by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – A twenty-story building’s collapse in Rio de Janeiro has sparked intense scrutiny of the state of the construction industry in the country set to host two mega sporting events on the world stage over the next few years.

Seventeen people in total were killed in the building’s collapse and three are still missing, as reported by the Washington Post.  The building collapsed at night, around 8:30 pm, which helped to minimize the casualties and injuries.  As the building collapsed it also pulled down two neighboring smaller structures.  The buildings were located in the historic theater district of Rio.

Officials are citing illegal construction as the most plausible explanation, although investigations are still underway.  It is alleged that two illegal construction projects were underway on the 16^th floor of the building.  Luiz Cosenza, a worker in the building, claims to have been employed on one of those illegal jobs.

Cosenza states that the project was not registered with the building council and that there was no authorized and licensed professional overseeing the work.  He declined to provide further information on what type of work was being done illegally.

The current upswing in construction in Rio has steadily continued as the city prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.  FIFA officials have expressed concerns that the city’s infrastructure is not prepared to handle hosting these two events.

Those who are critical of Rio’s ability as host city note the pressing need to restructure industry standards.  The high demand for new buildings, in the downtown area, has led to lax standards and often sub-standard construction.

“Some firms will have the budget to do everything to a good standard employing Rio’s top professionals, but all too often these are secondary considerations for those looking to do things fast or cheaply,” said Gordon Lewis, a commercial developer in Brazil, to the Rio Times.

A call for more stringent monitoring has been spurred on by the recent tragic collapse.  Officials are in the process of enacting a mandatory periodic review of all buildings.  The review will need to be conducted by a professional who will assess and ensure the structural integrity of the building.

Historically, Brazil has struggled with maintaining a strong infrastructure in construction.  Not only are new buildings going up without the proper safety mechanisms but historic buildings are also structurally unsafe due to disrepair.

As well, the strict civil codes require such exacting compliance that it is impossible for any builder to meet them.  This has led to the general practice of those codes being disregarded and no enforcement of them by municipal authorities.

 

For more information, please see;

The Washington Post – Building Collapse, Rash of Freak Accidents Raise Questions About Rio’s World Cup Readiness – 1 February 2012

The Rio Times – Rio Responds to Building Collapses – 31 January 2012

BBC – Six Dead After Rio de Janeiro Building Collapses – 27 January 2012

CBS – Brazil: 3 Killed as Building Collapses in Rio – 26 January 2012

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

QUITO, Ecuador – Recent revelations have exposed the reality of homosexuality rehabilitation centers throughout Ecuador.  Past patients of various clinics are coming forward and exposing the torture and abuse they endured in attempts to be “cured” of their homosexuality.

Paola Concha, a 28-year-old woman was placed in one of these clinics by her family back in December of 2006.  Her family, who were not in support of her sexuality, had contacted a clinic called Puente a la Vida (Bridge to Life) that was promising to cure Concha of her homosexuality.

Concha was accosted at her house by workers from the clinic.  She was handcuffed, beaten and forcibly taken to the clinic which is located on the outskirts of Quito.  Over her three month stay at the clinic Concha was sytematically tortured in an attempt to “rehabilitate” her.

“I was kept in handcuffs for more than three months. I would be left without food for more than three or four days. They would handcuff me in a bathroom to a toilet bowl facing a toilet that was used by 60 people at the center,” said Concha.

Patients at other clinics have released stories similar to Concha’s.  Paula Zirritt said that she was held at a clinic in sexual reorientation clinic in Guayaqui for two years.  Zirrit remembers being kept in cuffs and that the guards would throw urine and ice water on her.  Others have stated they endured both sexual and physical abuse at these clinics.

CNN reports that they visited the Puente a la Vida clinic recently, in December.  A director at the clinic denied that they were attempting to change the sexual orientation of patients.  He maintained the clinic’s goal was to “modify inadequate behaviors that are causing a particular individual to take inadequate attitudes.”      

Ecuador’s health ministry officials are taking steps to address the situation.  The government has released statements that they will actively investigate and shut down all clinics attempting to change individual’s sexual preferences.  The difficulty lies in the fact that many of these clinics are hiding themselves as alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers. 

This assertive campaign by the government follows a petition that garnered over 100,000 signatures around the world.  The petition was set up on the website change.org and called for Ecuador’s Minister of Health to take action against these clinics.  Since September of this year, roughly 30 of these “torture” clinics have been shut down.

Earlier this week a new Health Minister was appointed by President Rafael Correa.  Carina Vance Mafla is the new minister.  She is the former executive director for the gay rights group, Fundación Causana and an active gay rights activist. 

 

For more information, please see;

The Washington Post – Ecuador’s Government to Crack Down on Clinics Found Using Coercion to “Cure” Homosexuals – 26 January 2012

CNN – Ecuadorian Clinics Allegedly Use Abuse to Cure Homosexuality – 25 January 2012

MSNBC – Rights Groups Hail Ecuador’s Crackdown on Lesbian “Torture Clinics” – 25 January 2012

Change.org – Victory!  Ecuador Ministry of Health Investigates and Closes Ex-Gay Torture Clinics – 23 January 2012

Box Turtle Bulletin – Ecuador Closes 30 Ex-Gay Clinics – 12 September 2011

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela  — Mexico’s ambassador to Venezuela, Carlos Pujalte, and his wife were kidnapped by armed men on Sunday night and then released four hours later. Pujalte’s abduction is a troublesome trend in the recent string of high-profile kidnappings in Venezuela, a country now considered one of the most dangerous in Latin America.

Pujalte’s and his wife were leaving a reception in a wealthy Caracas neighborhood on Sunday night when four armed men seized them in their car and held them for four hours before safely releasing them in a slum before dawn on Monday. The kidnapping has been dubbed an “express kidnapping” because of it’s short duration. In express kidnappings, abductors hold their victims for a short period of time for lower ransom demands or simply to rob the victims.

The details surrounding the kidnapping and if any ransom was paid remain unsealed by Venezuelan authorities. According to the Venezuela’s government, security forces launched an operation which forced the armed men to free the Pujaltes. The vehicle used for the kidnapping was found in another part of the city.

Pujalte’s kidnapping highlights a troublesome trend in Venezuela where violent crime is routinely named a top concern for Venezuelans. Leaked government reports have shown that since President Hugo Chavez first took office 13 years ago, crime has surged with the number of murders per year doubling since 1999. According to Venezuelan Violence Observatory, a non-profit organization, at least 19,336 people were killed in Venezuela last year.

Pujalte is the seventh foreign officer who has been held hostage in less than one-year term. Last November, Chilean consul, Juan Carlos Fernandez, was kidnapped in Caracas and severely injured by his abductors before being released. Within the same week, Major League Baseball player, Wilson Ramos was kidnapped during his visit home and released two days later with the help of Venezuelan security forces.

Chavez, who is seeking his third six-year term, denies that crime in Venezuela has increased since he first took office, and instead, blames high crime rates on historical roots of lawlessness dating back to the administration of former President Carlos Andres Perez in the late 1980s.

Despite souring crime rates and violent crime being a top issue for Venezuelans, a recent poll by the local Hinterlaces company shows that Chavez’s approval rating remains high. As of recently, Chavez has a 64 percent approval rating, with 50 percent of those surveyed saying they would vote for him again in the up-coming presidential elections.

“Chavez supporters have a strong emotional attachment to him and this has led some of them to fail to assess the situation objectively despite the statistics and the growing evidence of the government’s responsibility (for the crime problem),” says Diego Moya-Ocampos, a Venezuelan analyst of the IHS Global Insight thinktank.

 

For further information, please see:

El Universal – Seven Kidnapped Diplomats in One Year in Venezuela – 31 January 2012

CNN – Officials: Mexico’s Ambassador to Venezuela Kidnapped, Freed – 30 January 2011

CBS News – Mexican Ambassador in Venezuela Kidnap Drama – 30 January 2012

Reuters – Mexican Envoy Kidnapped, Freed in Venezuela – 30 January 2012

The Wall Street Journal  – Mexico Envoy to Venezuela Free After Kidnapping – 30 January 2012

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – This past Sunday, January 22, at 6 am, residents of the Pinheirinho slum were awakened by the police and forcibly evicted from their homes.  The police used rubber bullets, tear gas and were in full riot gear.  They were backed up by armored vehicles and two helicopters. 

Following the physical actions by the police, the government cut electricity, gas and telephone lines for the area.  The area was also blocked off and residents were unable to return.  The slum, which is located about 60 miles east of São Paulo, had roughly 5,500 residents.

Small battles between police and residents also occurred.  Residents threw rocks and sticks at the troops, set up make-shift barricades and set cars on fire.  About 30 arrests were made, multiple minor injuries were reported and at least one serious injury resulted from a rubber bullet shot.

The Pinheirinho slum was established in 2004, when people began to occupy the land that a bankrupt company had owned.  Residents of the settlement built homes, churches, schools and stores on the land over the past eight years. 

Recently, legal negotiations were underway to ensure that this type of eviction did not occur.  There was a proposal that the land be purchased by the federal government and kept as a low-income housing area so as to legalize the established settlement. 

Amnesty International states that the police action violates a previous agreement that no evictions would occur while a peaceful solution was sought.  Brazilian officials claim that the action was legal as the slum was established by illegal squatters who have no land rights.

The residents of Pinheirinho have been forced into a variety of emergency housing situations.  Some are staying with family and friends.  Another 350 families have been forced to take shelter in a school gymnasium with inadequate sanitation. 

Since Sunday, a few residents have been permitted back onto the land to gather small belongings.  The police have also been cataloguing and removing furniture to return it to its rightful owners. 

Disputes over the legality of this action have emerged.  Amnesty International and other land movement groups in Brazil like Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) protest the eviction and its effects, noting that now thousands of families are homeless. 

“What is happening in Pinheirinho is part of an unfortunate pattern of forced evictions in Brazil. As the country booms, tens of thousands of poor families are being removed to make way for infrastructure and private development projects, without receiving adequate protection and alternative housing. The Brazilian authorities… must actively engage with the residents to find a long-term solution that suits their needs — not temporary spaces in shelters which split up families,” said Atila Roque, director of Amnesty International, Brazil.

Brazilian authorities claim that they are going to move all residents to a tract of land, roughly 0.4 square miles large, to “re-integrate” them into society.  They also claim to be in the process of allocating them new homes and helping with food and transportation needs.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Criticism Grows of Brazil Slum Clearance by Police – 25 Jan 2012

International Business Times – Brazil: Activists Condemn Forced Eviction of São Paulo Squatters – 25 Jan 2012

Aljazeera – Clashes in Brazil Eviction Raid – 24 Jan 2012

Amnesty International – Brazil Must Address Needs of Thousands Left Homeless Following Eviction – 24 Jan 2012

Rio Times – Police Retake Favela in SP State – 23 Jan 2012