By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – The Colombian government rejected on Tuesday the FARCs request for a debate on freedom of information in exchange for the release of French journalist Romeo Langlois. Langlois was taken hostage on April 28 while documenting  counter-narcotics operations in Colombia for the news network France 24. He was kidnapped when the plantoon he was with came under fire.

The FARC, unsatisfied with the way they have been portrayed by the media, demanded on Monday that the Colombian government hold a debate on the role of the press in covering the armed conflict in the Andean nation. They posted their demand on the Sweden-based Anncol news agency where they frequently post as a way to communicate with the government. The FARC has accused the Colombian government of manipulating the way journalists have bent public opinion against them.

Amnesty International and Inter American Press Association responded to the FARC’s by demanding that they release Langlois without any conditions. “Langlois must be released immediately without any conditions and measures should be taken to ensure that all journalists in Colombia can carry out their work freely,” they said in a statement on Tuesday.

Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told reporters on Tuesday that the Colombian government will not negotiate with criminal groups such as the FARC which has carried out countless criminal acts through out the years. “No way will we engage in any kind of debate. … They must free him as soon as possible,” he said.

The FARC has called Langlois a “prisoner of war” on their YouTube channel. Pinzon says that they cannot call him a prisoner of war because he was just doing his job as a journalist.

According to Pinzon, the Colombian government has been in contact with the diplomats from the French Embassy to discuss plans for Langlois’ immediate release since the kidnapping. He says, however, that no rescue operations have been launched yet.

Despite some setbacks in the recent years, the FARC remains the number one threat to the Colombia government, with roughly 8,000 rebels still fighting. They are widely known for drug trafficking and deadly kidnappings. In February, the FARC announced that they would stop taking hostages for ransom, however, they claim that they never agreed to stop kidnapping for political means to pressure the Colombian government.

By Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LA PAZ, Bolivia – Public workers, including teachers and health service providers, throughout Bolivia continue to strike in protest of the recent passage of Supreme Decree 1126.  The newly-passed decree mandates that the previous 6-hour work day be increased to an 8-hour work day, with no increase in salary, for those in the public sector.

The strike began on March 28, and just last week, a number of the groups began hunger strikes.  News sources in Bolivia report that close to 500 workers have joined in on the national hunger strikes.  Saúl Azcárraga, the leader of the Federation of Urban Teachers expressed the hunger strikers stance from a small school room in La Paz.

“Not a single drop of water nor food will enter their room. We assume this measure because in 2010 the government signed an agreement about salaries and hours but is not honoring the agreement,” Azcárraga said.

Rural teachers in Bolivia currently make almost twice the amount of an urban teacher.  In 2010 the Morale’s administration agreed to work to equalize pay rates progressively; but almost no steps to achieve this were taken.

Medical workers in state facilities echo similar concerns.  They are outraged over the labour reforms by President Evo Morales because they violate earlier agreements made in the 1970s that established this 6-hour day for them.  Currently, Bolivian public sector doctors make roughly $200 a week, receive no benefits, no pension, and no overtime pay.

President for the Committee of Doctors on Strike, Francisco Sanchez, emphasized that those in the medical profession have previously asked and presented reasonable arguments for their incorporation into the General Labour Act.  Each time the government refuses to listen.

“We workers have always said that we do not agree to work eight hours of the working day . . . . Unfortunately, the authorities do not take this request seriously, or the arguments we give them. For this reason, in a situation of despair, not knowing what else to do, we have taken this extreme measure, the hunger strike, to raise awareness in front of the authorities,” said Sanchez.

Juan Carlos Calvimontes, the Minister of Health, maintains that the strike is “illegal.”  Calvimontes is calling for the docking of doctors pay during the time that they are on strike.  On March 31 the protestors hosted a “White Apron” March through downtown La Paz and burned an effigy of Calvimontes while calling for a repeal of the decree.

President Morales expressed his unwillingness to consider revoking the decree in a conference held on Tuesday last week.  Morales said that the decree was not his own initiative but one proposed at the Plurinational Social Meeting and supported by the Bolivian people.

On Tuesday, Morales emphasized the government’s firm stance that any worker’s who choose to strike are acting illegally.  Morales also announced that workers will have their pay reduced for each day that they take to the streets in protest.

“[A] day worked, a day paid, he who doesn’t work does not get paid,” said Morales.

 

For more information, please see;

NTN24 News – More Than 500 Public Workers Join Bolivian Hunger Strike – 19 April 2012

Bolivia Weekly – Striking Medical Workers Will Get no Pay – 18 April 2012

Bolivia Weekly – Doctors and Teachers on Strike – 17 April 2012

Latino Life – Bolivia: Doctors and Teachers go on Strike – 16 April 2012

World Socialist Web Site – Bolivian Doctors and Health Workers Strike, Demonstrate Against Decree – 3 April 2012

 

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – As the 30 year anniversary of the Falklands war passes by, new tensions are brewing in the island community.  Argentina’s President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is still asserting an Argentine claim over the archipelago, which goes against the current British governance that exists.

The 74-day war, for control of the Falklands, took place between Britain and Argentina from April to June of 1982.  The war was brief but very violent; with 649 Argentinian soldiers being killed and 225 British soldiers.

A recent class action lawsuit was started by conscripted Argentine soldiers who fought in the Malvinas (what the Argentines refer to the Falklands as).  Led by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, the suit claims that human rights violations were committed by the Argentinian military commanders.  Over 100 ex-soldiers are now part of the suit.

During the first week in April, the case made an Amicus Curiae presentation before the Argentine Supreme Court at the Tribunals Palace in Buenos Aires.  Criminal Chamber Prosecutor, Javier de Luca asked that the court rule on whether the claims of torture and other abuses practiced on conscripted soldiers could be called war crimes.

The claims include stories of beatings, lack of food, psychological punishments and even being staked to the ground.  Rubén Gleriano, one of the conscripted soldiers who is part of the suit, recalls that on May 27, 1982, he was caught stealing food.  Gleriano says that he stole because he was starving.  The only food he had received in the past two days was a chocolate bar on May 25, as a celebration of Argentina’s national day.

The punishment inflicted on Gleriano for this was staking him to the ground for a period of ten hours, from 4pm until 2am the next morning.  The night was freezing cold and Gleriano almost died from hypothermia that night.  He did not regain consciousness until 2 days after his fellow soldiers were able to sneak out and take him down from the stake.

Similar stories are repeated by the other conscripted soldiers who were forced to fight for Argentina.  Rations were rarely provided, often soldiers were given a days worth of food and told they had to make it last for a week.  Suitable clothing to protect against the cold was never provided and half of the weapons given to soldiers were not functioning.

Following the war, studies show that roughly 400 Argentine veterans have committed suicide.  Soldiers who were released from their conscription were forced to sign a silence agreement that banned them from recounting the stories they had of the war, even to their own families.  It is only recently that a true picture of the Falklands/Malvinas war has emerged.  Much of this is attributed to the fact that the war was a point of embarrassment, something that Argentina wanted to cover up.  Additionally, the acts were done during a brutal military dictatorship, something which the current government wants to distance itself from.

Despite this, the court ruled that the crimes had prescribed.  Those involved in the case will still pursue their claims.  A report that was commissioned shortly after the end of the war, the “Rattenbach Report,” was recently given to President Fernandez.  The report was never released as it was considered to be “too crude and damning towards the commanding officers.”  The ex-soldiers, abused in the war, hope that in the end justice will prevail.

 

For more information, please see;

MercoPress – Malvinas Veterans Revisit Scenes of War Where They Were Tortured by Their Officers – 20 April 2012

The Guardian – Falklands War: 30th Anniversary  a “Day for Reflection” – 2 April 2012

Space War – Argentine Falklands Vet Sue for Abuse, Torture – 1 April 2012

Denver Post – 30 Years After Falklands War Visible Scars Remain – 31 March 2012

MercoPress – Legal Actions Against Argentine Officers who Tortured Conscripts During Malvinas War – 26 March 2012

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – As President Hugo Chávez continues his six month fight with an unspecified cancer, talks about the future of Venezuela circulate.  A new article, by former Former Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega, addresses the tenuous situation.   The startling article, published just days ago on April 11, describes a complex power scheme that is currently playing itself out.

Noriega believes that the increasing visibility and operational roles of high-ranking military officials are indicators that the military is preparing to take control of the country.  In one portion of his article Noriega even notes his belief that the military plans to instate martial law throughout the nation if necessary to gain control in an unstable situation.

“In my estimation, the approaching death of the Venezuelan caudillo could put the country on the path toward a political and social meltdown. The military cadre installed by Chávez in January already is behaving like a de facto regime determined to hold onto power at all costs…his lieutenants and foreign allies are behaving as if he were already dead — consolidating power, fashioning a “revolutionary junta,” and plotting repressive measures,” writes Noriega.

Other analysts express concerns with the recent promotional decisions by Chávez.  In January, he named Diosdado Cabello as the leader of the ruling party and of the National Assembly.  As reported by MercoPress, this was done to pacify a group of powerful military officers including; Defense Minister – General Henry Rangel Silva, Chief of Intelligence – Cliver Alcalá, and Chief of Military Intelligence – General Hugo Carvajal.  All three men have been linked by US drug offices as having associations to the drug trade.

Noriega makes clear his belief that these military cadres will, “never surrender power and the impunity that goes with it,” and abide by the results of an election because it will never provide legitimacy for a “Venezuelan narco-state.”  Noreiga forecasts an unstable Venezuela, with the fall of the Chávez administration, where men like Cabello, Silva, Alcalá, and Carvajal will not hesitate to use the billions of dollars in illegal drug money they have acquired and the force of the tens of thousands soldiers under their command to keep hold of power.  Troubling statements by General Silva earlier this month hint at this.

“We are going to recognize whoever wins the October 7 elections. We’re not just going to recognize whoever says they won,” was Silva’s obscure comment.  He has previously expressed a very strong stance that the Venezuelan military would never accept an opposition party taking control of the country.

The next presidential elections are scheduled to occur in just over six months, on October 7 of 2012.  Chávez pledged earlier this year to be a candidate for them, but at a mass in his hometown last week, his statements indicated the gravity of his desperate struggle against cancer.

“Christ … give me life, because I still have things to do for the people and this country. Do not take me yet,” he said.  Chávez made this statement just after returning from his third trip to Cuba to receive cancer treatments.

 

For more information, please see;

MercoPress – Revolutionary Junta to Consolidate Chavism, Forecasts US Expert in LatAm Affairs – 14 April 2012

In Sight – Is the Venezuelan Military Eyeing a Power Grab? – 13 April 2012

Washington Post – Hugo Chávez Rallies Thousands of Supporter Marking Return After 2002 Coup in Venezuela – 13 April 2012

CNN – Chávez Returns to Venezuela After Latest Round of Treatment – 12 April 2012

Foreign Policy – After Chávez, the Narcostate – 11 April 2012

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter

QUITO, Ecuador – President Rafael Correa recently signed a new mega-mining deal for the Mirador copper project with Chinese company Ecuacorrientes (ECSA).  Public outcry over this has been immediate with many citing the lack of environmental safeguards in the deal.

Correa signed the deal and bypassed a number of national mandates regarding environmental protections.  The Mirador project is located in the Amazon province of Zamora Chinchipe, along the Peruvian border.  Correa failed to comply with Article 6 of the Ecuadorian Mining Mandate that regulates an established procedure for mining concessions granted on protected lands.

During the signing of the contract on March 5, Correa indirectly admitted that he was aware of the potential environmental damages the project posed.

“All mines pollute. We need mining. Let’s have responsible mining,” said Correa at the signing; while failing to mention that he was moving the project forwards without having done an Environmental Impact Assessment or obtaining an Environmental License.

Indigenous communities as well as other social activist groups throughout Ecuador came together the day after the signing to implement the March for Water and Life.  On March 22, the fifteen day march through Ecuador ended in Quito, the capital city.  At that point the march had close to 25,000 supporters.

Images of the march show that what started as a protest to the large-scale mining agreement, by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), grew to include a number of wider issues facing the country.

“I am here in the spirit of solidarity between indigenous peoples and nationalities. Each people, each sector, has their own reason for being here. We, the Sapara Nation, are here to resist oil extraction on our land,” was one protestors comment regarding the growth of the march.

A 19 point charter was submitted to the government by the protest.  It covers a number of issues; including law of water, free admission to universities, equitable distribution of land, restoration of public servants, freedom of expression, and an end to open-pit mining and oil concessions.

The arrival of the march in Quito on March 22 was tense with large numbers of riot police on the streets and helicopters flying overhead.  Some isolated altercations broke out between the protestors and police at the end of the day.

Reports by local media are that President Correa paid people and gave them food and transportation to fill all public park spaces in Quito so that as the march entered the city protestors would have no place to gather.

For more information, please see;

Amazon Watch – Ecuador’s Indigenous People Reach Quito After 600 km March for Water, Life, and Dignity – 23 March 2012

Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources – Ecuador March for Water and Life Video Report – 23 March 2012

The McGill Daily – Thousands Protest in Ecuador’s Capital for Water, Life, and Dignity of the People – 22 March 2012

FIDH – FIDH Calls for the Suspension of the First Large-Scale Open-Pit Mining Project in the Ecuadorian Amazon – 19 March 2012

Global Voices – Ecuador March for Water and Life Says No to Large Scale Mining – 17 March 2012

Latin America Press – Mega Mining Takes Off – 15 March 2012