Chile Convicts 106 in One of the Country’s Largest Mass Prosecutions, Declines to Investigate Unlawful Detention of Indigenous Peoples Activist

June 20, 2017

By: Max Cohen
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – 106 former intelligence agents were sentenced by Judge Hernan Cristoso, in one of the largest mass prosecutions for human rights abuses. The agents were sentenced for their roles in the disappearances of 16 leftist militants during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, which lasted from 1973-1990. 13 additional agents who had been charged were absolved from sentencing by the Chilean Judiciary. The sentences range from just over a year and a half to 20 years.

Dictator Augusto Pinochet, who controlled Chile from 1973-1990, and was responsible for the torture and deaths of thousands of people. Photo courtesy of AFP.

The abducted militants were reportedly sent to various torture and detention centers in Santiago between June 1974 and January 1975, and were never seen alive again. Their deaths were then covered up by the Chilean secret police by planting stories in foreign newspapers to imply that they had been killed fighting abroad as a way of absolving the government. Approximately 3,000 people disappeared and 30,000 were tortured during Pinochet’s rule. The disappearances were a part of Operation Condor, conducted by Chile in league with other South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil, which resulted in tens of thousands of activist deaths across the region. It was also motivated by the freshly established Pinochet government to consolidate its power.

Many of the agents who were convicted were already serving sentences for the human rights abuses they had committed. Also among those convicted were two former generals, Cesar Manriquez Bravo and Raul Iturriaga Neumann.

In addition to the criminal penalties for those involved, the current Chilean government was also ordered to pay 5 million Chilean pesos, equivalent to 7.5 million dollars, to the families of the victims as compensation.

Chile has also been criticized recently by Amnesty International for the decision by its Temuco Public Prosecutors Office to close an investigation into the unlawful detention of Victor Queipul Hueiquil, an activist for the rights of indigenous peoples in the country. Victor was reportedly detained for an entire day when police carried out an operation on the land of the Autonomous Community of Temucuicui. During the time of his detention he was allegedly blindfolded, tied up, and beaten while being interrogated.

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Chile: Closure of investigation into crimes against Mapuche leader puts indigenous people at risk – 17 May, 2017

BBC – Chilean judge sends 106 former secret agents to prison – 2 June, 2017

CNN – Chile convicts 106 former intelligence agents – 3 June, 2017

teleSUR – Chile Judge Jails 106 Ex-Agents of Pinochet Dictatorship – 3 June, 2017

UPI – Chile judge sentences 106 intelligence agents for kidnappings – 3 June, 2017

Syria Deeply: Civilians under fire in Raqqa, a polio outbreak in Deir Ezzor and barrel bombs in Daraa

June 16, 2017

Jun. 16th, 2017

Welcome to our weekly summary of Syria Deeply’s top coverage of crisis in Syria.

Civilians under fire in Raqqa: A United Nations war crimes investigation found that at least 300 civilians were killed in coalition airstrikes in Raqqa since March. At least 200 of these civilian deaths happened in one village, al-Mansoura, according to Karen Abuzayd, an American commissioner on the U.N. Commission of Inquiry.

In its new report “Key Concerns for Raqqa Battle,” Human Rights Watch emphasized that all sides fighting in the battle for Raqqa should not just be focused on “defeating ISIS, but also about protecting and assisting the civilians who have suffered under ISIS rule for three and a half years,” said Lama Fakih, HRW’s deputy Middle East director. Areas of particular concern for civilian protection are minimizing civilian casualties, respecting detainee rights and safe passage and support for displaced people, according to HRW.

The U.N. estimates that roughly 400,000 civilians remain in the province of Raqqa, and about half are in Raqqa city. Nearly 3,500 people have been displaced from Raqqa since the start of this month, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advanced further into Raqqa city this week, reportedly reaching the walls of the Old City.

Polio outbreak in Idlib: The World Health Organization confirmed and is monitoring an outbreak of polio in the province of Deir Ezzor.

The outbreak began after the virus was detected in two children – in March and May – who have been paralyzed as a result. A third child tested positive for the strain, but has not been paralyzed. These are the first cases of polio in Syria since 2014.

A vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was detected in the affected children, which can result from underimmunization of a community.

In order to eradicate the virus, close to 80 percent of children in a community must be vaccinated. However “access for vaccination is compromised due to prevailing insecurity” in ISIS-controlled Deir Ezzor, according to WHO.

Southern Syria: The Syrian government and its allies stepped up their offensive in the southern province of Daraa.

Early in the week, rebel groups and Syrian pro-government forces were locked in fierce fighting around the city’s Palestinian refugee camp.

Syrian army helicopters dropped at least 36 barrel bombs on various towns in the southern province on Thursday, and at least 50 on Daraa city the previous day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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New Tactics in Human Rights: Worried About the Future of Rights in America?

June 16, 2017

Newsletter | June 2017

Worried About the Future of Rights in America?

We can help you take action.

Since its founding in 1999, New Tactics in Human Rights has focused its training and resources on supporting human rights activists in other countries. Today, the changing political climate in the U.S. is inspiring new advocacy efforts to protect and promote civil rights. In response, New Tactics is now offering US-focused training workshops; modularized courses to build strategic and tactical capacity for domestic activists, based on our Strategic Effectiveness Method.

Refined over sixteen years of international advocacy experience, our method helps organizations that want to protect and promote rights to do their work more effectively by providing a framework and tools through which to be more strategic, focused and flexible.

Our method has already been used by groups in the U.S. to successfully protect and promote a wide range of rights. U.S. human rights and civil liberties organizations used the method to form powerful coalitions to fight the U.S. use of torture and cruelty in post-9/11 counterterrorism operations.

The value of our new US-focused training workshops is in gathering the members of your organization together to work through our methodology. Many minds and thoughts add value to the process, resulting in a campaign that is better and stronger. The trainings are conducted in-person by highly experienced New Tactics trainers, and are customized to your organization and its specific issue, helping to move your work forward in an effective and strategic manner.

All workshops are designed for one trainer and a small group of participants for maximum participation and effective interactions. Details on our workshops can be found below or on our website at www.newtactics.org/training/workshops. For further information including costs for larger groups or to schedule a workshop, please contact Emily Hutchinson at NTWorkshops@cvt.org.

At New Tactics, we inspire and equip activists to change the world. We hope you will join us by participating in and sharing these exciting new training offerings.

HALF-DAY WORKSHOP

INTRODUCTION TO THE METHOD
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to gain an overview of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and learn how to use the New Tactics Tactical Mapping tool. As a result, participants will gain a basic understanding of the Strategic Effectiveness Method steps and will use the Tactical Mapping Tool to explore new ways of approaching their issue. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has no limit on the number of participants.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS

THE POWER OF HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED ADVOCACY
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations seeking to ground their advocacy work within a human rights-based approach and focus on clear and specific human-rights framed issues as the basis for effective action.

As a result, participants will complete the training with a human rights-based problem statement ready for advocacy application. This workshop covers Step 1—“Identify the Problem”— and has a limit of twenty participants. [Note: this module does include developing a human rights-based vision statement – see Two-Day Workshop below]

COALITION BUILDING: EXPLORE YOUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to explore new opportunities for coalition building and already have a clear human rights-based problem and vision framework. As a result, participants will acquire valuable tools to identify relevant and often surprising actors and relationships that can be leveraged to expand the range of potential allies and opportunities for collaborations. This workshop covers Step 3—“Map the Terrain”—and has a limit of twenty participants.

TACTICAL INNOVATION: THE SOURCE OF FLEXIBILITY & SURPRISE
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to learn how to identify and select tactics that are flexible, innovative, engaging, and surprising to opponents. As a result, participants will explore, learn, and exchange a variety of tactics and will leave with an expanded range of ideas to try in their own advocacy efforts. This workshop covers Step 5—“Take Action”—and has a limit of twenty participants.

TWO-DAY WORKSHOPS

SKILL BUILDING IN HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED ADVOCACY
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to advance their advocacy efforts based on clearly defined human rights-based problem and vision statements. As a result, participants will understand and develop a clear and specific human-rights framed problem statement as the basis for their advocacy action. In addition, participants will develop and refine a unifying human rights-based vision statement to enable inspirational advocacy messaging. This workshop covers Step 1 and Step 2—“Identify the Problem” and “Create your Vision”— and has a limit of twenty participants.

STRATEGIC ADVOCACY: PLANNING YOUR CAMPAIGN
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that already use a human rights-based problem and vision framework and want to strategically plan a specific advocacy campaign. As a result, participants will develop goals and identify specific tactical targets that are grounded in their problem and vision framework. Participants will also identify concrete outcomes for their advocacy plan which will help them to monitor their progress. This workshop covers Steps 3, 4, and 5, and has a limit of twenty participants.

THREE-DAY WORKSHOP

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD – FAST TRACK
This workshop is most appropriate for one organization (or an organization along with their identified network members) that has already identified a specific issue and wants to develop a human rights-based strategic advocacy plan. As a result, participants use the hands-on skill building 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method to develop a concrete action plan which can be utilized to guide and monitor their progress. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants. (See components listed under the “Five Day Workshop – Strategic Effectiveness Method”).

FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD
This workshop is most appropriate for grant-making organizations that want to provide their network of grantees with strategic thinking and tactical innovation skills. The workshop provides organizations with the 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method – a hands-on, skill building method for developing human rights-based strategic advocacy action plans. As a result, participants will define human rights-based problem and vision statements, explore, learn, and exchange tactic ideas, and use the Strategic Effectiveness Method to develop a “journey of change” including specific advocacy goals and action plan. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants.

FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP + MENTORING

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD FACILITATOR TRAINING
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that are committed to integrating the Strategic Effectiveness Method into their advocacy efforts on a long-term basis and have one or more trainers on staff with the commitment to learn and implement the method. The organization must complete an application process prior to inclusion in the workshop. As a result, trainees will develop and practice skills in facilitating the 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method, including peer-to-peer practice. They will then receive direct and virtual feedback and mentoring for 3 months as they train, facilitate and apply the method with a selected organization or group. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants.

Further information about the Strategic Effectiveness Method exists on the New Tactics website, including materials for each step that may be downloaded for free.

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Center for Victims of Torture – New Tactics in Human Rights

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Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: Coalition Airstrikes in Syria and the Issue of Civilian Harm

June 16, 2017

SJAC Update | June 15, 2017

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Home of activist Wassim Abdo in Tabqa where his family was killed allegedly by US airstrike

Coalition Airstrikes in Syria and the Issue of Civilian Harm

As the US-led global coalition fights the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Syrian Democratic Forces, the coalition’s partner on the ground, have advanced on Raqqa. But as ISIS’s so-called capital and military stronghold is giving way, civilians have been stuck in the middle of intense fighting. Between August 2014 and April 2017, the Coalition conducted over 20,000 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, but since US President Donald Trump took office in January, the number of airstrikes in Syria has increased significantly with over 2,800 strikes in the past five months. As the fighting has moved closer to population hubs like Raqqa, the strikes have taken a toll on civilians. While it is difficult to verify every claim of civilian death, the number of civilians the Coalition has confirmed dead in both Iraq and Syria increased by 90% from January to April as compared to all of 2016. According to statistics compiled by Airwars. from January to June, there have been 977 reports of civilian causalities that are unconfirmed but credible (“reasonable level of public reporting of alleged incident from two or more generally credible sources, often with biographical, photographic or video evidence”), a stark increase from the previous year.

Through the Coalition’s strategy of insulating ISIS by bombing bridges and ISIS’s strategy of using civilians as human shields, the fighting has severely hindered civilians from escaping Raqqa. Those who are able to flee the city have sometimes been met with a shortage of humanitarian supplies. Increased airstrikes, an inadequate humanitarian response, alleged abuses by SDF affiliated forces, and a lack of accountability have led to increased resentment among the local population that will be difficult to overcome as anti-ISIS forces attempt to reestablish security in the area. In Iraq, for example, civilian casualties due to Coalition airstrikes caused such anger in Mosul that in late May, Iraqi forces halted their efforts to in order to reassess tactics.

The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) is a Syrian-led and multilaterally supported nonprofit that envisions a Syria where people live in a state defined by justice, respect for human rights, and rule of law. SJAC collects, analyzes, and preserves human rights law violations by all parties in the conflict — creating a central repository to strengthen accountability and support transitional justice and peace-building efforts. SJAC also conducts research to better understand Syrian opinions and perspectives, provides expertise and resources, conducts awareness-raising activities, and contributes to the development of locally appropriate transitional justice and accountability mechanisms. Contact us at info@syriaaccountability.org.

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Members of Venezuelan Government Opposition Barred From Travel and Protests Intensify as Maduro Seeks to Change Constitution

June 14, 2017

By: Max Cohen
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela -Paulina Facchin, a representative of the Venezuelan opposition group Mesa de la Unidad Democratica in Peru, was barred back in January from getting her Venezuelan passport for the charge of “inciting hatred”. Ms. Facchin had previously done an interview with Peruvian press in which she was deeply critical of the current crisis in Venezuela, and had driven around an opposition legislator during his visit there. Then in mid-May, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition party Henrique Capriles was barred from travelling to New York to meet with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein.

A protestor brandishes a molotov cocktail during a march by healthcare workers. Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.

The protests in Venezuela meanwhile, have only grown more violent and out of control. In one example, a lynch mob drenched a person in gasoline and lit them on fire. The violence of the protestors has been met by the government with escalating deadly force. At least 55 people on both sides have been killed in the past seven weeks, with more than a thousand injured. However, it should be noted that the protestors have largely been peaceful, and the ones causing violence appear to be in the minority.

As his people protest in the street, Maduro is seeking to put together a constituent assembly to rewrite Venezuela’s constitution. Critics however, fear that his success in doing so would only further escalate the violence

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Harassing Opposition Activists Abroad – 30 May, 2017

Washington Post – Venezuela is sliding into anarchy – 24 May, 2017

UN News Centre – Venezuela: UN human rights chief regrets opposition leader being blocked to travel – 19 May, 2017