Daily Headlines: August 19, 2016

* Bolivia: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization believes Bolivia is safe from food shortages despite going through one of its worst droughts in decades.

* Colombia: Polls show most Colombians would back voting in a plebiscite for a planed peace deal with the FARC though support varies from a little more than half to as high as 67%.

* Mexico: Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission accused the police of killing twenty-two people in extrajudicial executions last May and trying to cover up the murders.

* Honduras: Approximately one-third of the senior police officers in Honduras have been fired as part of a push to eliminate corruption within law enforcement.

YouTube Source – CCTV News (From March 2016: “Lake Poopo was Bolivia’s second largest. It started to dry up in late 2014, and by December last year it evaporated. Scientists said a drought linked to El Nino, as well as the diversion of rivers for mining and farming, have all played a part in Lake Poopo’s latest disappearance.”)
 
Online Sources – Deutsche Welle, Xinhua, BBC News, Colombia Reports

Daily Headlines: February 17, 2016

* Brazil: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff affirmed that the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will be held as scheduled later this year despite concerns over the impact of the Zika virus outbreak.

* Venezuela: The opposition-led legislature approved a measure that could pardon some seventy-five imprisoned political dissidents such as Leopoldo Lopez.

* Argentina: The Argentine government allegedly reached a deal with holdout creditors to repay debt from the country’s $100 billion default in 2002.

* Colombia: Police chief Rodolfo Palomino resigned over rumors of young cadets were forced to serve as male prostitutes for senior officials and politicians.

YouTube Source – CNN
 
Online Sources – MercoPress, ESPN, Colombia Reportd, Reuters, Yahoo News

Daily Headlines: August 4, 2015

* Ecuador: Leaked intelligence documents reportedly showed that Ecuadoran spies obtained private information of legislators, human rights activists and other political opponents.

* Colombia: The Colombian government proposed purchasing some 2.5 million acres of unused farmland to redistribute among victims of the decades-long armed conflict.

* U.S.: Donald Trump may have boasted that Latino voters “love” him but a new poll indicated that 75% of Latinos view the Republican presidential candidate negatively.

* Brazil: An Amnesty International report released one year prior to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics accused the city’s police of killing 5123 people from 2005 to 2014.

YouTube Source – AFP (“Some 800 indigenous activists accompanied by workers unions marched in protest of the government of President Rafael Correa (last March), demanding that the land of their ancestors be returned.”)

Online Sources – Time, The Independent, NBC News, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: June 2, 2015

* U.S.: Roughly one out of every four victims of killed by police in the U.S. is Latino according to “an analysis of public records, local news reports and (The) Guardian reporting.”

* Venezuela: Several thousand people in Venezuela and in major cities participated in anti-government rallies on Saturday though the main opposition coalition abstained from participating.

* Cuba: The U.S. and Cuba are one step closer to reopening their respective embassies after the Caribbean island was removed last Friday from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

* Mexico: Roberta Jacobson, the highest-ranking State Department official for Latin America, will reportedly be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

YouTube Source – The Times of India (“Several Pasco residents who watched the video of an undocumented orchard worker from Mexico get shot and killed by police on Feb. 10 are still shocked and bewildered by what it shows, even if they first saw it more than a week ago.”)
 
Online Sources – The Guardian, The Huffington Post, NPR, The Hill

Daily Headlines: June 27, 2012

* Ecuador: “Thousands of people asking the Ecuadorian government to accord asylum to Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sent a steady stream of messages saying why they support him,” according to a public statement.

* Bolivia: The government announced that it reached a deal with striking police officers after a week of protests throughout Bolivia.

* Cuba: A U.S. judge issued a temporary injunction against a new Florida law that would ban companies from getting government contracts if they also do business in Cuba or Syria.

* Latin America: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao ended a tour of Latin America by proposing to set up a $10 billion credit line to the region for infrastructural projects.

Video Source – YouTube via Voice of America

Online Sources- The Australian, CBS News, Reuters

Daily Headlines: June 26, 2012

* Bolivia: Despite calls by the government to “avoid any bloodshed” scores of police on strike clashed with supporters of President Evo Morales in La Paz yesterday.

* U.S.: Hours after the Supreme Court issued a mixed ruling on Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law the Justice Department set up a hotline to report "potential civil rights concerns" related to that law.

* Ecuador: The last surviving member of the Pinta Island subspecies of giant tortoises died on the Galapagos Islands on Sunday.

* Argentina: China is seeking to deepen its economic ties to Latin America by signing a series of agricultural agreements with Argentina.

Video Source – YouTube via CNN

Online Sources- BBC News, CBS News, CNN, Bernama, The Latin Americanist

Ecuador's Correa targeted in supposed coup attempt (Updated)

Update (11:30pm):

We end today's coverage of the tension in Ecuador with the following video of a portion of Correa's speech tonight. (Skip to the 1:30 mark to hear Correa address his followers in Quito):

Update (11:05 pm):

In an emotional speech from the balcony of the presidential palace Correa bemoaned the "unnecessary spilling of blood" during a very turbulent Thursday. He thanked those police and military who were loyal to him as well as the support from leaders throughout the Americas.

Correa accused opposition forces of "infiltrating the police" and said that the officers how protested against him where taken advantage of by those who want to defeat them such as followers of former president Lucio Gutierrez. He vowed that those responsible for Thursday's "insurrection" will not be exempt from punishment for their actions.

"We must use all of our energy, all of our conviction...to ensure that the citizens' revolution shall never be stopped," concluded Correa at the end of his address.

Update (10:35 pm):

President Correa left the hospital in one of two vehicles guarded by special operations troops. Ecuavisa said that he is one his way to the presidential palace and will later give a televised speech.

The following video shows some of the battle between protesting police and military loyal to Correa that took place minutes ago:

Update (10:15pm):

According to Ecuador's El Universo the gunfight occurred as the military attempted to take control of the Quito police hospital with the aim of getting Correa safely out of the clinic.

Footage from Ecuavisa International showed an SUV go inside one of the entrances before departing for an as yet unknown destination. It is also unknown if Correa was in that vehicle or if the military has gained complete control of the hospital area.

Update (10:10pm):

Footage from Ecuadorian television (Ecuavisa International) is showing an intense gunfire occurring in the environs of the Quito hospital where President Correa has been staying. It is rumored that protesting police and troops loyal to the president are battling.

More details to come momentarily.

Update (9:00pm):

According to the government at least one person is dead as a result of today's incidents. "We cannot accept these acts of violence," said internal security minister Miguel Carvajal earlier tonight.

Update (8:30pm):

A group of demonstrators tried to take over the studios of Ecuador TV earlier tonight. "They are attacking our comrades in the master control room" said a presenter live on the air who later interviewed one of the protesters. The "young university student" claimed that the protest was done "by a portion of the population... (who) disagrees with his (President Correa's) actions."

Previously it was reported that the protesters attempted to topple a TV antenna in Quito several hours after the state of siege was declared. (All TV stations were obligated to air the signal from public channel Ecuador TV.) The antenna, located on Pichincha hill, also controls the signals for the only other station on the air: government-run Gama TV.

Update (7:45pm):

Is President Correa, who remains in hospital after being injured this afternoon, being held there against his will? Police chief Freddy Martínez has denied that rumor.

According to the local press, Correa met with representatives from the police who demonstrated against the government today. A spokesman claimed that Correa decided to keep a system of bonuses for promoted officers. (Yesterday Correa reportedly decreed to scrap that system; a decision that caused was not well received by some cops and soldiers).

Update (6:45pm):

The Organization of American States (OAS) unanimously approved a declaration condemning "any attempt to modify the democratic institutions" in Ecuador. OAS representatives from around the region expressed their support for President Correa during the extraordinary session of the permanent council this afternoon.

The U.S. envoy to the OAS, Carmen Lomellin, backed Correa and added her hope that the resolution could lead to a "respectful dialogue between all parties involved." Lomellin's words where echoed in a statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who urged "all Ecuadorians to come together and to work within the framework of Ecuador's democratic institutions to reach a rapid and peaceful restoration of order."

Outside of the Americas, the foriegn policy chief of the E.U. was quoted as saying that she "express my full support to Ecuador's democratically elected institutions." A spokesman for U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon mentioned that he was " deeply concerned about developments today in Ecuador, including reported acts of insubordination by some members of the police and military."

Update (3:45pm):

Governments from around the Americas have given their support to the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa. One of the most notable reactions came from Peruvian President Alan Garcia who ordered the closing of his country's border with Ecuador. Garcia denounced the "gross intervention of the gorillas that still exist in the Americas" in reference to what Ecuadorian authorities claimed to have been an attempted coup against Correa.

Update (3:00pm):

The Ecuadorian government has just declared a "state of exception" for one week, which grants the armed forces control of all domestic security. Such a step was needed "once sectors of the police irresponsibly abandoned their duties," said Security Minister Miguel Carvajal.

Original Post:

Tensions are rapidly rising in Ecuador as a result of protests against the government.

On Wednesday President Rafael Correa decreed that the government would halt the practice of granting police and military with bonuses every time they receive a promotion. Hundreds of protesting officers and troops then reportedly cut off highway access to the capital city of Quito and forced the shutdown of the capital's Mariscal Sucre airport. Sporadic looting was also reported in several cities and Quito's main army barracks was supposedly overrun by the demonstrators.

As can be seen in the video below, Correa appealed for calm while facing heckling from some demonstrators. He was supposedly hit by a bottle and then transferred to a hospital after he defiantly said that “if they want to kill me, go ahead”:

The situation has exacerbated political tensions with Correa telling Ecuadorian public radio that opposition forces are behind the protests with the intent of overthrowing him. In the meantime, army chief General Ernesto Gonzalez said that the armed forces are loyal to Correa and the government.

Online Sources- CNN, AP, BBC News, Bloomberg, YouTube, Reuters

Follow-up: Hoax behind Peruvian fat ring

Last month we mentioned about a suspected Peruvian criminal gang that allegedly trafficked in human fat. A pair of commentators expressed their doubts over their story and their skepticism was proven correct. However, the truth behind the story appears to be grisly and very discomforting:

Police General Eusebio Felix Murga was removed less than two weeks after telling a press conference that four Peruvians had been detained and two unnamed Italians were sought for buying human fat for as much as 15,000 dollars a liter to be used in European cosmetics.

National police chief Miguel Hidalgo told reporters that Felix Murga would be transferred to another post and that "an investigation was launched to determine the truthfulness of the case of the gang," after local news reports contradicted the police and no evidence seemed to back up the police claims.

Investigators are also looking into whether Murga may have had a role in the death a man that officials said was the only victim rather than the sixty initially claimed by Murga. In the meantime, the mayor of the region where Murga was headquartered has bemoaned the “ruse of bad taste" which has affected the area’s image.

Image- BBC News

Online Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, Reuters

Troops Seize Venezuelan Police Station

Venezuelan National Guard troops seized a police station in the town of Curiepe this week. The state police fall under control of the governor of Miranda state, Henrique Capriles, who is a member of the opposition.

Hundreds of citizens gathered at the police station and threw rocks, bottles and homemade bombs. The troops responded with tear gas. Eight were injured in the riot. "It looks like a battlefield," Police Chief Elisio Guzman told the Miami Herald.

Governor Capriles said that the actions were premeditated and were headed up by the minister of the interior. President Chavez maintains that it was a necessary action in order to improve public services and reduce rampant corruption.

Online sources-New York Times, Miami Herald, Associated Press

Image-Associated Press

”Don’t ask, don’t tell” for Peruvian police

A few days ago we reported on how Uruguay’s government will drop a ban against homosexuals joining the military. Hence, it may be possible that gays can openly serve in the military in Uruguay before U.S. soldiers get that chance.

In nearby Peru, however, authorities engaging in a cleanup of the country’s police forces have decided to target gay officers:

Peru has announced that it will ban homosexuals from the police force for damaging the image of the institution.

The law is one of several new regulations put forward by the Interior Minister, Mercedes Cabanillas…

The law states that any police officer who has sexual relations with someone of the same gender will be indefinitely suspended from the police force.

The same applies to officers who have extra-marital relations - their actions are also deemed to cause scandal and denigrate the institution's image.

Peru's ban on homosexuality in the police and military was in the books as recently as 2004. Yet the new rule tries to emulate the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell policy" by refusing to openly acknowledge gay police officers. (Is it any wonder why critics of the measure consider it as unconstitutional?)

As one Uruguay takes two steps forward in its treatment of gays, Peru takes five steps back. How unfortunate and sad, to say the least.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- BBC News, AP, abc.net.au, The Latin Americanist

Video contradicts police assault by Latino

Charges were dropped against a Latino accused of assaulting two police officers in Prince George's County, Maryland.

The pair of cops claimed in a sworn statement that 30-year-old motorist Rafael Rodriguez “became enraged” and beat up the policemen after being pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. Yet a video taken from one of the police cruisers showed that the cops- not Rodriguez- were the ones doing the assaulting. (As well as acting rather boorishly):

At one point, one of the officers -- it is not clear which one -- appears to mock Rodriguez by using an exaggerated accent as he repeats the suspect's assertion that another officer had told him that the blue-tinted lights on his car were permitted…

The two officers eventually walk back to the Geo Prizm. Wynkoop goes to the driver's side door and tells Rodriguez that he is issuing him a citation.

In accented English, Rodriguez, a permanent legal resident originally from El Salvador, responds, "I don't like your attitude."

The video shows Wynkoop ordering Rodriguez to turn off the car engine and get out of the vehicle. Rodriguez does not immediately do so, and Wynkoop opens the door and pulls him out. Rodriguez does not appear to strike either officer.

Wynkoop slams Rodriguez against the car and handcuffs one hand. Suddenly, Wilson pepper-sprays Rodriguez -- but also Wynkoop, who cries out, "I can't see, dude!"

The three men go out of camera range, then Rodriguez comes back and sits down near his car. Seconds later, Wynkoop returns, grabs Rodriguez by the shoulders and slams him against the Prizm. At this point, Wilson strikes Rodriguez several times in the head with his retractable police baton.

The three men again go out of camera range, and Rodriguez is heard repeatedly crying, "Don't kill me!"

Who knows how many years Rodriguez would’ve spent unfairly in jail had he been convicted. Were it not for the video Rodriguez would’ve gone down a creek without a paddle. Instead, it’s the lying, deceitful policemen who face possible punishment for their callous arrogance.

Image- examiner.com
Online Sources- washingtonpost.com, WTOP

Peruvian police accused of torture

This morning we mentioned how police in the Dominican Republic have come under fire after officers killed four men by shooting them in the back. Sadly, a worse case of brutality appears to have occurred in Peru.

According to a local human rights group, police tortured and beat upon at least 28 peaceful protestors in 2005. Peru’s National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights lodged a formal complaint this week after revealing photos showing “police standing over men and women who have plastic trash bags pulled over their heads and hands tied behind their backs.”

As one eyewitness told Reuters:

“I felt all my rights were violated ... it was truly torture," said Elizabeth Cunya, who along with another community member and a local journalist told a news conference about three days of beatings by police and the company's security team that left one person dead. One photo showed police officers posing with underwear taken from two women.

After the images were published, Prime Minister Yehude Simon promised to personally review the torture allegations.

"As a state, we cannot allow abuse. Police, business leaders, workers -- no one can use force to impose their ideas on others," Simon told reporters.

The protestors had opposed the development of the multibillion dollar Rio Blanco mine (formally named Majaz Project) which is currently under control of a Chinese firm. Opposition to the mine’s expansion arose over environmental concerns as well as the social impact on local communities.

Meanwhile, Peru’s miners may strike in early February in protest of heavy layoffs in recent months.

(Hat tip: Inca Kola News).

Image- Living in Peru
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, LAHT, Inca Kola News, Bloomberg, Reuters, IHT, Oxfam America

95 Members Urge Mexican Authorities to Investigate the Abuses against Women during Police Operation

It's been over two years since the attacks on community members in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico, attacks that specifically targeted women, exemplified by the police rape of at least 23 women. The violence was sparked by a combination of land rights and the right to make a living. It's only taken two years for the U.S. government to say something. On Monday, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA) and 94 other members of Congress sent a letter to Mexican government officials expressing concerns and urging resolution to allegations of widespread physical and sexual abuse of women detained by police in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico, in May, 2006.

In the letter, congressional members urge that jurisdiction over the investigation into the crimes committed against Ms. Méndez and the 25 other women assaulted in San Salvador Atenco be transferred to the federal attorney general and that any evidence gathered by any federal investigation undertaken so far is used to identify and file charges against those responsible.
The members also encourage the Mexican officials to implement the recommendations made by the National Human Rights Commission which call for effective and impartial investigations into the sexual and physical violence suffered by these women.

Sources : The Latin Americanist, The Narco News Bulletin, Adventures in the Coconut Caucus
Image Source : Daylife.com (MARIO VAZQUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Report: LAPD used excessive force during immigrant march

A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) report pointed the finger at itself for a violent melee at the close of a pro-immigrant rally on May 1^st. The blame lay squarely on the LAPD for the incident and was caused by shortcomings in training, planning, and policy according to the report.

Excerpts from the study were damning in criticizing the LAPD rather than the overwhelmingly pacific marchers and media who were gathered in MacArthur Park:

“The failing leadership, breakdown in supervision and breakdown in personal discipline caused those without full situational awareness to take action without understanding how their decisions might affect the final outcome.”

Much like in the immediate aftermath of the May 1^st incident, LAPD Chief William Bratton expressed “regret” and also apologized for the department's actions.

The entire 94-page report can be accessed here as a PDF document.

Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, Associated Press, LAPD Online

Image- New York Times – The Lede (“A local cameraman was forced to his knees during the sweep on May 1, 2007”)

Puerto Rico: Outrage over murder by police

Puerto Ricans are enraged over a case of police brutality committed over the weekend. Javier Pagan Cruz was fired from the police force and arrested yesterday in the shooting death of Miguel Caceres Cruz in the coastal town of Humacao. Pagan Cruz currently sits in a Bayamon jail as an FBI investigation has recreated the incident where Caceres Cruz was shot several times despite being unarmed and showing little resistance.

An amateur video showed what happened on Saturday and we include it below.

(Please note that the video is graphic and NSFW!)

Neighbors and family members of Caceres Cruz continue grieving and have expressed outrage at the police’s conduct:

“‘I see the police and my body shakes’ said one neighbor.

‘I don’t know why the police have failed to do their job right. They’re losing their credibility and the people’s confidence,’ said the widow of Caceres Cruz.”

The death of Caceres Cruz highlights a steady increase in reports of police brutality in Puerto Rico with over 1000 complaints received over the past five years according to the head of the island’s police.

Sources (Spanish)- El Vocero, El Nuevo Dia, Primera Hora

Sources (English)- International Herald Tribune, YouTube

No punishment for 11 cops involved in de Menezes murder

Relatives of a Brazilian immigrant killed by London police are upset at the decision by British authorities to not charge eleven of the police officers involved in the shooting. "It is a travesty of justice and another slap in the face for our family," said a cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, though four “senior officers” may still be disciplined.

Two weeks after the July 2005 bombings in London, de Menezes was shot seven times in the head as he rode in the subway by officers who thought he was a suicide bomber. His death sparked outrage throughout Brazil and Scotland Yard has even been accused of running a posthumous “smear campaign” against de Menezes.

Image- Londonist (Side-by-side image of wanted suicide bomber Hussain Osman (left), and Jean Charles de Menezes (right))

Links- The Australian, Edmonton Sun, Channel 4, BBC News, Wikipedia, The Independent

Follow-up: Elite LAPD cops off streets after post-immigrant march violence

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) removed from active duty approximately 60 police officers who were involved in a chaotic encounter with protesters after an immigrants rights march last Tuesday. The officers were from the LAPD’s Metropolitan Division which is “made up of experienced officers who have extensive training in crowd control” (according to the AP).

The incident in MacArthur Park has drawn widespread condemnation in Los Angeles including from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD commissioner William Bratton:

"Things were done that shouldn't have been done," Bratton told a group of journalists who gathered at the KTLA-TV Channel 5 studios in Hollywood. "I'm not seeking to excuse it…. This was my best, and that was what was extraordinarily disturbing about this."

Links- FOX News, The Latin Americanist, CNN, TIME, Los Angeles Times

Image- CNN

Violence ends immigrants' rights march in Los Angeles

Though most of yesterday’s pro-immigrant marches in the U.S. transpired peacefully with hundreds of thousands of marchers, violence erupted in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park. According to one blogger’s eyewitness account, several “anarchist youth” provoked Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers who responded by shooting tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd that included “mothers with children, the elderly and handicapped, and many others who were peacefully congregated.”

(Hat tip for last link: Global Voices Online).

Even reporters covering the Los Angeles march were not immune from the officers’ reaction as police “knocked over (Telemundo) cameraman Juan Guerra and reporter Gabriel Huerta was hit by a plastic bullet.”

In an interview this morning Telemundo national news anchorman Pedro Sevcec called yesterday’s incidents “lamentable” and emphasized the “disproportionate” amount of force from the LAPD. Video to the interview as well as footage of Sevcec being caught in the middle of a chaotic scene may be accessed here.

LAPD Commissioner William Bratton promised an internal investigation of the incidents in MacArthur Park.

YouTube has a video of CNN reporting incident in question; despite it being provoked by “eight young people” (according to Sevcec), the video certainly indicates that the reaction by police was more than necessary:

Links- Daily Herald, Raw Story, Gothamist, LAX-LIM, Telemundo52.com, Univision, YouTube