By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – A Colombian tribunal has restored land stolen from 32 displaced families as part of the country’s land restitution law. Residents of Córdoba have been the target of numerous threats and intimidation. A tribunal that specializes in land restitution issues ruled on February 13^th for the restitution of 405 acres of land on the Santa Paula Farm.

The land restitution office was created by the Victims and Land Restitution Law in 2011 which is supposed to return over 4.9 million acres to the displaced owners affected by the nearly 50 year conflict.The new law aims to return millions of acres that belonged to Colombians who have fled their homes due to violence in addition to financial compensation, all of these displaced Colombians are victims of human rights violations and infractions of international humanitarian law.

“This ruling restores victims’ ownership over land seized by one of Colombia’s most powerful paramilitary mafias, in a region where it continues to exercise influence. It is a milestone achievement for Colombia’s land restitution office and the victims who have courageously stepped forward to reclaim their land,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

Mario Cuitiva, a member of one of the families claiming rights to the farm has been the target of threats and intimidation which caused him to flee in November 2012.  Cuitivia, is not the first member of these displaced families to experience repercussions. Yolanda Izquierdo, a former leader of the effort to reclaim the Santa Paula farm was shot in January 2007. The shooter is Sor Teresa Gómez, member of the AUC, the right winged paramilitary organization that planned the theft of the land. There are 49 members of the families who have had threats made against them.

There has been debate in Colombia by how successful the land restitution law has been. The Interclesial Commission for Justice (CIJP), a NGO, has accused associates for former president Uribe in blocking land restitution. Many of those associates have links to paramilitaries and are undergoing investigation. “Officials of the government of Uribe, and persons of his entourage are engaging in actions legal and illegal [to block land restitution]. For example people were fraudulently chosen as representatives of their communities. They are businessmen or put forward by businessmen – businessmen linked to paramilitaries,” said Jesus Alberto Franco, a spokesman for the CIJP.

The land restitution office has filed an additional 80 claims to the land and are awaiting the rulings.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch — Colombia: Landmark Ruling for Land Restitution – 20 Feb 2013

Colombia Reports — Paramilitaries, Uribe’s Associates ‘Blocking’ Land Restitution: NGO – 15 Feb 2013

Amnesty International — The Challenges of Colombia’s Victims’ Law – 15 June 2011

Human Rights Watch — Colombia: Victims Law a Historic Opportunity – 10 June 2011

By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

QUITO, Ecuador – Rafael Correa won the presidential election earlier this month by a wide margin. Correa’s win could mean more media regulations on the country.

“No one will stop our revolution….We have never failed and we will never fail,” a jubilant Mr. Correa told a screaming crowd from a balcony at the government palace after the results were announced.

Correa won this year’s election he won with 57% of the vote, his closest opponent was Guillermo Lasso, a former banker who had 23% of the vote. Correa has only been office since 2007 but is the country’s longest serving President in decades with this second term. Since taking office, Ecuador’s poverty rate has dropped to 32.4%. The number of government employees has increased from 16,000 to 90,000. He has improved access to education and health care as well as improved the country’s roadways.

During Correa’s first term, he made radical changes including changing electoral law and the constitution to allow for consecutive political terms.

He has had a tough policy regarding media outlets that issues out fines and lawsuits when the outlets are critical of his government. Despite Correa’s win, many are worried that his win will threaten the free press. A specific concern is a proposed communications law, which could lead to more checks on the media.

“We hope that the confrontation and harassment of the press is over, but we hope that the confrontation and harassment of the press is over, but we see the risk of trying to control the media’s content and establish prior censorship of journalist work,” Vicente Ordoñez, president of the country’s National Journalist Union, said Monday.

Current media laws in place make it illegal for biased political reporting. Examples of these laws since May 2012 include at least eleven radio stations have been closed and Vistazo magazine was charged with an $80,000 fine after being accused of violating a political propaganda law. Violations are ruled on by a tribunal or the country’s Constitutional Court.

Corerea has had repeated problems with the national newspaper El Universo, Ecuador’s National Court of Justice ratified a decision sentencing the paper’s owners and former columnist to three years in prison for defaming the president and fined them $40 million. After worldwide criticism, Correa pardoned the journalist and waived the fine.

Other criticisms facing Correa stem from his prosecution of indigenous leaders for organizing protests against large-scale mining projects.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Ecuador’s Correa Wins Third Presidential Term – 18 Feb 2013

The Guardian — Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa Says Citizens Will Be in Charge, Not Money – 18 Feb 2013

Wall Street Journal — Ecuador Election Win Seen Tightening Correa’s Grip – 18 Feb 2013

New York Times — President Correa Handily Wins Re-election in Ecuador – 17 Feb 2013