By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Clashes ensued on Thursday when Ledesma company employees were injured by tear gas and rubber bullets fired by the Jujuy police and military forces. Wmployees protested outside the Ledesma company compound—the largest sugar mill in Argentina located in the northern providence of Jujuy.

Ledesma employees are currently on strike and as union members they voted to protest against the company’s refusal to improve work conditions and to increase their salaries by 43%. They sought the salary increase in order to counter act depreciation caused by inflation. Approximately 250 workers were demonstrating in front of the Ledesma company compound when they were met by the company’s private security. An estimated 200 police officers and border guards were called to the area. Immediately the police riot squad began to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at the employees. The police separated protestors from one another and corralled about 80 employees within company grounds. Employees claim that the police prevented city ambulance from entering the area and treating the injured.

Following the clash images and video of the violence went viral on social media. Union leaders and lawmakers denounced the actions by the local police. Victoria Donda, the chair of the Human Rights Commission of the Lower House of Congress stated in a press release, “The institutional violence is incredible and unacceptable. These who are practicing their constitutional right to protest, shouldn’t have been repressed under any circumstance.” The Center for Legal and Social studies called upon the governor of the region, Gerardo Morales to prevent another situation similar to the repression endured by the employees from occurring. The Ledesma company released a statement in which they attempted to downplay the situation and claimed that the employees illegally trespassed onto their property.

Since the clash, unions and political activists in the region have joined the Ledesma company employees in solidarity and halted traffic on the National highway route 34. The union has announced more protests are to follow. Jujuy has been plagued by similar clashes between governmental forces and its citizens.

For more information, please see:

Politica Argentina—Brutal Repression en Jujuy Contra Una Protesta en Ingenio Ledesma—14 July 2015

Telesur—Policía Argentina Reprime a Trabajadores Azucareros en Jujuy—14 July 2015

Buenos Aires Herald—Force Used Against Workers’ Protest in Jujuy—15 July 2015

Los Andes—Represión Policial: 80 Trabajadores de Ledesma Heridos Durante una Protesta en Jujuy—15 July 2016

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela—The Venezuelan government opened the border between Colombia and Venezuela for 12 hours on Sunday after a group of women broke through the border the previous Tuesday to purchase food. Government officials have also announced the possibility of reopening the border between both nations again in the near future. Colombia and Venezuela are currently in negotiations and are planning to hold a summit.

Since August 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro shut 100 kilometers of the border between San Antonio del Tachira Venezuela and Cucuta Colombia. President Maduro’s reasoning for the border closure was to prevent crime—he claimed the area had been overtaken by gangs and Colombian paramilitaries. Since the closure, in addition to a severe economic downturn in Venezuela, many have been going hungry because there is no food to buy on market shelves.

The situation led 500 women on Tuesday to storm the border connected by the Simon Bolivar Bridge and enter Colombia. The women had organized through social media to gather at the border and cross into Colombia dressed in white. The women pushed past the national guard, bought basic supplies, asked the Colombian guards to let them back through and reentered Venezuela singing the national anthem.

The act by the women prompted the Venezuelan government to open the border on Sunday for 12 hours. Approximately 35,000 people crossed into Colombia crowding the markets to buy rice, oil, toilet paper, medicine and any other basic necessity.

Venezuela’s food scarcity continues to grow causing families, especially children, to go hungry. Venezuela relies largely on imports to feed the nation since it does not produce other goods to fabricate products. Venezuela’s main production and revenue stems from oil. A drop in oil prices globally has caused an economic crisis in the country. A shortage in revenue means that Venezuela cannot import the goods needed to keep markets stocked to feed its citizens. Some critics believe that this is partially the result of government mismanagement. The Venezuelan government says a war is being waged against it for its socialist policies.

For more information, please see:

The Guardian—Venezuelans Storm Colombia Border City in Search of Food and Basic Goods—5 July 2016

BBC—Venezuelan Women Push Past Border Controls for Food—6 July 2016

BBC—Venezuelans Cross into Colombia to buy Food—10 July 2016

TeleSur—Venezuela and Colombia Open Common Border for 12 hours—10 July 2016

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil—Impeached president Dilma Rousseff was found innocent of fiscal pedaling in an investigation conducted by government auditors in a 233 page report. Although she was found innocent of fiscal pedaling, the auditors did find that Dilma Rousseff signed three executive orders providing supplementary credit without the approval of Congress—a crime of fiscal responsibility.

The impeachment process against President Rousseff began when her administration was accused of making late payments from the treasury to the public banks, as well as hiding budget shortfalls. It is believed President Rousseff’s mishandling of the budget was part of an attempt to win re-election.

The impeachment proceedings  against President Rousseff are also closely related to the Petrobras investigation. Petrobras is an oil company that many political appointees and those within the private sector have used for fiscal pedaling.

The dual findings of the report have been leveraged by Rousseff’s supporters and her critics. The report is not the final word on the subject, the verdict will be announced the day before the close of the Rio 2016 Olympics. If she is indeed impeached, interim President Michel Temer will replace her permanently.

Currently, Rousseff is raising money through a crowd-fund created by her supporters since her government funds have been frozen. She is using the funds to campaign through out the country against the illegitimacy of the impeachment. In one day she raised $155,000 from supporters. She claims her impeachment was a cover for a coup led by opponents. Her claims of a coup have gained momentum these past few weeks through the release of leaked tape recordings in which opposition leaders were heard discussing obstructions in the Petrobras investigation. And this latest report by the auditors continues to bolster her claims.

The unstable political climate and the Petrobas scandal have led to a failing economy putting Brazil on the brink of an economic disaster. The debt in Brazil may increase by 10% within the year and about 11 million nationals are unemployed.

For more information, please see:

Forbes—Latest Brazil Study on Impeachment Unlikely to Save Dilma—June 27, 2016

Telesur—Senate Report Clears Rousseff of Budget Manipulation—27 June 2016

Folha de S. Paulo—Rousseff is Guilty of Decrees, but not Fiscal Pedaling, According to Investigation—28 June 2016

Business-Standard—Rousseff Raises Funds to Fight Impeachment—1 July 2016

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia— A historical bilateral ceasefire was signed on Thursday June 25th between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the Colombian state. After 52 years of fighting both parties have agreed to put down their arms—a step closer to final peace accords.

According to BBC, Farc leader Rodrigo Londono proclaimed, “let this be the last day of the war.” Although Farc previously committed to a unilateral ceasefire a year ago and the government has ceased its actions against Farc, this ceasefire officially puts an end to civil war.  At the signing on Thursday both parties agreed that FARC will put its arms down within 180 days of the final peace agreements, transition programs will be in place for the 7,000 FARC members which includes 23 temporary zones and 8 camps, civilians will not be allowed to enter FARC camps, and the United Nations will monitor and receive the weapons.

Although the details of the ceasefire implementation need to be approved, the signing on Thursday in Havana, Cuba is one step closer to closing a bloody chapter in Colombian history. Approximately 220,00 people were killed due to the conflict and millions have been displaced as a result. The civil war is one of the longest wars in history. Many Colombians poured out to the capital in Colombia to see this historic day as a nation. For many like Graciela Pataquiva, a retired school teacher has never seen peace, “I’m 76 and have lived this war all my life—I never thought the time would come when these characters would sign peace.”

FARC is the largest most powerful non-military organization in the western hemisphere. The organization was created in 1964 by farm workers and land workers against socio-economic inequalities, which the state responded against. FARC has had an estimated 20,000 fighters including children soldiers. Over the past few years FARC has lost funding, reduced in numbers, and lost key leaders which made this a pinnacle time to reach peace agreements.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Who Are the FARC? – 23 June 2016

NPR – Farc Reberls, Colombian Government Sign Cease-Fire Deal – 23 June 2016

REUTERS – Tears of joy as Rebels Sign Ceasefire With Colombian Government – 23 June 2016

BBC – Colombia Farc: Celebrations After Ceasefire Ends Five Decades of War – 24 June 2016

The Economist – Peace, at Last, in Colombia – 25 June 2016