By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile — Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter signed a legislative proposal on Sunday that could potentially put a halt to the student and teacher led protests that have paralyzed high schools and universities around the country for over five months.

The legislation seeks to reform article 269 of the Penal Code by criminalizing illegal occupation or invasion of buildings and increasing penalties for public disorder, including the mistreatment of policemen, from 541 days to three years in jail. If approved, the new law will also force television channels to release tape used to record the protests so that authorities can identify and sanction individual protestors.

According to the Chilean government, students protests have incited violence, theft and have caused mass amounts of damage to property. “He that seeks to undermine peace and stability of the people, or damages public or private property will find this a tough legislation,” Pinera warned.

Student leaders, however, remain undeterred and have called for the continuation of street and campus protests this week after failed negotiations with the Chilean government over education reform on Wednesday.

Students are urging the government to increase taxes on the wealthy and fund free and high quality education for all but Pinera remains that “Nothing is free in life,” and that only the very poor will receive federal grants. After the United States, Chile ranks second in most expensive college tuitions in the Western Hemisphere.

Behind the student movement is Camila Vallejo, a 23-year-old geography student who has become an international celebrity with twice as many twitter followers as Pinera. Her quick notoriety on twitter has enabled her to direct the protests, rally student groups and even cast doubt on some of Pinera’s statements through twitter messages.

In response to Pinera’s claim that his 7 percent increase in education funding for 2012 was the biggest in Chilean history, Vallejo tweeted “How can this be an extraordinary effort if in 2011 it increased 13 percent, in 2009 15 percent and in 2008 24 percent?”

Vallejo told Associated Press on Wednesday that she is exhausted and would like to step down for a bit but feels obligated to stay and continue leading the fight. She believes that Pinera’s recent threat to criminalize the student protests shows that he wants to sabotage talks just as they begin.

Student leaders will take a vote on October 8 to decide whether to continue negotiation talks with the Chilean government.

For further information, please see:

Business Week – Chilean Students Prepare March After Government Talks Break Down– 06 October 2011

Associated Press – Pressure Grows As Chile Student Leader Opens Talks – 05 October  2011

Huffington Post – Chile Education Protests: Talks With Government Break Off – 05 October 2011

Latin News – Pinera Tries to Play Hardball – 03 October 2011

Santiago Times – Chilean Government to Criminalize School Seizures – 03 October 2011

 

 

 

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Over 1 million books are currently being held by the Argentinian government at customs.  The books are the newest good to be affected by the stringent economic protectionist plan that President Cristina Fernández has enacted and which she is determined to see succeed.

Earlier restrictions have affected many things including; textiles, tires, cars, chemicals, pharmaceutical goods and cell phones.  President Fernández’s goal is to see the Argentinian economy grow more self-sufficient by promoting local goods over imports.  Also included in the policy is the goal of increasing exports; $1 export for every $1 import.

“The editorial sector is surprised by the prolonged intervention that affects the basic right of the citizens to have access to the book as a vehicle of education and culture,” the Publishing Chamber said in objecting to the customs slowdowns.

Last year the people of Argentina purchased roughly 76 million books, government officials claims 60 million of those were printed outside of the country.  Publishers disagreed with that and instead maintain that two-thirds of all books sold are printed domestically.

The ability of the publishing industry to keep up with the volume is being called into question.  Publishing executives further note that local printers are either not of as high a quality or drastically more expensive than printers overseas.

At the opening and inauguration of the new Museum of Book and Language President Fernández championed the plan once again.

“The world is going in one direction and at times it seems like we’re going to the opposite, but this is the necessary path to recover a country that already knew how to do things,” she said.

The other sectors affected by this plan report that they have been forced into talks with government representatives from the Commerce and Industry department.in order to try and recover their stopped goods.  These talks result in the company agreeing to a plan which will increase their export capacity or increase their use of domestic products and labor.

Nordenwagen, an Argentinian car importer, had its business stopped back in January when customs would no longer allow them to bring in imported Porsches.  It took three months for the cars to be released and it was only once Nordenwagen agreed to a deal.  The owners of the business also own a vineyard and have agreed to launch a mass-market line of wines for export around the world.

Cell phones, in particular Blackberry’s, are in high demand across Argentina with all cell phone carriers having sold out of them months ago and the government refusing to allow imports of the good in.  Brightstar, a multinational manufacturer of phones, has just agreed to begin manufacturing the phones in factories located in Tierra del Fuego, south of the Magellan strait.

The phones will be made with imported parts but put together by local workers and packaged in locally sourced wrapping.  The cost of this is roughly 15 times more than the phones being made in Asia.

Global Trade Alert, a database that monitors international commerce restrictions, reported that Argentina is now second in the world in trade limitations.  The only country ahead of them is Russia.

President Fernández is unable to raise import tariffs on its own because of membership in the Mercosur customs union.  This has led her to utilize the World Trade Organization’s recognized “non-automatic licensing” method which allows a country to hold imported goods for 90 days.

Argentina has certainly not maintained this 90 day period and the list they use of goods restricted to requiring special licensing before release by customs has grown from 400 to 600.  Tax incentives are also being offered to local companies.  For example, domestically produced finished books have been made tax-free and Brightstar was offered tax incentives for starting the Blackberry manufacturing plant in Tierra del Fuego.

Concerns in the Falkland Islands have also been expressed due to the new severe protectionist policy.  Just recently President Fernández announced a plan to support local island producers of fruit, vegetables, salad and eggs.  Grants will also be made to local new businesses that help provide locally sourced foodstuffs to the islands.

“The aim is for the Falklands to become self-sufficient and less susceptible to external pressure” said David Waugh, general manager of the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC).  Easily 60% of produce consumed in the Falklands could be supported by a strong local market according to the FIDC.

The new plan for the Falklands self-sufficiency follows a period of disruption of British shipping interests by Argentinian claims that all ships between the Argentina coast and the Falklands must hold a special permit.

All of this likely stems from the 2001 crash and resulting inflation experienced in the country.  Fears of a too strong import industry have sparked this new policy as Argentina brought in roughly $5 billion in imports per year since 2009.

For more information, please see;

MercoPress – Publishing Houses Told to Print in Argentina While Imported Books are Blocked in Customs – 1 October 2011

Seattle PI – Argentina Holds Up Book Imports to Help Industry – 29 September 2011

The Economist – South America’s Two Biggest Economies are Imposing Heavy Handed Trade Restrictions – 24 September 2011

The Telegraph – Falkland Islands’ Bid to Grow its own Food Amid Fears of Argentina Blockade – 6 September 2011

The Heritage Network – Argentina: Cristina Ramps Up Protectionism – 18 July 2011

Market News International – LatamWatch: Brazil Trade Barriers Hint at Rising Protectionism? – 16 May 2011

MercoPress – ‘Argentina’s Protectionism’ the Great Obstacle for EU/Mercosur Trade Talks – 15 April 2011

by Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Thousands of indigenous Bolivians took to the streets in central La Paz yesterday to continue protesting the construction of a Brazil-funded highway through the Amazon that they say would likely destroy an indigenous preserve and encourage illegal settlements. The Bolivian government, however, maintains that the construction is essential for development and trade.

Bolivia’s Defense Minister, Cecilia Chacon, resigned on Monday in protest of a very violent police crackdown on Sunday which resulted in hundreds of arrests. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti and his deputy Marcos Farfan also resigned after disapproving the amount of force, including tear gas and truncheons, used during the break-up.

President Evo Morales, who advocated for indigenous rights and the protection of Mother Earth during his election campaign, has been heavily criticized by his indigenous and environmentalist constituents who say they feel betrayed by him.

President Morales announced on Tuesday that he has suspended the construction of the highway. According to Morales, whether the construction continues will depend on voters in the easter region of Bolivia.

On a televised speech on Wednesday, Morales called the protests a big wake-up call for his government. He asked for forgiveness from the families of the protestors for the amount of violence used and urged a meeting between the government and indigenous groups.

Jorge Lazarte, a political analyst, believes these protests mark a huge turning point in the Morales government. “There’s a split between the government and its indigenous support base that casts doubt on the government’s legitimacy,” he stated. “For the first time in recent years, we’re hearing people yell that this government should go.”

Since the police crackdown, protestors have regrouped and are planning to continue their march into La Paz this week. They reject Morales’ call for a vote.

This protest marks the second protest against Morales’ government by his own constituents in less than a year. Late last year, indigenous and environmentalists took to the streets to protest a hefty fuel hike ordered by his administration.

For further information, please see;

AFP – Bolivia Leader Asks for Pardon After Massive Strike – 29 September 2011

BBC News – Bolivia Highway Protests Spread, Paralysing La Paz – 28 September 2011

The Guardian – Bolivians March Against Evo Morales Over Jungle Highway Crackdown – 28 September 2011

Times Union – Bolivian Official Quits in March Backlash – 27 September 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 BRASÍLIA, Brazil – This past Tuesday morning Brazilian citizens woke up and found the famous Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janiero, full of brooms.  594 brooms, painted yellow and green, were placed along the beach in the shape of the federal congress building.  Each broom symbolized one of the 81 Senators and 513 Lower House Representatives in Brazil’s government.  The brooms signified the need for Brazil’s government to “clean house” and “sweep out” the existing corruption they are plagued with.

The protest was put together by a non-governmental organization, Rio for Peace.  “The purpose of our initiative is to make people aware of the extent of rampant corruption and to demand greater transparency in the management of public funds,” said Antonio Carlos Costa, who leads the group.

The group’s expressive protest follows a September 7 March Against Corruption, fittingly organized on Brazilian Independence Day.  In Brasília alone, roughly 25,000 supporters marched down the streets wearing black clothing; face paint, red clown noses and toting posters denouncing corrupt government officials.  The protesters dressed as clowns to contrast with their slogan that corrupt officials are the real clowns. 

President Dilma Rousseff took office just 9 months ago in January.  Since then her Chief of Staff as well as the Ministers of Tourism, Agriculture and Transport have been forced to resign. Ex-Chief of Staff, Antonio Palocci resigned when news broke that over the past four years his net worth increased to be 20 times greater than when he took office.  The three Ministers all stepped down amid claims of corruption; accepting bribes and skimming from public funds.  All four deny any wrongdoing.

The acquittal of Federal Deputy Jaqueline Roriz has also garnered intense public scrutiny and outcry.  In a secret vote by Congress, at the end of last month, Roriz was cleared of all charges.  She faced claims of accepting a bribe of $33,000 US in public funds back in 2006.  Roriz was caught on tape accepting the money.  Congress justified their decision with inadequate excuses that at the time she accepted the bribe, Roriz was not yet a federal deputy, she was only a state deputy.

Citizens are doubly upset.  Not only was a clearly corrupt official cleared of responsibility for her wrong-doing but it was done in an unrepresentative secret vote procedure.  This has undoubtedly furthered the culture of political impunity that currently exists.

Brazil’s Bar Association, combining with the Brazilian Press Association and Catholic Bishops’ Conference made calls for more transparency in government spending.  They are also demanding a new “Ficha Limpa” (Clean Criminal Record Law) to keep those with criminal records from running for elective office.  A final objective is to end the secret vote procedures used to protect officials. 

For more information, please see;

The Christian Science Monitor – Brazil Fights Corruption at Home as it Signs Open Government Partnership With the US – 20 September 2011

MercoPress – Hundreds of Brooms in Rio’s Beaches to Protest Brazilian Rampant Corruption – 20 September 2011

The Rio Times – Brazilians Protest and March Against Corruption – 13 September 2011

BBC News – Brazilians Rally Against Corruption – 7 September 2011

The Christian Science Monitor – Brazilians March Against Corruption to Mark Independence Day – 7 September 2011

BBC News – Brazil Corruption: President Loses Fourth Minister – 17 August 2011

BBC News – Brazil’s Chief Minister Antonio Palocci Resigns – 7 June 2011