By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – On July 15, Argentina became just the tenth nation in the entire world, and the first in Latin America, to legalize gay marriage.  Legislators, backed by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, passed the same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 33-27 in the Senate after a 14 hour debate.  The Senate’s vote comes about a month after the marriage equality bill was passed by Argentina’s lower legislative house, the Chamber of Deputies.

The bill will allow gay and lesbian couples the same marriage responsibilities and protections that heterosexuals are afforded.  In addition to marriage equality, the bill will also offer homosexual couples the same adoption and social security rights as heterosexual couples.

While on a visit to China, President Fernandez de Kirchner said, “It’s a positive step which defends the rights of minorities in Argentina.”

The Catholic Church was among the most outspoken leaders of the public campaign against the bill, going as far as to sanction clerics who supported the bill.  Buenos Aires’ archbishop described the bill as “a plan to destroy God’s plan” and a move to “deceive the children of God.”  Although 90 percent of people living in Argentina describe themselves as Catholic, the bill was met with public support.

Norma Morandini, a member of President Fernandez de Kirchner’s party, compared Argentina’s discrimination of gays to the cruelty of past dictators, saying “what defines us is our humanity, and what runs against humanity is intolerance.”

News of the bill’s passing has spurred public outcry for other Latin American countries to follow suit and legalize gay marriage.  Ratified in 1999, Venezuela has what many people consider as one of the most progressive constitutions in the world.  Currently, the Venezuelan Government is embroiled in a public war of words with the Catholic Church in an effort to limit the conservative institution’s role in politics.  Many believe that pushing forward with a same-sex marriage bill similar to Argentina’s would challenge the conservative establishment.

Argentina’s first legal gay marriage is set to be held on August 13 between Ernesto Rodriguez Larrese and Alejandro Vanelli.  Maria Rachid, who leads the Argentine Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual Federation, said she expected around 100 same-sex couples to wed around the same date.

For more information, please see:

Toward Freedom – Venezuela Should Follow Argentina’s Example on Gay Rights – 20 July 2010

People’s World – In Landmark Vote Argentina Legalizes Same-sex Marriage – 19 July 2010

AFP – First Gay Marriage in Argentina Set for August 13 – 16 July 2010

CNN – Argentina Legalizes Same-sex Marriage – 15 July 2010

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil—A conference on issues affecting women in Latin America and the Caribbean was held this week in Brazil with hopes of achieving equality between men and women.  Members called on regional governments to ensure women’s autonomy and economic empowerment.

The eleventh session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean was organized by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).  Over 800 delegates were present, representing more than 30 nations.  The theme chosen for the conference was “What kind of State?  What kind of equality?”

ECLAC presented a position paper, the Brasilia Consensus, detailing past accomplishments and future challenges in the realm of gender equality.  The document announced that women in Latin America and the Caribbean are burdened by a heavier overall workload than men, much of which is unpaid domestic labor.  Women in the workplace are still discriminated against and receive lower wages than their male counterparts.  The paper proposed a social covenant that would balance workloads more evenly between men and women and facilitate women’s access to paid jobs.

“It will not be possible to achieve equality for women in the workplace until the burden of unpaid and care work, which they have historically shouldered, has been resolved,” said ECLAC’s executive secretary, Alicia Barcena.  “This calls for the establishment of a new virtuous equation that encompasses the State, the market and the family.”

ECLAC’s data from 2008 reports that 31.6% of women over age 15 —but only 10.4% of men– had no income of their own.  8.3% of women were unemployed, while only  5.7% of men were in similar circumstances.

Other goals mentioned in the Brasilia Consensus included women’s increased participation in political processes, access to new technologies, and the elimination of all violence against women.  For women suffering as victims of violence, the Consensus demanded justice and free legal assistance.

Members of the conference promised solidarity with earthquake-ravaged Haiti and Chile, agreeing to aid in reconstruction and work for gender equality in those countries.

A delegation from the conference was received Wednesday by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and handed the Brazilian leader a copy of the Brasilia Consensus.  The same day, the new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women was introduced.

For more information, please see:

CRI English-“Brasilia Consensus” Calls for Women’s Rights-17 July 2010

Jamaica Observer-Caribbean women still getting raw deal in labour market-16 July 2010

Unifem-Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean Calls for New Social Covenant to Achieve Equality in the Workplace-16 July 2010

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – According to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian military killed nine rebels in a fierce battle on Monday in the southern part of Caqueta, in the Amazonian region. 

Colombian officials stated that the Colombian Air Force and Joint Task Force OMEGA located a rebel camp run by Rodolfo Atanas and took action.  During the attack, Colombian armed forces seized a 60 mm mortar, guns and radio communication equipment.

This attack comes on the heels of another attack on a rebel camp on Sunday, which occurred in the central state of Tolima and claimed the lives of 12 rebels. 

In what proved to be a bloody day in Colombia’s constant fight against guerrilla groups, ten Colombian soldiers were also killed Sunday in a separate battle with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the Arauca state in northeastern Colombia.  The FARC, Colombia’s largest rebel group, is said to have 8,000 fighters.

According to President Uribe’s website, a female rebel leader known as “Maryeri” was among those killed on Sunday.  Maryeri is said to be responsible for as many as 70 Colombian soldiers’ deaths spanning the past eight years.  Additionally, the rebel group targeted on Sunday is responsible for more than 30 attacks in the Tolima area over the past two years.

In Arauca state, Colombian soldiers approached members of the rebel group as the guerrillas were attempting to blow up an electric plant.  When the rebels spotted the Colombian military, a gun fight broke out, killing ten Colombian military officials.

The Colombian government has been battling the FARC, as well as other paramilitary rebel groups, since the mid-1960’s.  Many of these groups use the drug trade, as well as extortion, to finance their activities.  The FARC also routinely capture people and holds them hostage in exchange for ransom.  In March, the FARC released one hostage and in June, Colombian officials successfully rescued four additional hostages.

The FARC appears to be stepping up activities with the approach of the August 7 presidential inauguration of former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santo.  The weekend’s clashes between Colombian security forces and rebels left a total of 31 people dead. However, it is being hailed as a significant blow to the FARC’s southern bloc.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Colombian Army Kills 12 FARC Rebels, president says – 12 June 2010

Colombia Reports – Army Kills 9 FARC guerrillas in Caqueta – 12 June 2010

Latin American Herald Tribune – Colombian Troops Kill 9 Rebels – 11 June 2010

By Ricardo Zamora
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – President-elect, former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos, may be taking the high office in August, replacing the popular Alvaro Uribe, as the UN vows to investigate Santos’ and Uribe’s involvement in many civilian deaths.
 
Santos, as defense minister in the Uribe administration from 2006–2009, was in charge of the Colombian military during the height of its alleged “false positives” policy of murdering civilians. Army units allegedly killed civilians to give a false representation of combat fatalities during armed encounters against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
 
One of Santos’ primary responsibilities included leading Uribe’s mission to rid Colombia of the FARC in an effort to restore peace and security. The mission was a success insofar as it forced FARC out of urban areas and into the jungles, reducing the number of kidnapping and killings in the cities.  Colombia praised Uribe for his efforts and many even consider him “the man who saved Colombia.”
 
However, many families of missing individuals notified human rights organizations with concerns over the reasons for their disappearance and alleged that military gains over FARC were being boosted by what became known as “false positive” killings of innocent civilians.
 
Investigations following those allegations resulted in the removal of the chief of the Colombian military and 27 other officers. Santos, however, kept his post and maintains that the killings were not ordered by the government but acts committed by individual soldiers.

UN investigators openly challenge Santos’ account and believe that while the Colombian government has taken steps to prevent such killings, over 98% of the deaths remain unpunished.
 
The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Philip Alston, wrote in a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council last month that “[t]here have been too many killings of a similar nature to characterize them as isolated incidents carried out by individual rogue soldiers or units, or bad apples. Soldiers simply knew that they could get away with murder, he added.
 
Uribe, taking a slightly different approach than Santos has argued that the use of all necessary force to combat FARC was worth it.  He claims that the ends justified the means.
 
Human rights and UN officials are apprehensive about Santos’ ascent to the Presidency. Having been the head of Uribe’s FARC offensive in the past, he is likely to continue on the same course and time will only tell if the unjustified killings continue, and whether those responsible for past killings are brought to justice.

For more information, please see:

Guardian.Co.UK – Juan Manuel Santos Wins Colombia Presidential Election – 21 June 2010

BBC – Challenges Ahead For Colombia’s President-elect Santos – 21 June 2010

Deutsche Welle – Colombia’s New President Faces Awkward Questions – 12 June 2010

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay—A prison fire killed twelve people and injured eight early Thursday morning in Uruguay.  Three of the victims are in critical condition.  The deadly fire is considered one of the worst prison tragedies in the country.

According to a report by the Ultimas Noticias newspaper, the blaze began in Rocha Prison around 3:30 a.m. in Wing No. 2.  Mattresses, blankets, and wooden beds were quickly engulfed in flames, and gave off toxic smoke that damaged victims’ lungs.

“We’ve practically ruled out the possibility that this was an intentional blaze,” Deputy Police Chief Celso Sosa told the Buenos Aires Herald.  “Initial information tells us it may have been started by a short-circuit or by a piece of clothing catching fire on one of the heaters.”

Rocha Prison was designed to hold 60 inmates, but 120 are packed inside its walls.  Prison Commissioner Alvaro Garce told The Associated Press that such overcrowding is typical of Uruguay’s 28 prisons.

On Tuesday, President Mujica lamented poor prison conditions, stating, “Clearly, the growth of the prison population in recent years has caused overcrowding that goes against human rights.  How can we speak of rehabilitation if we have all kinds of inmates housed together and the better part of our prisons have become places where people are piled up?”

Mujica is no stranger to Uruguay’s prisons.  He was once a leftist guerrilla who escaped twice from prison during the country’s dictatorship.  Mujica wants to increase the military’s role in prisons and plans to send 600 troops to guard and regulate prison security.

An investigation will look into complaints that prison officials were slow to react to the fire.  The father of one victim blames the officials for the disaster, citing their “negligence.”  Ruben Cardoso, the father of a prisoner named Fernando, told CNN, “When the fire broke out, they delayed too much in opening the door.  If they had opened the first two locks, all the prisoners would have gotten out.”  When Cardoso last saw him, Fernando expressed fears about living in the prison.

Lethal fires are common in Uruguay’s overcrowded prisons.  Last August, five inmates perished as a result of a similar disaster, and two were killed in a different incident last December.  The UN has pressured the government to increase safety in the country’s prisons.

Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi admitted that Uruguay’s prisons are in a “critical situation” and noted that the government had previously considered an emergency law to improve conditions in facilities.

The Uruguayan government is debating whether to build nine new detention centers, renovate jails, and hire 1,500 new employees to work inside the nation’s prisons.

For more information, please see:

CNN-Uruguay officials to investigate deadly prison fire-9 July 2010

Press TV-Uruguay prison fire kills twelve-9 July 2010

AP-12 inmates die in Uruguay prison fire-8 July 2010