By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil — The Guarani-Kaiowa indigenous group of Mato Grasso de Sul reported being attacked by a group of men this week. About 30 armed men drove into the group’s territory and began shooting. The Guarani-Kaiowa fled into the woods to hide, and said that the men came back to shoot again in the evening.

 

Tensions between the indigenous group and local ranchers began after about 1,000 members of the Guarani-Kaiowa occupied five ranches on August 22, in an offensive to take back their ancestral lands. A number of hostages were taken, but were later released.

Last week, the ranchers launched their own offensive to take back the land, killing indigenous leader Semião Vilhalva. The offensive pushed the Guarani-Kaiowa out of the ranches and cornered them back into a small area of land. Rancher-hired gunmen are reported to be patrolling the area.

They group has appealed to the Brazilian government for assistance, saying that the gunmen are preventing them from burying Vilhalva on their ancestral land.

Indigenous persons led protests in Brasilia following Vilhalva’s death.

Brazilian Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo condemned the killing. He has travelled to the region with a high-level delegation. Members include the director-general of the Federal Police and the president of government’s Indian agency. Federal troops have also been sent to the area.

There is a long standing history of fighting between the indigenous populations of the area and the ranchers. According to the Indigenous Missionary Council, there were 138 murders of indigenous persons in 2014 alone.

The ranches were located in an area which had been designated as indigenous territory, but the ranchers recently obtained an injunction suspending the process. The Brazilian Constitution required that all indigenous territory be mapped out and returned by 1993, but that promise has gone largely unfulfilled.

The United Nation’s expert on indigenous populations, Victoria Tauli-Corpez, called for a stop to the violence and for protection for the Guarani-Kaiowa.

For more information, please see:

Intercontinental Cry – Indigenous Brazilian Broadcasts Urgent Plea for Help – 2 September 2015

The Ecologist – Brazil: Guarani man murdered by ranchers’ gunmen – 2 September 2015

Yahoo News – Tensions mount over death of Brazil indigenous leader – 2 September 2015

BBC – Brazil indigenous leader’s killing raises tension – 3 September 2015

BBC – Brazil indigenous group Guarani-Kaiowa ‘attacked’ – 6 September 2015

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The Argentinian organization Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo) have found their 117^th grandchild. DNA testing confirmed the identification of the daughter of Walter Dominguez and Gladys Castro, who was born in police custody in 1978. The couple had been arrested in the dead of night when Gladys was six months pregnant.

The child was given to civilians with close ties to the military. There were reports of a child “mysteriously appearing” in the home of the couple at the height of the dictatorship.

The woman is one of the “stolen children”, who were taken from their parents (usually communists and other dissidents) during Argentina’s “Dirty War.” During the period from 1976 to 1983, as many as 30,000 people were “disappeared” by the military dictatorship.

Many of the children taken were born to parents while they were imprisoned or disappeared. A number of the children were born after their mothers were raped in prison.

After the children were taken, they were adopted by military families, members of the police forces and wealthy families that supported the dictatorship. The policy was part of the official “Process of National Reorganization.”

It is thought that over 400 children were taken from their parents during the implementation of the policy.

The Abuelas were founded in 1977 by a group of grandmothers searching for their stolen grandchildren and they are well respected for their work and determination in Argentina. They work to identify children by combing through adoption records and tracking families who suddenly adopted a child during the dictatorship. Much of their success is due to their work with Mary-Claire King, an American geneticist. King uses mitochondrial DNA, which is passed on by the mother, to match missing children to maternal grandmothers in situations where the mother is no longer living.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Argentina ‘stolen child’ abducted in 1978 found – 1 September 2015

TeleSur – Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo Identify Grandchild Number 117 – 1 September 2015

UPI – Child stolen during Argentina’s military dictatorship found – 1 September 2015

Smithsonian – Argentina Grandmothers are using DNA to track down stolen children – 3 September 2015

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia — A border dispute between Venezuela and Colombia has forced hundreds of Colombians living in Venezuela out of their homes, and over the border into Colombia. Civilians living in the border region have reported that Venezuela National Guard forces have thrown people out of their homes, and in some cases have demolished houses belonging to Colombian migrants.

A firefight between Venezuelan forces and smugglers injured a number of forces, and caused President Nicolas Maduro to order the closing of several border crossings to Colombia. He also declared a state of emergency in six western cities along the border, suspending a number of constitutional rights. The suspension allows the National Guard to search homes and businesses without a warrant.

Maduro cited concerns of increased instances of smuggling and paramilitary activity in Colombia for the closures.  Since the closing over 6,000 Colombians have left Venezuela – 1,000 were deported and another 5,000 left voluntarily.

Talks between the foreign ministers of the two nations failed to produce any results. Maduro said that he would not open the border until the Colombian government “regained its sanity” and did more to protect the border.

Some have accused Maduro of prolonging the dispute to detract attention from the country’s economic issues.

Civilians have been using the Tachira River, which divides Venezuela from Colombia, to flee the country.  The Colombian government has mobilized disaster relief resources to provide aid to those coming into the country.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has recalled the ambassador to Venezuela after his request to send an ombudsman to observe the human rights situation in the border city of San Antonio del Tachira order was denied. He also called for an emergency meeting of the Union of South American Nations and the Organization of American States.

Santos’s handling of the border crisis has been heavily criticized by opposition leader Alvaro Uribe, saying that Santos has done nothing to counter Maduro’s aggression.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the two countries to work to resolve the crises, reminding them of their obligations under international law. “We urge the Venezuelan authorities to ensure that the human rights of all affected individuals are fully respected, particularly in the context of any deportations,” said Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the Commissioner.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Colombians leave Venezuela in droves over border crisis – 26 August 2015

Business Insider – ‘I lost everything overnight’: Colombians are fleeing Venezuela with all of their possessions amid border crackdown – 26 August 2015

Reuters – Distraught Colombians flee Venezuela as border dispute intensifies – 26 August 2015

The Guardian – Colombia and Venezuela recall ambassadors amid border crisis – 28 August 2015

The Washington Post – Venezuelans to rally in support of closing Colombian border – 28 August 2015

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASALIA, Brazil – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is struggling to maintain support amidst calls for her resignation following the conviction of Petrobras officials for organizing bribes to members of the Brazilian government in exchange for Korean contracts, paid out in funds stolen from the indebted oil company. Both the senate and the lower house are being investigated in the wake of the kickback scandal.

Rousseff served as chairwoman of Petrobras’ board in 2010, before her election to president and at the height of the kickbacks. Although she has officially been exonerated, many insist that she had to have had knowledge of the scheme. She has also been accused of receiving illegal contributions for her campaign, and that her government has misused state money to cover budget gaps.

President Rousseff has insisted that she will not resign.

Brazilians in past days have taken to the streets in protests, with many calling for the impeachment of President Rousseff. Protests drew thousands in Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Copacabana beach in Rio. The latest numbers list nation-wide support for the President to be as low as single digits (about 8 percent). Two out of three Brazilians surveyed think that Rousseff should be impeached, and her approval rating is currently the lowest of any Brazilian president since the end of military rule.

Protesters calling for impeachment do so despite the almost guaranteed instability that would follow. Pedro Lopes Siqueira, a public servant from Rio participating in the protests told the New York Times: “Impeachment would be momentarily destabilizing, but it’s allowed in the Constitution, and it needs to happen.

Some have even declared that they would welcome a military intervention as opposed to what is perceived by some as a highly corrupt government. Brazil recently celebrated 30 years since the end of the military dictatorship in March of this year.

This comes at a time where the Brazilian economy is struggling due to uncertainty and political corruption. Moody’s Investors Service reported that the Brazilian economy will contract about 2 percent this year. Businesses from motor vehicle manufacturers to small businesses and family owned restaurants have felt the effects of the economic downturn.

Business owners around the country have expressed concern regarding the potential repercussions if Rousseff is impeached – which will likely include a period of economic instability. Although business leaders and Rousseff historically have a rocky relationship, many have come out as unlikely allies of the president. “An impeachment is a traumatic affair that affects the political and business arena at a time when Brazil is struggling to regain its credibility abroad,” according to Alencar Burti, president of the Sao Paulo state Federation of Chambers of Commerce. The group represents 200,000 business owners in the area. They would be more in favor of some sort of economic deal.

Industrial groups and the media have also called for a deal to ensure stability.

 

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Protests Across Brazil raise Pressure on President Dilma Rousseff – 16 August 2015

BBC – Brazilian protesters call for President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment – 17 August 2015

Bloomberg Business – Brazil’s Political Crisis Puts the Entire Economy on Hold – 17 August 2015

The Guardian UK – Former Petrobras executive sentenced over alleged congressional bribe – 17 August 2015

Reuters – RPT – Big business could help Brazilian president survive political storms – 18 August 2015

By Kaitlyn Degnan,
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

QUITO, Ecuador — Indigenous groups in Ecuador pretested against President Rafael Correra and his policies on Thursday. Thousands marched to Quito to support demands of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie).

In Guayaquil, protesters gathered at the Plaza del Centenario and chanted against the government: “Yes to democracy, no to dictatorship.”

Indigenous activists, doctors, union workers and retirees led protests across Ecuador. Other government opponents joined in the protests as part of a national strike. Protesters blocked several highways around the country with rocks, trees and burning tires.

The marches were one of the largest demonstrations against Correra’s government yet. The protesters called out President Correra for failing to deliver on promised social programs and income equality. Indigenous populations had previously been major supporters of Correra.

President Correra spoke out against the protests in a twitter post: “They’re hurting the country, not the government. We cannot be submitted to the abuse of an absolute minority.” Correa said that that his fiscal reforms would help wealth distribution.

During the protests Correra celebrated the “Festival of Youth and Joy in Independence Plaza in Quito, expressing confidence that the protests would have little effect on his government and policies.

For the most part the protests were peaceful, though a handful of scuffles did break out in some areas. Demonstrators clashed with police using rocks and sticks. There were 47 protesters arrested, mostly in Quito, and 67 police officers were injured throughout the country.

The protesters list of demands include a rollback on proposed changes to the constitution, a halt to mining concessions, and the stoppage of negotiations for free trade with the European Union.

Ecuador has recently experienced and economic slowdown, partially the result of the falloff crude oil prices. Standard & Poor lowered Ecuador’s sovereign credit to B from B+ due to tension between Correra and the people.

 

For more information, please see:

REUTERS – Ecuadorian union leaders, indigenous block roads in Correra protest – 13 August 2015

Wall Street Journal – Ecuador Native Groups, Opponents Strike Against President Correra – 13 August 2015

EuroNews – Indigenous communities lead anti-government protests in Ecuador – 14 August 2015

PanAm Post – Correra sings while Ecuador erupts in protest – 14 August 2015

Yahoo News – Ecuador protest left 67 police injured, 47 arrested – 14 August 2015