Daily Headlines: February 27, 2012

* Cuba: Dissident Oswaldo Paya and blogger Yoani Sanchez were among the 231 nominees selected for this year’s edition of the Nobel Peace Prize.

* Honduras: A Supreme Court spokesperson claimed that under Honduran law an inmate praised for saving lives in a recent deadly prison fire cannot receive a presidential pardon.

* Spain: Baltasar Garzon, best known for indicting ex-Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, was cleared of “overstepping his jurisdiction” by investigating possible abuses during the Spanish Civil War.

* Brazil: A "high-impact discovery" that could contain at least 250 million barrels of oil was found about 120 miles off the Brazilian coast.

Image Source – Flickr via ceslava.com (Will Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez win the Nobel Peace Prize?) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- ABC Online, Honduras Weekly, The Latin Americanist, The Guardian, CBS News

Spanish board suspends justice Garzon

A Spanish judge famed for attempting to put on trial an ex-Chilean strongman as suspended from his post.

Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary unanimously decided to suspend Baltasar Garzon over an alleged abuse of powers in 2008. Garzon faces trial over his attempted inquiry into atrocities during the era of the late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Garzon would eventually drop the investigation due to Spain’s amnesty laws yet conservatives who claim that he’s attempting to “reopen old wounds” have hounded him.

The decision by the General Council may scuttle Garzon’s plans for a transfer to work at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. In the meantime, Garzon faces two other trials of suspected abuse of authority, which have been denounced by his supporters in Spain.

Garzon is perhaps best known globally for his crusade against Augusto Pinochet starting in 1998 when he first issued an arrest warrant against him. Some Chileans who wished to see Pinochet tried for human rights abuses praised Garzon’s application of international law via the concept of universal jurisdiction:

Under Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile, from 1974 to 1990, as many as 30,000 people vanished or were killed for their political beliefs. Many were students, labor leaders, intellectuals and others considered to be leftist insurgents.

After 18 months, British authorities decided Pinochet was too frail to stand trial, and allowed him to go home to Chile. A Chilean judge ruled in 2004 that Pinochet was healthy enough to stand trial, but the former dictator died two years later at a Chilean military hospital at the age of 91.

The suspension was criticized by human rights groups including one Human Rights Watch official who told The Guardian that "Garzón helped to deliver justice for atrocity victims abroad and now he's being punished for trying to do the same thing at home."

Image- The Guardian
Online Sources- The Guardian, BBC News, Reuters, CNN

Weekend Headlines: March 27-28, 2010

* Spain: Judge Baltazar Garzon- best known for indicting ex-Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet- could be charged with “abuse of power” in investigating Spanish civil war crimes.

* El Salvador: On the thirtieth anniversary of the murder of Oscar Romero El Salvador’s government formally apologized for his death as a "victim of illegal violence".

* Peru: Workers at mines owned by Buenaventura may strike over the weekend due to a supposedly insufficient sharing of profits.

* Colombia: In a shocking incident a twelve-year-old boy died after unknowingly carrying a package bomb into a local police station.

Image – Guardian UK
Online Sources- AP, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald

Daily Headlines: December 3, 2009

* Chile: Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón ordered that the widow of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet post a $77 million bond after being suspected of money laundering for her late husband.

* Venezuela: After having nationalized several private banks earlier this week Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez threatened more banks with state intervention.

* Mexico: Authorities discovered a tunnel below the U.S.-Mexico measuring nearly 1000 feet in length.

* Latin America: According to the World Bank, Latin America is in a better position than other regions to survive the effects of a possible Dubai debt default.

Image – CNN

Online Sources- Bloomberg, Reuters, MSNBC, New York Times, The Latin Americanist

ETA targeted famed Spanish judge

The infamous Basque separatist group ETA attempted to assassinate crusading Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon.

According to the Spanish press, the group planned to kill Garzon by using poisoned brandy delivered to the judge via a false admirer. The smooth liquor was to be accompanied by a note praising his role in several high profile human rights cases such as the 1998 attempt to extradite ex-Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet.

The plot was uncovered by police among several shredded documents in the possession of ETA military chief Jurdan Martitegi who was arrested earlier this year.

Garzon aimed his crosshairs in April at several members of the Bush administration for alledgedly permitting torture at the Guantanamo detention center. His desire for justice for the Spanish victims under the dictatorship of the late Francisco Franco may’ve gone too far:

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, who is known for pursuing alleged human rights abuses worldwide, is facing a court investigation on charges of professional misconduct…

The Supreme Court has agreed to probe a complaint lodged by the tiny far-right trade union Manos Limpias, which accuses Garzon of having investigated the alleged human rights violations of Spain's 1939-75 dictator Francisco Franco without having the authority to do so.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- Monsters & Critics, Typically Spanish, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist

Spanish judge to investigate Gitmo abuses

A Spanish magistrate said that he will investigate abuses committed at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

In a ruling issued on Wednesday, Judge Baltasar Garzon said that he will probe the "perpetrators, the instigators, the necessary collaborators and accomplices" behind illicit actions taken at Gitmo. The judge mentioned that recently declassified papers “revealed what was previously a suspicion: the existence of an authorized and systematic program of torture and mistreatment of persons deprived of their freedom”.

Garzon’s move came after four former detainees detailed torture allegations including "sexual abuse" and "beating". (Two of them were acquitted and “similar charges against two others were shelved.”)

Garzon’s decision was unrelated to a separate investigation against several former White House officials including ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Spanish Attorney General Candido Conde-Pumpido declared weeks ago that that case had “no merit” and could be used as a political “toy.”

Image- javno.hr
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, AFP, CNN

Spain considers dropping case vs. ex-Bush officials

Spain's top prosecutor rejected going ahead with a criminal case against six former Bush administration officials including ex-attorney general Alberto Gonzales.

Spanish Attorney General Candido Conde-Pumpido said that the case against Gonzales and co. for their role in torturing detainees at Guantanamo Bay had "no merit" and that the case should be directed at those “who physically carried…out" the abuses. Furthermore, she warned that the case could easily become a “toy in the hands of people who are trying to do a political action."

The ultimate decision on whether or not the case moves forward rests on the shoulders of investigating judge Baltasar Garzon. He is best-known for bringing charges against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998 though he has also led investigations against abuses in Argentina and El Salvador.

Politics may come into play since Spain is eager to strengthen ties with the U.S.:

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is seeking to improve U.S. relations, which have been strained since he pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq in 2004 after al-Qaeda bomb attacks in Madrid. Zapatero, a Socialist, met President Barack Obama on April 5 in Prague, where Obama said he was happy to call Zapatero a “friend.”

Image- BBC News (“Some (Gitmo) inmates were subjected to controversial interrogation techniques.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, CNN, Bloomberg, AFP, The Latin Americanist

Notable Quotables: Stay

“If I were they, I would think carefully before setting foot outside the United States. They are now, and forever in the future, at risk of arrest. Until this is sorted out, they are in their own legal black hole.”

--- British human rights attorney Philippe Sands remarked in reference to the six former White House officials indicted by Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon.

As we recently mentioned, ex-attorney general Alberto Gonzales and five others have been named in a criminal case regarding human rights abuses at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Garzon is best-known for issuing an arrest warrant against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet several years ago. Garzon’s tireless crusade has earned him the wrath of supporters of the late Spanish fascist strongman Francisco Franco as well as criticism from Venezuela’s government.

(Hat tip: The Daily Dish.)

Image- Der Spiegel (Alberto Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007).
Online Sources- The New Yorker, The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, The Daily Dish

Baltasar Garzon aims at ex-Bush officials

The Spanish judge famous for trying to prosecute the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has now set his sights on six former Bush era officials.

Judge Baltasar Garzon has requested that prosecutors examine a complaint filed last year against former attorney general Alberto Gonzales and five others. The criminal case corresponds to allegations over human rights abuses at the controversial prison camp at the Guantanamo Bay military base. Spanish officials will decide if the case has merit; “if the case is opened, an investigation would be required, testimony and so on. There is a long way to go," said one senior Spanish official over the weekend.

There has been little comment from Gonzales and the others accused under an international law doctrine known as the principle of universal justice:

"The charges as related to me make no sense," (ex-undersecretary of defense for policy Douglas) Feith said Saturday. "They criticize me for promoting a controversial position that I never advocated"…

Spanish law allows courts to reach beyond national borders in cases of torture or war crimes under a doctrine of universal justice, though the government has recently said it hopes to limit the scope of the legal process.

Garzon became famous for bringing charges against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998, and he and other Spanish judges have agreed to investigate alleged abuses everywhere from Tibet to Argentina's "dirty war," El Salvador and Rwanda.

Still, the country's record in prosecuting such cases has been spotty at best, with only one suspect extradited to Spain so far.

(Hat tip: FARK.com).

Image- CTV.ca (“Former-Attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales testifies during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2005.”)
Online Sources- FARK.com, Los Angeles Times, washingtonpost.com, New York Times

Daily Headlines: October 20, 2008

* U.S.: According to a recent study 39.3% of Latinas in their 50s have osteoarthritis while roughly 42% of Latinas are obese.

* Latin America: Colombia’s Juanes, Mexico’s Café Tacuba, and Chile’s Kudai were among the winners at the MTV Latin America awards held last week. (Katy who?)

* Spain: In an unsurprising note, officials who served under ex-strongman Francisco Franco are angry at crusading judge Baltasar Garzon.

* Panama: Authorities have removed Chinese candy and cookies that were found with traces of an industrial chemical called melamine.

Image- abc.net.au
Sources- IHT, AFP, newsday.com, Reuters, independent.ie, The Latin Americanist

Pinochet judge to investigate Spanish disappearances

The Spanish judge who tried to prosecute the late Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet has now set his sights on thousands of “disappeared” Spaniards.

Judge Baltasar Garzon (image) said that he will look into those who vanished during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship of Francisco Franco. In doing so, Garzon has ordered that nineteen mass graves be opened including one that supposedly has the remains of famed poet Federico Garcia Lorca.

Garzon’s ruling is expected to face opposition from conservatives as well as some prosecutors. Nevertheless, the judge suspects that the Franco regime systematically tortured and killed leftist opponents:

The Franco regime, Judge Garzón wrote, “used all its resources to locate, identify and grant reparations to the victims from the winning side but did not give the same respect to the losers, who were persecuted, jailed, disappeared and tortured.” The disappearances, he concluded, constitute “crimes against humanity.”

Image- BBC News (“Judge Garzon is famous for crimes-against-humanity cases”.)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, IPS, AFP, New York Times, Times Online, Voice of America

Daily Headlines: June 22, 2007

* The ex-governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (image) sits behind bars after being accused of helping smuggle over 200 tons of cocaine into the U.S.

* Baltasar Garzon- the Spanish judge that issued an arrest warrant against Augusto Pinochet- faces accusations by Venezuela’s government after criticizing them for the RCTV affair.

* Hollywood has maps of the stars. Santiago, Chile has maps of torture centers during the Pinochet era.

* Ecuador’s government has requested the U.N. to place the Galapagos Islands on its list of endangered locations.

Sources- Yahoo! News, Reuters AlertNet, Guardian UK, CNN

Image- BBC News