By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil —  Brazil’s labor minister, Carlos Lupi, now joins a list of six other cabinet-level officials in President Dilma Rousseff’s government with corruption allegations since she first took office in January. Reports by Veja magazine are alleging that Lupi and some of his top aids have received numerous kickbacks by private organization with government contracts. Veja cited unidentified law makers and officials in its report.

After the allegations came out over the weekend, Lupi has come under pressure by leaders of two of the opposition parties in the lower house of the Brazilian congress to quit. Although the ministry has declined to formally comment, a note on the ministry’s web site states that Lupi denies the allegations and is calling for an investigation by the federal police into the report findings.

“I can’t permit my 30 years of public service to be dragged through the mud by cowards who hide behind anonymity in the pages of a magazine,” Lupi quotes in a note on the ministry web site.

Since the allegations, Lupi has fired one of his advisers. His party, the center-left PDT party, is planning to hold a meeting on Tuesday to go over the allegations against him and listen to his explanations.

Several of the scandals that surrounded six other cabinet-level officials in Rousseff’s government this year have ended with the eventual withdrawal of support by Rousseff and the resignation of the accused cabinet-level official. Several of them also initially denied the accusations.

The last official to quit was Sports Minister Orlando Silva. He was also accused by the media of receiving kickbacks from public contracts with private companies. Silva initially denied the accusations but then resigned in October, two weeks after the first allegation.

Brazil loses up to 2.3 percent of its annual economic output due to corruption. Rousseff, from the leftist Workers’Party, however, appears to be riding the anti-corruption wave recently; working hard to combat corruption in the capital Brasilia. Last month, she suspended federal government payments to private groups that have been under suspicion of giving kickbacks to government officials.

According to Claudio Weber Abramo, the president of corruption watchdog Transparency Brazil, Rousseff’s government is being more aggressive with its fight against corruption compared to Rousseff’s predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula. “The government is taking a more vigorous approach in relation to its allies in ministries … It is saying to them: ‘We are watching you more closely’,” Abramo said.

Rousseff’s office has declined to comment on the latest accusations against Lupi.

 

For further information, please see:

MercoPress – Rousseff Could See Another Minister Out: Labour Accused of Corruption – 07 November 2011

Reuters – Brazil’s Rousseff Rides Anti-Graft Wave – For Now – 07 November 2011

Reuters – Brazil Labor Minister Latest to Feel Scandal Heat – 07 November 2011

The Wall Street Journal – Brazil Labor Minister Faces Corruption Allegations – 07 November 2011

 

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – Last Wednesday, November 2, Marcelo Freixo, a popular human rights activist, was forced out of Brazil.  Freixo and his family fled the country to an undisclosed European nation with the help of Amnesty International.

In recent months, Freixo has received at least seven different death threats and there is a $230,000 price on his head.  He is forced to travel in a bullet-proof car and to have 24 hour security guards.  Since 2008, his activism against the militia groups has made him the focus for much animosity; however recently the threats have increased in frequency.

“I plan to stay outside Brazil for a while.  I want this time to adjust my security precautions and to call the attention of the authorities.  I’m treating this as my own personal problem but clearly it is a public security problem too,” was Freixo’s statement to Reuters news agency.

Freixo has become a target due to his work investigating and bringing to justice many of those involved with the militia groups taking over the slums.  In 2008, when two investigative journalists were killed for their rumored exposé on the militia groups, Freixo was chosen to lead a commission.  The commission was tasked with examining these groups made up of former police officers and military members.

Originally termed the Unidades de Policia Pacificadora (UPP or Pacifying Police Units) these groups were supported for their role in eliminating the control that drug gangs had in the slums.  Unfortunately, with the power vacuum left by the absence of drug gangs, many of the militia groups have become corrupt.

Now, the militias are the ones who control the slums.  They extort money, use violence and even kill opposition.  As well, basic services in the slums like water, gas and transportation are managed by them.  The militias control is almost more threatening because they intimately understand the system and the strategic loopholes that exist.   The Rio newspaper, O Globo reported that roughly 55 slums are controlled by drug gangs and close to 105 slums are controlled by a militia group.

Freixo’s 2008 commission ended up indicting over 200 people, including a number of high profile politicians who supported the militias knowing that they were corrupt.  Although many involved were punished, Freixo’s biggest concern was that the main support for the militias, the funding, was not stopped.

“We put a lot of people in prison, which was important as it weakened the militias.  But we need to hit them financially.  Above all it is a business.”

Just months ago, Judge Patricia Acioli was murdered.  She took a firm stance against the militias and received multiple death threats for her decisions.  Police involvement is suspected in her murder as the bullets used by the killers were police issue.

Freixo intends to return to Brazil, he stressed that he is not giving up on the fight and announced plans to run for Mayor in 2012.

 

For more information, please see;

The Rio Times – State Deputy Marcelo Freixo Flees Militias in Brazil – 3 Novermber 2011

BBC News – Rio Lawmaker Marcelo Freixo to Flee Rio After Threats – 1 November 2011

The Guardian – Mafia Assassination Threat Forces Brazil MP Into Exile – 31 October 2011

Reuters – Anti-Crime Politician To Flee Brazil After Threats – 31 October 2011

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Eight inmates were killed and four police officers were taken hostage on Wednesday during a riot inside a prison in San Cristobal. In exchange for the safe release of hostages, prisoners are demanding to be transferred to a different facility. Negotiations with the prisoners began Thursday.

According to State Police Chief, Jesus Berro, a group of inmates reportedly belonging to a gang at the San Cristobal prison were able to shoot and kill eight fellow prisoners and take four hostages after getting a hold of guns and keys to some cells. An investigation into how the firearms were able to enter the prison undetected is on going.

Venezuela currently has 30 prisons, all of which are suffering from severe overcrowding. At 47,000 inmates per prison, each prison is currently holding a little less than four times more inmates than they were originally designed to hold.

In addition to the prisons being overly packed, severe violence and extensive trial delays have added to the stress felt by Venezuelan inmates. Guns and drugs are common inside prisons and many inmates have waited months for their cases to be heard in court.

The poor prison conditions have sparked riots over the past month, including one last month where dozens of people were taken hostage by 400 rioting inmates at a Tocuyiito prison. The hostages were released only after authorities agreed to transfer the inmates to a prison located closer to the court where they would stand trial.

Although President Chavez did not comment on the violence currently occurring in the San Cristobal jail, he has recognized the need for prison reform. “We have to humanize the penitentiary system,” he said on Wednesday.

Chavez, who has himself previously spent two years in jail, is confident that his new prisons minister, Iris Verela, will be able to come up with a solution.

In the mean time, Military Commander, Hector Coronado, is negotiating with the current rebellious inmates in an attempt to regain control of the prison. He has stated that he will not use force.

 

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Venezuela Prison Guards Taken Hostage After Riot – 02 November, 2011

Washington Post – Venezuela: Prisoners Take 4 Police Officers as Hostages Amid Rioting That Kills 8 Inmates – 02 November 2011

Latin America News Dispatch – Venezuela Prison Standoff Ends After Hostages Released – 26 October  2011

Huffington Post – Venezuela: Prison Workers Still Held Hostage – 24 October 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Alfredo Astiz was convicted last Wednesday, along with 15 other men, for crimes against humanity committed during Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship.  Astiz, who was nicknamed the “Angel of Death” for his innocent good looks, was a symbol of the brutality experienced during the dictatorship.

Other officers convicted with Astiz were Jorge Acosta “The Tiger,” Antonio Pernias and Ricardo Cavallo.  Twelve men, including Astiz, Acosta, Pernias and Cavallo were sentenced to life in prison.  Four others were sentenced to 18-25 years in prison.  The 22 month trial has been applauded by human rights activists as a huge step towards justice and truth in what has been termed Argentina’s “Dirty War”.

During the trial 79 survivors of the Naval Mechanics School, known as ESMA, testified.  ESMA was one of Argentina’s primary torture and killing centers during the 6 year military dictatorship.  Argentinian men and women were kidnapped, brought to the center, detained, tortured and killed.  It is estimated that of the 5,000 people kidnapped and brought to ESMA, only 200 survived.

Astiz was a young naval officer for ESMA who posed as an innocent civilian desperately searching for his brother who had disappeared.  He was able to infiltrate the group the Mothers of Plaza de Mayor in this way.  Three founding members of the group, Azucena Villaflor, Esther Ballestrino and Maria Ponce were all kidnapped and killed by Astiz.

He is responsible for the killings of two French nuns in 1977, Alice Domon and Leonie Duquet.  He was convicted in 1990 in absentia by French courts for these two murders.  Other European nations requested his extradition over the years including Spain, Sweden and Italy.  As well, he has been charged with the disappearance of Rudolfo Walsh, an investigative journalist and guerilla fighter during the war.

Most of the victims from ESMA were never found.  The junta soldiers often utilized firing squads.  Another method commonly used was the practice of drugging people, loading them onto planes and then dropping them, still alive, into the Atlantic Ocean.  Human rights organizations estimate that 30,000 people were killed in all of Argentina during the short 6 year period of the dictatorship.

In 1983, when the dictatorship finally fell, many junta officials were arrested, but in 1987 an Amnesty Law was passed.  This law permitted many of those who had committed grievous crimes against humanity to escape prosecution.  Astiz was one of those who benefited from this law.  He tried to live a normal life but was often harassed in the streets by those who recognized him for his crimes.

In 2005 the Argentinian Supreme Court revoked the Amnesty Law at the urging of then-President Kirchner and paved the way to Astiz’s recent conviction.  Kirchner’s wife, the current President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez has also supported the trial and conviction of these men.  Kirchner and Fernandez met when they were both student activists during the Dirty War.  Several of their friends were victims who “disappeared” during this time.

Astiz has claimed that the trials are unjust and illegitimate prosecution promulgated for the political leverage they will give to Fernandez.  His unrepentant opinion on the trial is that “the government doesn’t hesitate in its revenge against the people who combated terrorism.”

When the sentence was read Astiz showed almost no emotion, he stared forwards and lightly brushed a patriotic ribbon pinned to his lapel.  His sister, Lucrecia Astiz, objected to the sentence expressing outrage that Astiz is being held responsible for his actions as he was only 23 and simply followed the orders given to him.

Earlier, in a 2008 interview with Tres Puntos magazine, Astiz showed no remorse for his actions during the war.  He bragged that he was the best trained man in Argentina to kill politicians and journalists.  He also stated that he didn’t betray the Mother of Plaza de Mayor because he never was one of them.

During the trial, Astiz seemed to thrive on shocking those present.  On the first day he entered the courtroom with the book “Return to Kill.”  ­­During the trial he continually called the trial a “lynching.”  Then, on the last day of the trial he handed the judges a copy of Argentina’s constitution with instructions that it be given to the Argentinian Supreme Court.

Hundreds of family members of those who disappeared into ESMA stood outside the courthouse as the sentences were read.  Many wept and others danced in the streets when the convictions came out.

“Ole, ole they will have the same fate as the Nazis, wherever they go we will find them,” was chanted loudly.

For more information, please see;

BBC News – Argentina “Angel of Death” Alfredo Astiz Convicted – 27 October 2011

Buenos Aires Herald – French Foreign Minister Says Astiz Sentence is an “Honor to Argentina” – 27 October 2011

Christian Science Monitor – Argentina’s “Blond Angel of Death” Convicted for Role in Dirty War – 27 October 2011

International Business Times – “Angel of Death” Sentenced to Life in Argentina – 27 October 2011

New York Times – Argentina: 12 Given Life Sentence for Crimes During Dictatorship – 27 October 2011

Reuters Africa – Life Sentence for Argentine Blond Angel of Death – 27 October 2011

CBS News – Argentina’s “Angel of Death” Sent to Prison – 26 October 2011