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

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia — Amnesty International released a new report today demanding more action from the Colombian government and justice for women and girls in Colombia who have been long-time victims of physical and sexual abuse through out the country’s 45-year civil war.

Despite claims of progress by the Colombia government, Amnesty reports that acts of sexual violence have almost doubled in the past decade. In 2010, the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science reported 20,142 cases of sexual crime in Colombia compared to 12,732 cases in 2000. The actual number of sexual crime cases, however, is most likely a much larger number since eight out of ten cases typically go unreported by victims due to fear or shame.

Susan Lee, a director at Amnesty International, stated in the report that women are being used as “trophies of war” and that the issue of sexual violence within the military is being swept under the rug by government officials.

Included in the report were gruesome testimonies of emotional and physical suffering by Colombian women who have fallen victim to rape by paramilitary.

Shirley (name change) came forward in 2008 and told her story “so people would know this sort of thing happens.”  She stated that she was raped continuously by over 35 men for three months in 2005 until she managed to escape. None of the men she identified to authorities, however, are in jail.

“I couldn’t even tell when I was having my period, because I bled all the time. There were so many men,” she stated.

In response, the Colombian government placed Shirley in “safe housing” with other victims and — ironically– her rapists that had left the paramilitary years earlier.

Other testimony include that of women who were raped and tortured for attempting to report crimes of sexual violence to the authorities. According to a victim, although the Office of the Attorney General rehoused her, she was only afforded protection for a year and then kicked out of the protection program.

Obstacles to justice for women of sexual crime include: a lack of political and historical tradition of taking initiative in addressing these crimes, poor judicial training, and the fact that rape is not considered a crime under International law.

Amnesty International is calling for the International Criminal Court to step in and take action if the Colombian authorities continue to make crimes of sexual violence by armed men an invisible issue.

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Colombian authorities fail survivors of sexual violence – 21 September 2011

BBC News – Amnesty: Colombian women treated as ‘war trophies’ – 21 September 2011

Colombia Reports – Colombia is failing victims of sexual violence: Amnesty International – 21 September 2011

Trust Law – Colombia failing victims of sexual violence- Amnesty – 21 September 2011