soldiers exceeded 30,000. 40% by the FARC, 13% by paramilitaries and 9% by the ELN.

You can download the Executive Summary with a commentary by the UK’s ABColombia here.

 WOLA Colombia Peace report that investigative journalists at Blu Radio allege that corrupt officials in Colombia abused their positions to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in peace accord implementation funds, which were meant for some of the country’s poorest, most violent, and least governed territories. They estimate that 12% of the funds never reached their destination. Three investigations by the Attorney General, the Internal Affairs Office and the Supreme Court are under way. Corruption is endemic in Colombia.

 Following their visit to Colombia, the international lawyers group Colombia Caravana is deeply concerned about serious threats to the rule of law that limit access to justice, the repression of political participation and social protest, and the lack of security guarantees for those carrying out vital human rights work in Colombia. They denounce the stigmatisation of legal defence work by conflating lawyers with their clients, the criminalisation of human rights defenders, lawyers and
judges through vexatious litigation [Read more…]