By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Lima, PERU—The Peruvian attorney general has issued an arrest warrant for the former president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, on charges of laundering assets. Prosecutors are accusing the former president of accepting $20 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company, Odebrecht.

Prosecutors claim that Mr. Toledo accepted bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for infrastructure contracts. These contracts included the right to build a highway extending from Brazil to Peru. It is believed that Mr. Toledo obtained the payments through Peruvian-Israeli businessman Josef Maiman, who is also being investigated. The Peruvian attorney general, Pablo Sánchez, has requested for the “precautionary imprisonment” of Mr. Toledo for 18 months during the investigation. Currently, Mr. Toledo is in Paris, France and has told the media he is innocent of the accusations. He stated, “Say when, how and where and in what bank they’ve given me $20 million.” Mr. Toledo is set to travel to Stanford where he is a visiting scholar but is willing to travel to Peru as long as he is given a fair trial.

Odebrecht has been involved in similar scandals in the region that involved the Brazilian government and the administration of ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In addition, the CEO of Odebrecht was sentenced to 19 years of prison for corruption and money laundering charges. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Odebrecht had created a department within its company dedicated to bribing international government officials in exchange for public works contracts.

Mr. Toledo was president of Peru from 2001 to 2006 and rose to power after protests toppled his predecessor, Alberto K. Fujimori, who is currently serving time in prison.

For more information, please see:

ABC News—Peru Attorney General Seeks Arrest of Ex-President Toledo—7 February 2017.

New York Times—Corruption Scandal Ensnares Leaders of Peru and Colombia—7 February 2017.

Wall Street Journal—Peru Seeks Detention of Ex-President Alejandro Toledo—7 February 2017.

BBC—Peru’s ex-President Alejandro Toledo Denies Taking Bribes—6 February 2017.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Buenos Aires, Argentina—The Judicial System of Argentina has decided to send Diana Sacayán’s murder case to trial. Diana Sacayán was an activist and transgender leader murdered in 2015.

Diana Sacayán was murdered by Gabriel David Marino and Felix Alberto Ruiz. They stabbed Ms. Sacayán in her apartment in Buenos Aires thirteen times, and her body showed signs of violence. Both Mr. Marino and Mr. Ruiz are accused of aggravated murder and gender violence. The same weekend Ms. Sacayán was murdered, she was set to participate in the National Women’s Conference. Ms. Sacayán was the leader of the International Association of Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals, as well as the leader of the Antidiscrimination Liberation Movement. Upon her death, both the president of Argentina and Amnesty International expressed their concern over the murder. Amnesty International Director of Argentina, Mariela Belski, stated, “A dark cloud has set over Argentina’s trans community, unless this latest wave of murders is effectively investigated and those responsible are taken to justice, a message will be sent that attacking trans women is actually ok.”

Prosecutor, Matías Di Lello, and prosecutor of crimes against women, Mariela Labozzeta, submitted the request for trial. They believe there is sufficient evidence that the murder of Ms. Sacayán should be treated as a hate crime and femicide.

The same month Ms. Sacayán was murdered, two other transgender women, Marcela Chocobar and Coty Olmos, were also murdered. The wave of murders within the transgender community is not the first of its kind. Latin America accounts for a significant percentage of all transgender deaths in the world. Statistics from January 2008 and December 2014 demonstrated that seventy-eight percent of the 1,731 reported murders of transgender and gender-diverse people occurred in Latin America.

For more information, please see:

El Diario—El Crimen de Diana Sacayan Ira a Juicio Oral—01 February 2017.

TeleSur—Argentina Ordena Juicio Oral Por Asesinato de Lider Transexual—01 February 2017.

BBC—Argentina Transgender Killings Spark Outcry—15 October 2015.

Amnesty International—Argentina Must Investigate Horrific Wave of Attacks Against Trans Activists—14 October 2015.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA—Former Farc member, Hector Arboledo Albeidis Buitrago, a Spanish national, is accused of carrying out three-hundred forced abortions on female FARC fighters. Buitrago was arrested in Madrid Spain in 2015. Spanish officials have agreed to extradite Buitrago to face trial in Colombia at the request of the Colombian Justice Ministers.

Buitrago had been working as a nurse in Colombia where, with no medical training, he performed illegal abortions on women fighters, including an estimated fifty juvenile girls. A majority of the pregnancies were the result of rape by other FARC fighters. The abortions occurred between 1998 and 2000. His arrest came after a formal investigation related to 150 cases of forced abortions. Colombian prosecutors claim that Buitrago took part in most of the abortions. Lead prosecutor, attorney general Eduardo Montealegre, stated that “there was evidence that FARC fighters used forced abortions to avoid losing female fighters ‘as an instrument of war.’” FARC has denied these accusations. In Colombia, Buitrago was known as ‘The Nurse.’ Buitrago is facing charges of murder, attempted murder, abortion without consent.

According to the women forced to have these abortions, they were “carried out in filthy conditions, with no medication, on women who were often in their final months of pregnancy.” Another woman stated that “she had been forced to have five abortions [because] women in that organization were expected to fight, and those who were allowed to have babies considered themselves lucky.” Prosecutors believe these women should have been protected and relieved from fighting during their pregnancies.

A date of extradition has not been revealed.

For more information, please see:

BBC—Colombia: Spain Agrees to Extradite Farc ‘Abortions Nurse’—28 January 2017.

International Business Times—Spain Agrees to Extradite Former Farc ‘Abortions Nurse’ to Colombia—28 January 2017.

The Guardian—Spain Arrests Man Known as ‘The Nurse’ for Forced Abortions on Colombia Rebels—13 December 2015.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 CARACAS, VENEZUELA—The Venezuelan government released several political prisoners from the Helicoide prison. Among the political prisoners released included former opposition presidential candidate. The release of the prisoners comes as talks mediated by the Vatican continue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition.

The political prisoners released included former 2006 opposition presidential candidate Manuel Rosales who was detained and imprisoned in October 2015 for illicit enrichment upon his return from exile in Peru. He is the leader of the Venezuelan political party “A New Era.” Mr. Rosales will continue in house arrest until trial. In addition to his release five other activists belonging to the opposition were released. The prisoners included, Nixón Leal, Yeimi Varela, Skarlyn Duarte, Gerardo Carrero and Ángel Contrera who were all detained during a violent barricade protest in 2014. The released prisoners will not be able to leave Venezuela and will report to a parole officer. Furthermore, opposition journalist and owner of Venezuelan media outlet “6 to Poder”, Leocenis García was released after being detained in 2013 for tax fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.

Their release comes after the opposition demanded the Venezuelan government to release political prisoners. The opposition claimed that they will not attend the following mediation talks on January 13 until 100 political prisoners are released and a new board to the government-controlled electoral council is put in place. Alfredo Romero, executive director of Foro Penal, a group that defends jailed activist stated, “Without a doubt, Venezuela is living a deep social crisis and these releases in some way are an escape valve that takes some pressure, especially international, off Maduro. But it is important to remember that in 2016 there 55 people jailed and only 43 released.”

Most recently, ex- Venezuelan Prisoner, Francisco Marquez, was released in October 2016 after being detained on his way to obtain signatures for the recall referendum against president Maduro. He stated that “people need to know that Venezuela is a country that systematically tortures its political and common prisoners.” He recounted his time in prison, although he was never tortured, he recounted the torture of other prisoners.

For more information, please see:

NBC News—Ex-Venezuela Political Prisoner Still Raining Voice for Others’ Freedom—06 January 2017.

Venezuela Analysis—Former Opposition Presidential Candidate Freed in Venezuela—02 January 2017.

USA Today—Venezuela Frees Jailed Activists, Ex-Presidential Candidate—31 December 2016.