By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – On 26 April 2013, the United States and Guatemala signed an 18-point Enforcement Plan, which defined necessary actions for Guatemala to take in order to strengthen labor law enforcement. While Guatemala had adopted a number of the outlined reforms, it has failed to comply with the standards spelled out in the country’s trade agreement with the United States. The United States has thus moved to pursue a case against Guatemala that could potentially lead to serious fines.

Michal Froman, the United States Trade Representative, declared that he would move forward with the case in hopes that Guatemala would make “concrete improvements” in enforcing labor laws. Stating the goal for taking action against Guatemala is “to ensure that Guatemala implements the labor protections to which its workers are entitled.” Guatemala has a history of substandard labor laws including: the refusal of Guatemalan employers to pay minimum wages, the refusal of both public and private employers to make Social Security payments, and the denial of workers’ rights to organize and freely associate.

According to the American AFL-CIO labor federation, Guatemala is the “most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists.” Within the last five years there have been numerous reports of activists being kidnapped and murdered for organizing workers in the agriculture and construction industries.

The AFL-CIO has criticized Guatemala’s remedies in place to protect workers written into trade agreements, calling them “weak.” In order to address these claims the Guatemalan government agreed last year to follow a plan to address the country’s labor law violations. The United States Trade Representative acknowledged Guatemala’s progress, however Froman states that the country failed to pass important laws regulating practices of employers and punishing those who breach labor laws.

Froman stated that the complaint issued was a means of helping Guatemala a safer place to live and work. He stated, “we remain hopeful that Guatemala can achieve a resolution that results in concrete improvements for workers on the ground and sends a positive signal to the world that would help attract investment, expand economic activity, and promote inclusive growth.”

 

For more information, please see the following:

 

AFL-CIO –  Whats Happening To Workers In Guatemala? – 24 Oct. 2013.

HUFFINGTON POST- U.S. Smacks Guatemala Over Worker Rights, Opens Trade Case – 18 Sept. 2014.

REUTERS – United States Steps Up Pressure On Guatemala Over Labor Rights – 19 Sept. 2014.

UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE –  United States Continues to Press Guatemala On Enforcement Of Workers Rights – 24 Oct. 2013.

 

 

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America – North Korea recently sentenced a United States citizen, Matthew Todd Miller, to six years of hard labor for committing hostile acts as a tourist in the country. Miller, a native of Bakersfield, California, entered North Korea in April of this year. The circumstances surrounding his arrest are muddled, however, reports state that Miller tore up his tourist visa and demanded Pyongyang to grant him asylum.

In an unexpected CNN interview earlier this month, Miller told reporters that he “prepared to violate the law of DPRK before coming [to North Korea]. And [he] deliberately committed [a] crime.” Miller was tried under Article 64 of the North Korean Criminal Code, which defines the crime of espionage. The prosecutor on Miller’s case argues that Miller’s claim for asylum had been a “ruse”, and that he had falsely claimed to be in the possession of secret U.S. military information on his electronic devices.

Other sources state the Miller’s purpose in tearing up his visa was to get an inside look at North Korean prisons in order to investigate human rights abuses. Miller is the second American currently serving a hard labor sentence. A third U.S. citizen, Jeffrey Fowle, is awaiting trial.

North Korea is currently under heavy United Nations sanctions related to the country’s nuclear and missile programs. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russell states that the detained American citizens are being used as pawns in order for North Korea to extract a high-profile visit from Washington. However, because of the United States’ preoccupation with the Islamic extremist group ISIS in the Middle East, the current situation in North Korea has gained little attention. However, sources state that the U.S. has requested the immediate pardon and release of Miller.

 

For more information, please see the following:

CNN – North Korea: American Matthew Miller Sentenced to 6 Years Hard Labor – 14 Sept. 2014.

NBC NEWS – North Korea Sentences American Matthew Miller To Six Years Hard Labor– 14 Sept. 2o14.

REUTERS – North Kora Sentences U.S. Citizen Matthew Miller to Six Years Hard Labor -14 Sept. 2014.

WASHINGTON POST – North Korea Sentences American Matthew Miller To 6 Years of Hard Labor – 14 Sept. 2014.

 

 

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America – Researchers from the University of Washington and Yale University conducted a study to research the negative impact fracking has on health conditions. Since the start of the United States domestic energy surge in 2003, advocates have blamed oil and gas drilling for a wide range of medical ailments.

Fracking blasts large amounts of water, sand and chemicals deep underground in order to break apart shale deposits and ultimately extract gas and oil. The University study was conducted over a two-year period in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The study surveyed nearly 500 residents of the rural southwestern town, which is home to more than 600 active gas wells.

The study found that residents living within one kilometer of a gas well suffered twice as many health related problems than those who live two kilometers away or further. The recorded health issues include: allergies, nosebleeds, skin rashes, sore throats, itchy eyes, and respiratory conditions.

Other studies have corroborated the claims posed in the University of Washington and Yale University study. Methane and toxic chemicals were found in the drinking water in the area surrounding multiple well sites.

One Pennsylvania resident, Stephanie Tiongco recently filed a lawsuit against an Arkansas-based energy company, which has been drilling just a quarter-mile from her property. Tiongco claims that the fracking has resulted in the death of farm animals and has even caused her hair to start falling out.

A spokeswoman for Pennsylvania State’s health department stated that the agency has not been given a copy of the study before its release, and would be happy to review any data the student researchers have gathered. However, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection failed to return email inquiries regarding the study. Other departments have rejected the studies validity as a whole. Travis Windle, a spokesman for Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Coalition, states the study was “done in partnership with a local activist group, and was designed to put selective and unproven data behind a pre-determined and biased narrative.”

 

For more information, please see the following:

USA TODAY – People Near ‘Fracking’ Wells Report Health Woes – 10 Sept. 2014.

US NEWS – Respiratory, Skin Problems Soar NEar Gas Wells, Study Says -10 Sept. 2014.

WEATHER CHANNEL –  People Who Live Near Fracking More Likely To Become Sick, Largest Study Of Its Kind Finds – 11 Sept. 2014.  

WASHINGTON POST – Live Near Fracking? You’re More Likely To Report Health Problems, New Study Says – 10 Sept. 2014.