South America

Young Homosexual Man’s Death, From Violent Beating, Sparks Outcry for Passage of Anti-Discrimination Laws in Chile

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – On Tuesday of this week, 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio passed away.  His death is sparking calls for the passage of new national anti-discrimination laws in Chile.  Zamudio, an openly homosexual youth, was violently beaten up by a gang of men in a park, 25 days ago, on March 4.

Citizens have made a memorial to honor Zamudio outside the hospital where he died. (Photo Courtesy of La Razón)

The men carved swastika symbols into Zamudio’s body and stubbed cigarette butts out on him.  News reports state that the attackers beat Zamudio for roughly an hour with bottles and rocks, cut off a portion of his ear, broke his leg and left him with severe head injuries.  Doctors at the Santiago Emergency Assistance Public Hospital worked to keep Zamudio alive but on March 19 he suffered a heart attack and his condition deteriorated.

The four men accused of the attack are members of the neo-Nazi group, Nazis del Centro (Downtown Nazis).  They are all four currently in custody, on attempted murder charges, but prosecutor Ernesto Vasquez is asking that be changed to premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence.  At least one of the men already has a prior record for assaults on homosexual individuals.

Gay rights groups throughout the country are asking that torture charges be included as well.  Jaime Parada, spokesmen for Chile’s Movement for Homosexual Liberation and Integration, spoke out about how this aggressive attack highlights the fear that homosexuals in Chile must live with.

“We are fighting for an anti-discrimination law, for changes in language so people stop treating us like we are ill and make sure that the church does not treat us like sinners and so on,” said Parada.

Seven years ago, an anti-discrimination law was first proposed, but it was never passed due to pressure from Evangelical Christian groups. Chilean government officials are promising to focus on getting that passed.  Chile’s Interior Minister, Rodrigo Hinzpeter, currently acting as President while President Piñera is in Asia, affirmed this.  Hinzpeter spoke outside the hospital, the day Zamudio died, to a hostile crowd who booed him.

“Since this aggression, Daniel’s murder happened, we have had a relative education on how we are going to construct a more harmonious society, with more love, where no one – no one – is discriminated against for any reason, because all Chileans have the same rights.  There is no-one in our society who can feel such murderous arrogance that they can attack and assault a fellow citizen for any reason,” said Hinzpeter.

There has been a general public outcry in the wake of the attack because people feel that the government is not doing enough to protect those who are victims of hate crimes.

 

For more information, please see;

La Razón – Asesinato de Joven Homosexual Conmociona a Sociedad Chilena – 29 March 2012

The Washington Post – In Chile, Beating Death of Gay Man Stirs Change – 29 March 2012

BBC – Chile Prosecutors Seek Murder Charges Over Gay Attack – 28 March 2012

NTN24 News – Murder of Gay Man by Suspected Neo-Nazi Group Shakes Chile – 28 March 2012

EDGE – Gay Man Brutally Attacked in Chilean Capital Remains in Critical Condition – 25 March 2012

2 Nurses in Uruguay Charged with Killing at least 16 Patients – Attorneys Maintain These Were Mercy Killings

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – On March 19, two male nurses in Uruguay were charged with the murders of 16 patients and held without bail after confessing their guilt in front of Judge Rolando Vomero.  The names of the two men have not been released to the press at this time.  Instead they have been simply identified as J.A.A. age 46, and M.P.G. age 39.

Uruguayan Minister of Public Health, Jorge Vengas, reacts during a press conference to news that both nurses have admitted to more killings. (Photo courtesy of San Jose Mercury News)

The two nurses do not appear to have been working together.  J.A.A. worked at the Asociación Española, a private caregiving facility, where he admits to killing 11 patients.  M.P.G. was employed at the Hospital Maciel, where he admitted to causing the deaths of another 5 patients.  A single female nurse was also arraigned with them on charges of covering up their deeds.

The charges against the two men are for the deaths of at least 16 patients at this time.  Reports have surfaced that there are more than that so investigators are currently looking in depth at patient’s records for the two hospitals.  Public news outlets in Uruguay believe that dozens more patients were killed by the men.  At a recent news conference one of the men said he had killed at least 50 patients and the other said he had lost count long ago of how many he had killed.

The hospital’s spokespeople and the health minister of the government are stressing that there is substantial rebuilding now required to instill faith and credibility back in to the health system.  The first step is to establish just how extensive this operation was.

Ines Massiotti, a lawyer for one of the nurses, stressed that both her client and the other nurse acted out of pity due to their extensive years working in the intensive care units and being exposed to death and suffering.

“My client is fully aware of his actions.  He fully confessed in front of the judge [and] prosecutor, and his defense is he did it out of mercy,” said Massiotti.

Attorney Santiago Clavijo echoed a similar statement noting that these were not “vicious” killings but rather done to stop the pain they witnessed the patient’s experiencing.  Prosecutors contest this noting that many of the patients targeted were not terminally ill.  In fact, one of the victims had release papers signed the day before she was killed.

Investigators believe that the two were killing patients in a number of ways, including; overdosing patients with the drug morphine and injecting air bubbles into their blood streams.  Health officials expressed profound concern for the situation and stressed that they would be fully cooperative during the investigation.

 

For more information, please see;

Latin American Herald Tribune – Nurses Accused of Killing 16 in Uruguay Hospitals – 21 March 2012

CNN – 2 Nurses in Uruguay Charged in Slayings of Patients – 20 March 2012

BBC – Nurses Confess to Killing 16 Patients at Uruguay Hospital – 19 March 2012

CBS – Uruguay Nurses Charged with Murdering 16 with Morphine – 19 March 2012

Daily Mail Reporter – Two Nurses Arrested in Uruguay After Poisoning 200 Hospital Patients in Mercy Killings – 19 March 2012

Colombian Military Kills FARC Guerrillas in Response to Soldier Murders

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia — 39 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebels were killed on Wednesday after Colombian troops launched bombs into their Arauca camp. The bombardment comes five days after FARC guerrillas killed a non-commissioned officer and 10 other soldiers in the northeastern Arauca state. Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon described this event on his Twitter account as the biggest blow against the FARC since he first took office in 2010.

Colombia's Commander of the Armed Forces, Alejandro Navas, and Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon at the press conference that broke the news that Colombian troops had killed 31 rebels. (Courtesy of Yahoo News).

General Ernesto Maldonado, commander of the Army’s 8th Division, confirmed that five air force planes bombarded the guerrilla’s camp from the air first, and then Colombian troops stormed the camp by foot shortly thereafter. According to Maldonado, the rebels that were killed on Wednesday were not the rebels responsible for Saturday’s killings, but they were part of the same unit as them.

The bombardment against the guerrillas was in response to the murders of a non-commissioned officer and 10 other soldiers on Saturday in the city of Tres Cruces, inside the province of Arauca. The soldiers, who were guarding the oil industry infrastructure, were killed just hours after the FARC’s announcement that they would release hostages in exchange for allowing Women of the World for Peace members to visit rebels detained in the country’s jail.

The family and friends of the soldiers killed on Saturday have publicly criticized Santos’ government, saying their young sons were thrown into dangerous conditions with little preparation. Saturday’s attack by FARC rebels is the deadliest guerrilla attack against the Colombian government forces in many years.

The FARC is believed to currently have hostage at least 10 Colombian soldiers, despite it’s announcement late February that it would officially stop all abductions. President Juan Manuel Santos has announced that he will be willing to negotiate with the FARC only after all their hostages are released, and only after they pledge to stop “terrorist” actions.

The military estimates that approximately 600 to 700 members of the FARC operate in the Arauca area. Arauca has been a hotbed for leftist guerrilla activity recently, mainly because of the presence of foreign oil companies — potential targets for future attacks and extortion deals.

The FARC, which was founded in 1964 as an anti-government group, is Colombia’s largest and most dangerous guerrilla group with an estimated 8,000 members. The Colombian government has made fighting the FARC a top priority and has obtained billions in foreign aid to help combat the FARC’s terrorist acts. The FARC’s power has recently been dwindling, however, thanks in part to military and police who captured and killed it’s leader, Alfonso Cano late last year.

 

For further information, please see:

CNN – Colombian Troops Kill Dozens of Guerrillas, Defense Minister Says – 21 March 2011

The Wall Street Journal – Colombia Forces Kill 33 FARC Rebels in Arauca – 21 March 2012

Hispanically Speaking News – FARC Guerillas Kill 11 Soldiers at Colombia-Venezuela Border – 18 March 2012

USA Today – Colombian Rebels: Hostages To Be Freed – 18 March 2012

BBC News– Colombian Soldiers Killed in Farc Ambush – 17 March 2012

1 Peruvian Miner Killed in Puerto Maldonado Uprising

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LIMA, Peru – Last week miners throughout Peru began to protest the increased penalties for informal and illegal mining of gold.  Yesterday, early in the morning, miners in the Madre de Dios region escalated those protests in an attempt to capture control of the airport, markets and government buildings in the city of Puerto Maldonado.

Police rush to control the 10,000 protestors in Puerto Maldonado. (Photo Courtesy of NTN24 News)

One man was killed from a gunshot wound during the uprising and roughly 30 others were injured.  The 700 police officers called to the area used rubber bullets and buckshot to stop the protestors.  It is reported that 11 police officers were injured from stones thrown by the protestors.

Close to 10,000 miners took part in the uprising on Wednesday.  They were protesting the new laws that will push many un-licensed gold miners in Peru out of work.  The BBC states that an estimated 50,000 miners in Peru operate without the proper licenses and permits.  The new laws enforce stricter penalties for those caught illegally mining.  Some of the proposals make it a crime punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Peruvian officials defend the stricter penalties by pointing to the environmental concerns raised by illegal mining.  The rate of deforestation is increased by the mining.  As well, the rivers in the southeastern regions, where the illegal mining predominates, have concerning levels of mercury in them.  The mercury is used by miners in the process of extracting gold from the waters.

Officials further noted that they were not targeting the smaller organizations or individuals but instead focusing on breaking up the larger mafia-style groups that exploit economically disadvantaged people, like women and children, for their labor.

The President of Peru’s National Mining, Oil and Energy Society (SNMPE), Pedro Martinez, says that illegal mining is an important issue to tackle because of the dangers it poses.  Martinez estimates that the illegal gold mining brings in more than $2 billion per year.

“We cannot cede one centimeter in the fight against illegal mineral extraction because it puts in danger biodiversity and the health of Peruvians,” was Martinez’s statement.

The illegal mining has increased in recent years with the jump in gold prices.  A previous effort was made by the government to stop the mining when they destroyed the dredges used by the miners.  The miners believe that the government’s actions are motivated by a desire to garner a profit by selling all mining concessions to large multinational companies.  The government says they simply want the miners to obtain the correct permits so that their actions can be monitored and environmental repercussions can be limited.

 

For more information, please see;

Latin American Herald Tribune – Peru “Restoring Order” After Deadly Clashes with Miners – 15 March 2012

BBC – Peru Mining Protests Turn Deadly in Puerto Maldonado – 14 March 2012

NTN24 News – One Killed in Peru Miners Protest – 14 March 2012

The Wall Street Journal – Peru’s Informal Mining Protests Turn Deadly – 14 March 2012

Truck Drivers Strike Against New Policy Banning Use of Highways During Peak Hours

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – The city of Sao Paulo, Brazil recently saw a massive strike by union truck drivers for petroleum companies.  The drivers went on strike for almost three days in response to city officials passing new legislation that banned commercial truck’s from using main through fares during certain times of the day.

A customer arriving at a gas station in Sao Paulo is told that there is no fuel available to purchase. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Sao Paulo is a very congested urban center with over 11 million citizens and approximately 7 million vehicles.  Throughout the city there are roughly 2,000 gas stations.  By late afternoon yesterday, nearly all those stations were running short on gasoline, and many were already closed down as they had already emptied their gas and ethanol supplies.

The truckers union stated that the new legislation unfairly targets them by limiting their access to major highways during peak hours of the day.  This then forces them to take alternative routes that increase their costs of driving and the time they spend working.  All 800 of the city’s tank truck drivers participated in the strike.

On Tuesday afternoon, a state court judge issued a ruling that the strike must end or the union would be fined an amount of $1 million reais ($566,828 US).  One of the most pressing concerns was that the strike would also shut down public transportation throughout the city.

Claudinei Pelegrini, the Vice-President of the Sao Paulo truck drivers union, enunciated the union’s goal that talks be initiated to revoke the new restrictions.  Pelegrini noted, late on Wednesday, that his members move more than 90% of all petroleum in the city.  He demanded that an agreement must be reached or else truck drivers for food and construction materials would also join the strike.

Despite enunciating these pressures, Pelegrini noted that emergency services would not be affected by the strike.  He said deliveries to airports, hospitals, police and fire stations would take place.  City officials expressed their opposition to the strike, noting that police and military escorts were being used to allow for deliveries of supplies by a few drivers not participating in the strike.

The strike stands to affect local business owners in a drastic way, even if it is successfully ended within the next few days.  NPR reports that Marcelo Fernandes, a local gas station owner, will lose roughly $15,000 in sales for each 24 hour period that his gas tanks stand empty.

“They’re killing us, the government has got to give in to the guys. In the best-case scenario, if they ended the strike now, I don’t think I would get any fuel before Thursday,” said Fernandes.

 

For more information, please see;

CNN – Gas Pumps Near Empty in Sao Paulo due to Trucker’s Strike – 7 March 2012

NPR – Gas Stations Running Dry as Brazil Truckers Strike – 7 March 2012

San Francisco Chronicle – Sao Paulo Drivers Strike, Halt Gasoline Delivery – 7 March 2012

BBC – Sao Paulo Lorry Drivers’ Strike hits Fuel Supplies – 6 March 2012