By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – A student-lead hunger strike that lasted for 23 days has finally ended. The hunger strike, which grew from 9 to 80 university students, was in support of people that the protesters argued were political prisoners.

The protesting students had also been calling for a discussion of the cases by the Organization of American States (OAS) and arguing for a visit from that regional body, something that the administration of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has so far blocked.

Lorent Saleh, one of the leaders of the protesters, stated that “today we are completing 23 days since we started a promise we made to fight for liberty and democracy, and for those who find themselves behind bars for thinking differently than this regime.” According to Saleh, the protesters and the Venezuelan government had reached a number of agreements, including medical attention for some prisoners, freedom for other prisoners and the creation of a round-table with authorities to discuss other demands that the protesters have.

According to Juan Pio Hernandez, a member of the Link the Americas organization, which has been a staunch supporter of the protesters, “the regime of Hugo Chavez agreed to free seven of the 27 political prisoners held under false criminal charges.”

The hunger strike drew significant attention from the United States. As the strike continued to snowball to its ultimate number of 80 students, the U.S. State Department called Hugo Chavez’ government to help end the starvation. The U.S.’s interference; however, was not taken kindly by all parties involved.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro rejected the statements made by the U.S. government, accusing them of meddling in Venezuela’s internal affairs. “Venezuela doesn’t need any protective guidance from nobody, of neither instance,” said Maduro.

The students announced that while the hunger-strike is over for the moment, their ‘Operation Freedom’ is not over and that they would continue to keep a vigil at the OAS headquarters in Caracas.

For more information, please see:

Latin American Herald Tribune – Venezuela Students End 3 Week Hunger Strike – Political Prisoner Released – 23 February 2011

Wall Street Journal – Venezuelan Student Protesters End Hunger Strike – 22 February 2011

Fox News Latino – Venezuela Student Hunger Strike Gains Momentum – 18 February 2011

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia—Colombia has been waging war against powerful drug warlords for many years.  The warlords have been working with relative impunity, frightening many civilians and frustrating government forces.  Now a U.S. firm has jumped on board to help Colombia in its anti-narcotics campaign.

ManTech International Corp. has received a $6.2 million contract to help fight drug warlords who operate between South, Central and North America, trafficking narcotics.  The U.S. firm is a provider of new technologies that deal with mission-critical national security programs.  ManTech has said they plan on operating in Colombia after receiving a task order in line with a Strategic Services Sourcing prime contract.  The multimillion dollar award will allow the mission to operate for at least 12 months, with an option to be extended for another two years.

ManTech intends to provide a bilingual team to work on communications to U.S. air assets that battle narcotics trafficking in Colombian air space.  The firm said the team will help plan air operations and support the U.S. Military Group Colombia with technical and security problems.  ManTech’s strategies have suggested that their operations in Colombia will be diversified.

Louis Addeo, president and chief operating officer of ManTech’s Technical Services Group said, “We are proud to be selected to play a part in the U.S. counter-narcotics mission.  Colombia is a prominent positioning point to battle the illegal drug trade that enters the United States.”  Addeo added that the company’s “extensive experience supporting U.S. military forces overseas” would help it be successful in its mission.

The United States has been aiding the Colombian government in its fight against traffickers who bring illegal drugs into richer areas of the Western Hemisphere.  The U.S. has spent tens of millions of dollars on these endeavors; yet the paramilitary drug gangs have so far been able to expertly use their acquired funds to counter government forces.

Drug lords living and working in Colombia have been powerful enough to command entire regions both within and outside of the country.  They have also been known to rule over towns and villages, run their own air strips, and keep informers who work in a variety of public and private sectors.

On Thursday, the United Nations reported that Colombian gangs drove a 40% increase in massacres last year, murdering human rights defenders, public officials, and civilians.  Christian Salazar, a U.N. representative, said, “These groups have the power to corrupt and infiltrate the state [and] are a strong threat to the rule of law.”

For more information, please see:

UPI-U.S. firm joins Colombia anti-narcotics operation-24 February 2011

Reuters-Colombia crime gangs spur more massacres in ’10: U.N.-24 February 2011

Colombia Reports-ManTech wins $6.2M contract to combat Colombian narco-trafficking-23 February 2011

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

QUITO, Ecuador – An Ecuadorian judge has ordered the release of  José Acacho, Pedro Mashiant and Fidel Karinas, all of whom are indigenous leaders and who were arrested on February 1, 2011 on charges of terrorism and sabotage. The charges stem from the three indigenous leaders’ actions in instigating a protest in 2009 where one person died. Judge María Cristina Narváez of the Pichincha court accepted a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of the three leaders, which forces their immediate release.

Three hundred protestors met the release with jubilation when they heard the decision, chanting “libertad” in front Quito’s Corte Provincial de Justicia of Pichincha. Inside the courtroom, the decision was met with equal joy and tears by major indigenous leaders of Ecuador, who filled the courtroom.

Judge Narváez determined that the imprisonment of three leaders was “illegal and arbitrary.” Following the court’s decision, Acacho, the leader of the Shuar Indians, stressed the importance that justice will be independent and not subject to interference by the Executive.

The International Federation for Human Rights, the Ecumenical Commission for Human Rights, the Regional Human Rights Advisory Foundation, and the Centre for Economic and Social Rights have all expressed concern for growing criminalization against social protest of indigenous communities in Ecuador. These indigenous Ecuadorians are becoming increasingly mobilized in defiance of large scale mining activities on their territories.

The three charged individuals were charged for their roles in a protest, when confrontations between demonstrators protesting against a new water law and the national police ended with the death of Shuar Professor Bosco Wismua. The charges of sabotage and terrorism against the three men still stand.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, along with other indigenous governmental organizations of Ecuador, intend to present a proposal of amnesty for all imprisoned indigenous leaders to the national assembly.

For more information, please see:

Pacific Free Press – Ecuador Using Terrorism Law to Target Indigenous and Environmental Activists – 13 February 2011

IFEX – Authorities Release Former Radio Director Accused of Terrorism and Sabotage – 11 February 2011

Latin American Herald Tribune – Ecuador Court Frees 3 Indigenous Leaders Jailed on Terrorism Charges – 11 February 2011

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

 QUITO, Ecuador – A judge in Ecuador has awarded $8.64 billion to Ecuadorian residents of the Amazon who had sued Chevron for years of crude oil pollution.  The award is set to double if Chevron does not apologize within two weeks.

Both sides have indicated that they will appeal the verdict.

Chevron claims that the court’s verdict is the “product of fraud.”  The plaintiffs assert that the award is too small in relation to the cost of the pollution’s cleanup. In addition, Chevron alleges that “the Ecuadorian court’s judgment is illegitimate and unenforceable.”

The lawsuit charged that the oil company used a variety of substandard production practices in Ecuador that resulted in pollution that “decimated” several indigenous groups in the area.

According to the Amazon Defense Coalition, Chevron has admitted that Texaco, its predecessor, dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic waste into Amazon waterways, abandoned more than 900 waste pits, burned millions of cubic meters of gases with no controls and spilled more than 17 million gallons of oil due to pipeline ruptures.  The coalition claims that cancer and other health problems were reported at higher rates in the area.

Luis Yanza, a spokesperson for the Assembly of those Affected by Chevron, said at a news conference that the ruling was “historic” and a “collective victory.”  Yanza was also quick to proclaim that the award was fairly insignificant in terms of the harm that 30 years of pollution has had on the area.

The judgment against Chevron is the latest skirmish in 18 years of litigation between the Amazon indigenous groups and Chevron, which inherited the lawuit when it purchased Texaco in 2001.

Although both parties will appeal, Humberto Piaguaje, a local leader, called the judgment “a victory for the population that lives in the oil-producing area in northern Ecuador.”  “The judge did justice and has seen reality,” said Piaguaje. “We know that this is only one part of our fight and we will continue until there is justice and the damage is healed. The world should know that what happened in the Amazon and our fight for life, for justice.”

For more information, please see:

Bloomberg – Chevron’s $17 Billion Ecuador Judgment May be Unenforceable, Analysts Say – 15 Febraury 2011

CNN – Appeals Planned after Amazon Residents Win Ruling Against Chevron – 15 February 2011

Reuters – Snap Analysis – Chevron-Ecuador Case Only at Beginning of the End – 14 February 2011

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—On Monday, Argentina declared that it intends to lodge a formal protest against Washington, D.C.  The protest stems from an incident that occurred last week, wherein Argentine officials say they confiscated undeclared weapons, spy equipment, and drugs from a U.S. military aircraft.  The authorities claim they seized almost 1,000 cubic feet of such cargo.

The aircraft involved is a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane.  The plane was searched by Argentine customs officials last Thursday at the Ezeiza International Airport.  According to Argentine officials, it had landed with experts ready to engage in a routine hostage rescue training exercise—something they consider a ruse to bring the undeclared items.  A U.S. Special Forces team had been invited into the country to give the training course to Argentina’s federal police.

Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner’s administration announced that they would be lodging the protest with Washington, D.C. in order to request that it help investigate what they called the Air Force’s attempt “to violate Argentine laws by bringing in hidden material in an official shipment.”  The South American country has categorized the cargo seized from the plane as “sensitive material,” stating Sunday:  “Among the material seized, which the State Department makes no reference to, are from weapons to different drugs, including various doses of morphine.”

Machine guns, ammunition, and spy equipment were listed as some of the items found on board.  Argentine officials said that these had not been properly declared in a manifest submitted by the U.S. embassy.

After the incident, the assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, telephoned Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman to complain about the way that Argentine officials handled the search of the plane.  Timerman’s response was:  “Argentine law must be complied with by all, without exception.”

U.S. officials have denied any wrongdoing, and one explained:  “We do respect their laws; we do respect their sovereignty.”  The official said every gun was declared but extra gun barrels were seized because they were not marked with matching serial numbers.

Relations between Argentina and the United States have been strained lately, and President Obama recently decided not to visit Argentina during his first trip to Latin America next month.

For more information, please see:

Washington Post-Argentina, US tangle over military material-14 February 2011

AFP-Argentina seizes illicit cargo on US military plane-14 February 2011

Buenos Aires Herald-US gov’t releases docs detailing bilateral agreement in US plane case-14 February 2011