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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…]

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…]

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…]