Daily Headlines: August 15, 2016

* Argentina: Human rights group the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo held their 2000th weekly march in Buenos Aires days after the United States (US) declassified hundreds of documents related to actions during the “Dirty War” era.

* Cuba: Former Cuban president Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance to celebrate his 90th birthday and also penned a letter thanking his compatriots “for the signs of respect, greetings, and gifts” he has recently received.

* Puerto Rico: The US government declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico due to the spread of the Zika virus that has infected at least 10,000 people there.

* Guatemala: A Canadian legal aid group has called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to probe a local mining firm accused of allegedly using legal chicanery to prevent a referendum over a Guatemalan mine.

YouTube Source – teleSUR English

Online Sources – BBC News, The Bubble, Vice News, The Toronto Star, The Atlantic

Daily Headlines: April 19, 2013

* Guatemala: Judge Carol Patricia Flores annulled the genocide trial of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt on the grounds of a technicality though it’s unclear if a higher court will overrule her decision.

* South America: A rematch of last year’s Copa Libertadores final between current titleholders Corinthians of Brazil and Boca Juniors of Argentina is among the matches in the round of 16 in this year’s competition.

* Argentina: Pope Francis sent a message of support to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an Argentine group that for the past thirty-six years has protested the thousands of disappearances during the Dirty War period.

* U.S.: Sal Castro, a California social studies teacher and activist who played a key role in 1960s Chicano student walkouts, died at the age of 79.

Video Source – YouTube via user telesurenglish (Note that this video was posted shortly before a Guatemalan judge annulled the genocide trial of ex-strongman Efraín Ríos Montt).
 
Online Sources- Huffington Post, Christian Science Monitor, SI.com, Catholic Culture

Daily Headlines: May 1, 2012

* Argentina: A rally was held Monday night in Buenos Aires on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the first protest held by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo group.

* Colombia: President Juan Manuel Santos called on the FARC to free French journalist Romeo Langlois who has been missing since Saturday and is believed to have been kidnapped by the rebels.

* Chile: Work on the controversial El Morro copper mine project was suspended after the Supreme Court ruled against renewing its environmental permit.

* Venezuela: Opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and local human rights activists criticized President Hugo Chavez’ suggestion that Venezuela should withdraw from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Video Source – YouTube via TVPublicaArgentina

Online Sources- New American Media, CNN, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, CBS News

Daily Headlines: June 9, 2011

* Mexico: While ex-Tijuana mayor Jorge Hank Rhon faces embezzlement and weapons charges, thousands of his supporters protested and claimed that his arrest was politically motivated.

* U.S.: Top Congressional Republicans refused the Obama administration’s demand to link passing of free trade deals with Panama and Colombia to a program that helps those who lost their job due to workplace relocating abroad.

* Argentina: The federal government denied rumors that they gave housing subsidies to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Foundation.

* Peru: The countries main stock index rose by over 3% yesterday and is bouncing back after a massive 12.4% post-election nosedive on Monday.

Image – Reuters via BBC News (“Several thousand people came out in support of Mr. Hank Rhon in Tijuana.” The arrested opposition figure was reportedly planning to run for Baja California governor in 2013.)
Online Sources- UPI, Reuters, Buenos Aires Herald, The Latin Americanist

Weekend Headlines: March 5-6, 2011

* U.S.: Could a “wave of young Hispanic voters” make a difference in upcoming elections throughout the U.S.?

* Mexico: Twenty-year-old Marisol Valdes who last October became police chief of a northern Mexican town has reportedly fled across the border and sought asylum in the U.S.

* Haiti: Presidential candidate Mirlande Manigat bashed the recent resumption of deportations from the U.S. and claimed that it will “lead to an increase in Haiti's crime rate."

* Argentina: UNESCO awarded the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo in recognition of the group’s efforts defending human rights.

Image – Hispanically Speaking News
Online Sources- U.N. News Center, AFP, The Atlantic, The Guardian

Argentina’s “madres” for Nobel Prize?

Could one of Latin America’s most famous human rights groups be a favorite to win the next Nobel Peace Prize?

The Nobel Prize committee has officially accepted the candidacy of the iconic "Madres de la Plaza Mayo" for the prestigious international prize. “They deserve it for numerous reasons, aside from historical, including fighting against state-sponsored terrorism” said Argentine senator Daniel Filmus in explaining how the group served as a powerful symbol of opposition against Argentina’s “Dirty War” regime. If the campaign were successful then the Madres would join human rights activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel as the only Argentines to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

The “Madres”- a mostly female humanitarian organization- have accepted the Nobel candidacy but without keeping their eyes off their main goal:

The president of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, Estela de Carlotto, considered that the group’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is a “recognition of our efforts over many years.”

Nonetheless she admitted that just being nominated is an honor in itself and “our Nobel Prize will be the recuperating of our (disappeared) grandchildren.” – [ed. Translated text]

De Carlotto’s remarks came as she listened in to the guilty verdict issued against former military ruler Reynaldo Bignone. A judge sentenced Bignone to 25 years in jail for “Dirty War” human rights abuses including helping run Argentina’s largest torture center.

Image- Russia Today
Online Sources- El Financiero, EPA, BBC News, El Patagonico

Argentine court reverses controversial order

Last week we briefly mentioned the outrage in Argentina over a judge’s order to free fourteen men convicted of “Dirty War” atrocities. Though the leader of the human rights group Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo deemed the decision as a “slap in the face," the court decided that the men were held for several years without facing trial.

Only hours after the court’s asinine decision, another Argentine court prevented the travesty of justice:

An Argentine high court Friday suspended a controversial decision to grant bail to high-profile defendants accused of torturing and killing dissidents during the 1976-1983 dictatorship.

The court instead sent the cases to the Supreme Court after prosecutor Raul Plee appealed the ruling. The decision will keep the suspects behind bars until the Supreme Court ruling, at a date still to be determined.

One of those originally to be freed on bail was Alfredo Astiz, known as the "Blond Angel of Death" (image). Astiz had been held over the disappearance of two French nuns, a Swedish adolescent and the founder of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

Image- BBC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC News, AP, Reuters, AFP

Argentina: “Dirty War” parents sued for kidnapping

A 30-year-old Argentine woman has become the first person to take legal action against her adoptive parents who she alleges adopted her illegally during the “Dirty War.” Maria Eugenia Sampallo took the action against her adoptive parents and the army captain accused of handing her over to them after her biological parents were presumably killed during Argentina’s military regime between 1976 and 1983.

One Argentine legislator believes that Sampallo is doing the right thing:

"This is a brave decision," said Victoria Donda, the first known child of disappeared political prisoners to become a lawmaker in Argentina.

"This decision builds a path to justice, which is what our nation needs," she added. "I've come to support her because I think it's really important to be here."

Sampallo found out about her true identity with the help of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo- a group of mothers and grandmothers who have sought for justice for those “disappeared” and killed during the “Dirty War.”

The issue of children that were “adopted” between 1976 and 1983 has been a very sensitive subject in Argentina though it has been the basis for films and telenovelas.

Sources- Associated Press, Prensa Latina, Reuters UK, Wikipedia, The Village Voice, The Latin Americanist

Image- NPR (“[In 2006], demonstrators unfurl banners that stretch the length of two football fields, containing photographs of the victims of Argentina's military junta”)

Daily Headlines: February 3, 2008

Note: Apologies for the lack of posts on Saturday; we had problems with the internet connection here at Latin Americanist HQ.

* The massacre of eleven people in Guyana last weekend highlights the problem of crime in the Caribbean according to the Economist.com.

* A defense witness in the case against ex-Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori claimed that the country engaged in a “dirty war” years before Fujimori came to power in 1990.

* A former torture center during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship has been transformed into a cultural center by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

* Follow-up: Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said he will sign an anti-immigrant pledge promoted by an Alabama senator. This comes over two weeks since he endorsed a similar oath.

Sources- Economist.com, CBS News, the Latin Americanist, AFP, BBC News

Image- BBC News (“Residents (in Guyana) demanded greater protection from security forces.”)

Daily Headlines: January 30, 2008

* Colombian guerrilla leader Ricardo Palmera was sentenced to sixty years in prison by a U.S. federal court.

* Famed Uruguayan novelist Mario Benedetti is gradually recovering after having been hospitalized last week according to doctors.

* Six members of Argentina’s Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo ended a protest where they had barricaded themselves inside a Buenos Aires church.

* Soccer teams in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America will soon compete in a new tournament similar to Europe’s Champions League.

Sources (English)- Reuters Canada, New York Times, Wikipedia

Sources (Spanish)- Milenio, El Pais

Image- BBC News

“Dirty War” leaders face justice

Last night’s march by The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (image) was a fitting end to the week where three former leaders during Argentina’s “Dirty War” period suffered legal setbacks.

On Wednesday a federal court overturned the pardons to ex-president Jorge Rafael Videla and naval chief Eduardo Massera, which would force them to serve previous life sentences for human rights violations. Though the decision was largely symbolic since Videla and Massera are currently under house arrest for other crimes, human rights activists and families of “Dirty War” victims were pleased with the court’s ruling:

“‘This restores the route to justice and democracy,’ said Andrea Pochak of the Centre for Legal and Social Studies, a human rights group that has followed dirty war cases. ‘It is a gesture of vital importance for the future.’”

In addition, former president Reynaldo Bignone will go on trial with six others after being accused of kidnapping babies of people killed and “disappeared” in the early 1980s. Thousands of Argentines grew up with foster parents after being forcefully separated from their parents who were politically persecuted. The issue remains a sensible one and has even been portrayed in a popular Argentine telenovela.

Links- Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC News, The Latin Americanist

Image- BBC News