By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Lima, Peru—The Indigenous community located at the basin of the Marañon River in the Amazon are protesting the latest oil spill in the district of Urarinas—the cost of damage has yet to be released. This is the tenth oil spill since January 2016 in the Amazon. The indigenous community began their protest on September 1st.

The latest protest was led by seven indigenous federations in the Northwest region of Peru by blocking the Marañon River, an important transportation route. The communities are demanding action from the Peruvian government. The communities are seeking an end to the contamination, an end to the oil spills, measures to protect the environment and compensation for those affected by the spills. They are also demanding an independent third party to monitor the area and the impact of oil extraction in the region. The community leaders known as the Apus released a letter addressed to the government stating, “we are carrying forward a just struggle to peacefully push a platform of fair social development that guarantees the right to a safe environment and water that sustains our people.”

Petroperu is the company overseeing the pipelines and oil extraction. The company has attributed the spills on third parties intentionally breaking the pipes. Petroperu released a statement after the most recent spill stating, “the people who are causing the spills to stop because you are putting the health of people in the area at risk as well as affecting the surrounding environment.”

The Apus, a day after the spill, have finally arrived to an agreement with the government to a meeting with the president of Peru Pablo Kuczynski or Prime Minister Fernando Zavala. The protestors will continue blocking the passage way until action is taken.

For more information, please see:

Telesur—Amazon Indigenous Block Peru River Traffic to Protest Oil Spill—14 November 2016.

Peru This Week—Tensions Rise in the Amazon—27 October 2016.

Telesur—Peru Officials to meet Indigenous Protesting Amazon Oil Spills—28 September 2016.

Peru Reports—Oil Spills Contaminate Major River in Peru’s Amazon—13 February 2016.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia—International NGOs, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and  Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), are voicing their concerns over the Colombian government’s nominees for military promotion. The nominees include five senior officials that have been linked to credible evidence demonstrating their implication in extrajudicial executions and abuses. They will not be promoted until the senate approves the promotion.

Human Rights Watch linked credible and convincing evidence of the nominees’ involvement in abuse, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of civilians during the civil war from the years 2002-2008. The killings are known as ‘False Positives,’ in which civilians were killed or forcibly disappeared in order to increase the reported number of guerrilla fighters killed during combat. The military followed this practice for promotions and benefits. José Miguel Vivanco, the HRW director of the Americas stated, “The Colombian Senate should review these promotions carefully and ensure that any officer against whom there is credible evidence of abuses is not promoted.” He continued by emphasizing, “Otherwise, it would reinforce the longstanding message that senior officers in Colombia can get away with murder.” In addition, HRW, has found that many of the brigades, led by the commanders in line for promotion, were involved a number of these killings. In these cases, the commander of the brigade “at least knew or should have known about the wrongful killings, and therefore may be criminally liable.”

WOLA expressed similar concerns earlier in the year by sending a letter to Colombian officials. Adam Isacson from WOLA stated, “Colombia is finally nearing an end to its decades-long armed conflict, and is holding more and more human rights abusers accountable, but promoting these officials without first letting the criminal justice system do its work would represent a setback.”

Colombia has in the past convicted an estimated 800 low-ranking army members involved in extrajudicial killings. Yet, Colombia has failed in prosecuting high level military officials—instead they have been promoted to higher military ranks.

For more information, please see:

Telesur—Colombia Criticized for Promoting Corrupt Army Generals—16 January 2016.

WOLA—Colombia Set to Promote Military Officers Linked to ‘False Positives’ Scandal, Other Abuses—14 January 2016.

Human Rights Watch—Colombia: Disqualify Criminal Suspects from Army Promotions—10 November 2016.

La Prensa—HRW Pide a Colombia ‘Frenar’ Ascenso de Militares por Ejecuciones Extrajudiciales—10 November 2016.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA—The United Nations demanded the release of Milagro Sala, an indigenous activist, claiming the Argentine government arbitrarily detained her.  Milagro Sala was detained on January 16, 2016 while protesting reforms implemented by Jujuy’s provincial government.

Milagro Sala was arrested for “inciting criminal acts” in connection to the protests she has led against the government, specifically her attempt to block roads around the municipal buildings in San Salvador de Jujuy. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention report identified “a system of consecutive accusations and court cases that maintain Sala’s detention indefinitely and violate judicial independence.” The report continues by stating that there is no legal justification for her detention and “it has not been demonstrated that there is a risk of escape or of obstruction of the investigation.” A judge had ruled for Sala’s release on January 29th, but three days before her release, she was charged with extortion, fraud, and conspiracy. In addition, the report claims that the State blocked her right to defense by not informing her of the charges or the crimes accused of.

The United Nations is demanding the immediate release of Sala and for an investigation of the violations of her rights. The UN has asserted her detention was based on her exercising her human rights.

Milagro Sala is the head of the 70,000 member Tupac Amaru organization, as well as a representative in Parlasur, the parliamentary institution of the Mercosur trade bloc for South America. Sala has protested against President Mauricio Macri’s government since he took office. Sala is his administration’s first political prisoner. She was a supporter of former President Cristina Fernandez, who was accused of mismanaging money by constructing lower income housing in Jujuy province.

Many in Argentina have protested President Macri’s cuts in education, jobs, revisions to the tax and tariff rate, and the expansion of privileges for commercial exporters at the cost of farmers.

For more information, please see:

The Argentina Independent—UN Work Group Demands Milagro Sala’s Release—28th October 2016.

Telesur—UN Demands Argentina release Indigenous Leader Milagro Sala—28 October 2016.

Washington Post—UN Panel Tells Argentina to Release Activist Milagro Sala—28 October 2016.

La Nacion—La Carta de Milagro Sala en la que Pidió Jurar Como Diputada de Parlasur Desde la Cárcel—03 November 2016.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Warning: this article contains graphic details

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA—Thousands poured out to the streets of Argentina, wearing black, demanding an end to violence against women. The protestors called it “Black Wednesday”—a movement sparked by the brutal death of 16-year old Lucia Perez.

According to various news outlets, Lucia Perez was abducted by three men outside her High School in Mar del Plata. The men held Lucia against her will, drugged her with large amounts of cocaine and marijuana, gang raped her, penetrated her with a wooden pole, causing her internal organs to bleed, and from the pain she went into cardiac arrest. The men washed her, changed her clothes, and took her to a medical facility stating she had overdosed on drugs. Upon inspection by the medical staff, it was apparent she had been sexually assaulted—Lucia died immediately upon arrival.

Maria Isabel Sanchez, lead prosecutor, stated: “I know it’s not very professional to say this, but I am a mother and a woman and I have seen a thousand things in my career, but never anything equal to this litany of abhorrent acts.”

As a response to the gruesome death of Lucia, Argentina mobilized to change the culture of machismo prevalent throughout the nation. Protestors held signs, “Ni Una Menos” which translates to “Not one less.” Protestors called upon Argentines to strike for an hour, “In your office, school, hospital, law court, newsroom, shop, factory, r wherever you are working, stop for an hour to demand, ‘no more machista violence.’” In solidarity, other countries joined in the movement by protesting, including Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

The Ni Una Menos organization announced that, “one woman is killed every 30 hours in Argentina for being a woman.” Supreme Court Judge, Elena Highton de Nolasco, told the media: “cases of femicide are growing in number, they are becoming more violent, more perverse- we even had the news today that there have been 19 femicides in the last 18 days.”

For more information, please see:

The Guardian—Argentina’s Women Joined Across South America in Marches Against Violence—19 October 2016.

The Washington Post: How A Schoolgirl’s Brutal Rape and Murder United the Women of Argentina—19 October 2016.

BBC—Argentine Women Strike After Fatal Rape of Teenage—20 October 2016.

CNN—Women Protest Rape, Killing of Teenage Girl in Argentina—20 October 2016.

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LIMA, PERU—On Friday, a farmer, Quintino Cerceda Huilca, was shot in the head and killed by police during a clash in the highland region of Apurimac. Congressman Richard Arce, who represents the region, confirmed the death caused by police officers attempting to clear the road.

An estimated 200 villagers protested the Chinese company, MMG Ltd’s $10-billion Las Bambas copper mine, for changing its environmental plan. The protestors had been blocking the road leading to Las Bambas copper mine for nearly a week. They were met by police dressed in riot gear. A community lawyer stated that about 21 to 34 local community members were injured, including some with bullet wounds. In addition to the injured, 12 protestors were arrested. Peru’s interior ministry released a statement claiming that they lamented the death of the farmer. The office also stated that 20 policemen were injured during the clash and the matter is under investigation. This was the first death related to a mining protest.

A community spokesman stated, “The community has never disagreed with the project. They are not anti-mining. The issue is that they cheated us, they lied to use. The ore was going to go through a pipeline, not trucks that are polluting the fields.” The remote community claims that an estimated 300 trucks pass through the area every day affecting their way of life, including their livestock. In addition, some of the demonstrators have stated that some of their communal land had been used without permission to construct a paved road leading to the mine.

Peru’s economy has grown within the past year due to copper production. La Bamba mine is expected to make Peru the second largest copper producer in the world. La Bamba alone produced 35,000 tonnes of copper in August.

Reuters—One Killed in Peru Protests Against Las Bambas Copper Mine—14 October 2016.

America Economia—Al Menos Una Persona Muere Durante Protesta Contra Minera de Cobre La Bambas en Peru—15 October 2016.

Peru Reports—Peru Police Kill Protester Near Las Bambas Copper Mine—15 October 2016.

TeleSur–Mining-Related Clash with Police Leaves One Dead in Peru—15 October 2016.