Peru: Other news

The big news in Peru is the possible pardon for Fujimori, but there's been related news stories as well:

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has criticised the ruling by Javiar Villa Stein, in July, reducing the sentences of the Colina group and possibly paving the way for Fujimori's early release (kind of academic if he's going to be let out anyway, but still, he's not the only human rights abuser in jail).
Americas court tells Peru to scrap rule that could help Fujimori (Reuters)
Inter-American Court Calls on Peru To Annul Grupo Colina Ruling (Peruvian Times)

Also, Fujimori could have his paintings sold off to pay reparations he owes to the Peruvian State:
Alberto Fujimori Paintings To Be Confiscated To Pay Debt To Peru (Latin American News Dispatch)

Finally, tributes have been paid to Spanish-born human rights activist Pilar Coll, who died a few weeks ago aged 83. I'm ashamed to say I had not heard of her before her passing, and there's not too much about her in English, but she seems to have been an absolutely sincere and dedicated person.
Falleció Pilar Coll a los 83 años (La Republica)
Remembering Pilar Coll (WOLA)

Brazil: Dilma Rousseff to receive apology for torture

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is among a group of people to receive apologies and reparations from the state government of Rio de Janeiro for torture suffered during the military dictatorship.

120 people are to be compensated in June, according to a spokesperson. Brazilian daily O Globo reports that 244 people will be issued reparations by 2013. Of the 1,113 victims of the regime who had filed claims, 895 have had their cases approved by the relevant commission and 650 have already been compensated.

The president is said to be donating the money - BRL 20,000 or around $10,000 - to the organisation Torture Nunca Mais. 

"It is an acknowledgement of those who fought for democracy. The money does not solve anything. What is important is the recognition of the state. We cannot forget the past," said Andrea Sepulveda, head of Defence and Promotion of Human Rights in the Rio government.

O Globo also notes that the president has filed similar claims in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, where she was interrogated, tried, judged and sentenced. Rousseff was imprisoned in 1970, served three years, and was tortured.

Brazil: An Apology for Torture (NY Times)
Brazil: Rousseff to receive apology, compensation for torture during dictatorship (Global Post)
Dilma Rousseff será indenizada pelo governo do Rio (O Globo)

Guatemala: Legacy of the civil war

The recent long jail sentence for Pedro Pimentel Rios for his role in the massacre of 201 people has been widely reported, but I just wanted to highlight two articles that go a bit deeper into the aftermath of the violence for English-speaking readers.

IPS does its usual sterling job at discussing the issue of reparations.

"The programme distributed 576 housing units here in 2011, but they were only half-built," another survivor, Manuel Tay, told IPS from the northwestern province of Chimaltenango. "We had to buy cement and steel, pay a builder, and even haul in construction materials to finish the houses."

Tay, who lost five of his siblings during the conflict, said the houses are made of such "simple materials that some of the houses weren’t even three months old and the floor was already cracked."

Victims of war, victims of oblivion (IPS)

Meanwhile, the BBC turns its attention to the pyschological consequences of the war with the story of former guerrilla and pyschologist Maria Tulia Lopez Perez.

"Judicial justice is the best form of compensation for victims, much better than money or anything else," says Maria, but she says too few people have been tried.

[...] But she says there in post-war Guatemala there has not been enough focus on healing people's psychological wounds.

"We must liberate the victims from all this weight they are carrying which stops them from living normal lives."

Healing Guatemala's emotional scars from the civil war (BBC)

Colombia: Victims' Law

Colombia has enacted a law which will grant reparations to victims of its long-running civil conflict.

“Our country is not condemned to 100 years of solitude,” said president Juan Manuel Santos.
Colombia signs landmark "Victims Law" to redress victims of internal conflict (Mercopress)

The law has received widespread praise, including from UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, who, however, points out that, "The proper and timely implementation of this law will determine whether expectations raised are met."
UN's Ban Ki-moon commends Victims' Law (Colombia Reports)

The BBC points out that implementing the law will be a huge challenge in a country with over three million internally displaced people, and where violence continues.
Law for victims passed by Senate (BBC)

Colombian Liberal Party lawmaker Guillermo Rivera says "this is only the beginning and there is still much to be done."
Land and Victims Law Crucial for Millions of Displaced Farmers in Colombia (IPS)

Human rights activist Marco Romero discusses some of the shortcomings and challenges of the law:
"Full Reparations Must Be Guaranteed" for Displaced Victims in Colombia (IPS)

Everybody is right not to get carried away; Colombia is still a country beset with problems. But this is a positive step.

News/Blogging Round-Up

Colombia

World Leader in Forced Displacement (IPS)

After dramatic spike in attacks on media, Colombia strengthens crimes against journalists unit (Journalism in the Americas)

Guatemala

Threats to the Media (Central American Politics)

Guatemala, 1954 (Iconic Photos)

Martial Law, Represion, and Remilitarization in Guatemala (NACLA)

Peru

At Last, Reparations for Civil War Victims (IPS)

Uruguay

Uruguayan journalist harassed online for investigating dictatorship-era crimes (Journalism in the Americas)

Chile: New Commission Founded

Following on the Rettig and Valech commissions, are they are known, Chile has founded another organisation to establish reparations for the victims of state terrorism in that country.

The commission's secretariat, made up of about 60 lawyers, psychologists, social workers and other professionals, will collect testimony for the first six months. Then the eight commissioners will work on the accreditation of the claims in each individual case during the following six months.

Victims who qualify will be eligible for monetary, medical, educational and housing benefits provided as reparations.

The official site of the new Comision Asesora para la calificacion de detenidos desaparecidos, ejecutados politicos y victimas de prision politica y tortura is here.

Another Chance for Reparations for Pinochet Victims (IPS)

Peru: Afro-Peruvians Receive Apology

Public apologies are not particularly unusual these days. The UK has recently said sorry for its treatment of Alan Turing and both it and Australia have apologised to those citizens who were abused in state care as children.

Now it's Peru's turn; it is to apologise to its black population for the centuries of discrimination they have faced.

Women's and Social Development Minister Nidia Vilchez said the government wanted the apology to promote the "true integration of all Peru's multicultural population," Associated Press news agency reported.

Peru apologises for abuse of African-origin citizens (BBC)

Unfair treatment is not merely a historical shame; even today, black Peruvians are often disadvantaged:

...only 2 percent of Afro-Peruvians obtain technical training or higher education, and just 27 percent finish high school.

Government Begs "Historical Pardon" from Afro-Peruvians for Past Abuses (LAHT)

I'm in favour of symbolic gestures such as apologies as part of other state measures such as truth-telling, reparations, and measures to ensure that injustices are not repeated.

See also The Age of Apology: Facing up to the Past ed. by Mark Gibson et al.

Peru Round-Up

The site for the Museum of Memory will be officially handed over on 10 December.

Various calls for reparations are continuing.

Fujimori's appeal is creating renewed interest, and claims that the public prosecutor is taking his side.

Peru: Burials in Abancay

For the first time in the region of Apurímac, the remains of five individuals who were murdered by the armed forces in 1988 will be returned to their families for burial tomorrow.

The bodies of the victims were found in a common grave in a place known as Chaupiorcco. DNA tests have identified them as Armando Huamantingo, Manuel Niño de Guzmán Ayvar, Juan Pablo Carbajal Hurtado, María Elena Zavala Cayllahua and Simona Pérez Tapia.

A wake will be tomorrow and then the funeral service on Saturday.

Entregaran restos de desaparecidos en Abancay (CNDDHH, from La Republica)

El Salvador: Progress

Two pieces of good news from El Salvador; firstly, on the twentieth anniversary of their deaths, six murdered Jesuit priests will be posthumously awarded the country's highest honour as a puclic "act of atonement" by the government. Secondly, the Funes government has also promised to investigate the assasination of archbishop Oscar Romero in 1980. See Tim's El Salvador blog here and here for more details.

Peru: More on Reparations

A further article from La Republica, which I don't have time to translate - if I do, I'll come back to it later - deals with the subject of reparations to the victims of political violence and the apparent lack of interest coming from the government in pushing through this issue. As I reported earlier, the commission on reparations is now basically unable to continue work due to cuts in its budget. The article has the simple but cutting headline "My pain doesn't matter".

Mi dolor no importa (La Republica)

Peru: Urgent Call for Action on Reparations

The Peruvian government has cut the budget for the National Council on Reparations (Consejo Nacional de Reparaciones), meaning that many thousands of citizens cannot be entered into the Unique Register of Victims (Registro Único de Víctimas) and therefore cannot be compensated for what they have endured. Human rights organisations are now calling on the authorities to recognise their obligations to the victims of the conflict.


I think the meaning of the first image in this post is probably self-evident. The one directly above states: "Teodora Pariona - She lost her children when they were taken to the barracks Los Cabitos in Ayacucho in 1984. She died without receiving any type of economic reparations from the State. Mr President: reparations are urgent."

En peligro las reparaciones (La Primera, via APRODEH)
Defensoria del Pueblo solicita al estado atender con urgencia requerimiento presupuesto del consejo de reparaciones (CNDDHH)
La obligacion de reparar a las victimas es impostergable (Espacio de memoria)
Sr. Presidente: Reparar es urgente (CNDDHH, also source of images)
Sostienen que urgen reparaciones economicas individuales (La Republica)

Peru: Santo Tomas de Pata

Espacio de memoria drew my attention to the exhumations in Santo Tomas de Pata in Huancavelica, Peru. A total of 105 bodies have been recovered. Family members of the victims pointed out that, for many, the death certificates the victims will eventually receive will be the first, and only, official identity document they have ever had.

These people come from desparately poor communities and have no financial resources for legal counsel, psychological assistance or burial costs. For this reason, several sites are appealing for donations to cover the cost of coffins and provide bank details for Peru-based people to make payments. Obviously, I can't vouch for the authenticity of such appeals and giving would be entirely the responsibility of the donor, but it looks official and there are contact details available if anyone wants to make checks.

News Round-Up 12/09/2009

Colombia
U.S. Certifies Human Rights Gains in Colombia, Releasing Aid (NY Times)

The US is to reward Colombia for its supposed strides in human rights. Which is nice, because at the same time, 178 NGOs from 23 countries are launching a Campaign for the Right to Defend Human Rights in Colombia. That's right; being an HR activist is such a dangerous role in this nation that people have to actually assert their right to say that the state shouldn't murder people without being threatened, intimidated, persecuted, and worse. More info here.

Guatemala
In the US, there are calls to make international adoption from Guatemala easier. This is just one reason why I'm immediately sceptical whether this is a good idea:
Guatemalan soldiers sold children in war (Reuters)

Peru
Families of soldiers killed by Sendero Luminoso in recent skirmishes will receive a one-off compensation payment from the government, according to Peruvian media:
Peru to pay S/55,000 soles to Families of Deceased Soldiers (Living in Peru)

News Round-Up 17/08/2009

Phew, I'm back online.

While I was suffering from Internet withdrawal symptoms, others were keeping up with the story of Brazil's involvement in the US attempt to destabilise the Allende regime in Chile in the 1970s.

Besides that:

Colombia:
Ten years after the murder of Jaime Garzon, IAPA asks Colombian authorities for justice (Journalism in the Americas)

Spying on Human Rights Defenders (IPS)

El Salvador
Civic Organizations in El Salvador Demand Closure to Oscar Romero's Death (Americas Quarterly)

Uruguay
Uruguay Senate OKs Millions for Dirty War Victims (AP)

News Round-Up 12/08/2009

Colombia
Half Century of US Military Presence (IPS)

Guatemala
Survivors of Sexual Violence Speak Out (Latin America News Review)

Mexico
Legal Shield for Military Holding Strong (IPS)

Peru
Familiares de Putis piden justicia (CNDDHH)

Afectados por la violencia llegan a Lima para exigir Justicia y Reparacion (CNDDHH)

Shining Path Leader's Bodyguard Captured in Peru (Impunity Watch)

Uruguay
Shining light on US actions in Uruguay (Small State)

News Round-Up 4/08/2009

Argentina
Paying homage to the founder of the Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos (APDH; Permanent Assembly for Human Rights), Pablo Pimentel, on the 25th anniversary of his death.
La memoria de un luchador (Pagina/12)

Paraguay
Mengele's Undisclosed Location (The Atlantic)

Peru
Fujimori on Trial reports on the continuing, and unacceptable, delays to reparations:
Council asks for victims' reparations to be a priority (Fujimori on Trial)

Peru News Round-Up

- NACLA has a report on the resurgence of the Shining Path and the worrying implications for Peru's indigenous citizens, who generally end up bearing the brunt of state counterinsurgency measures.

[Sendero expert Carlos] Tapia explained that rather than launching a military offensive, the government should address the social and economic needs of the poor areas where Sendero operates.

So easy to say and yet... when will we see this as a concrete policy?

Abuses in Peru's Escalating Fight against Rebels (NACLA)

- Sofia Macher, former commissioner in Peru's truth and reconciliation commission, who is currently heading the Consejo de Reparaciones (reparations board), is complaining that she has not received the promised budget. The shortfall is causing delays in pay outs.

Sofia Macher pide atencion de Estado en reparaciones (CNDDHH)

- The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, has submitted a report on the violence at Bagua. You can download both a summary and the full version in PDF (both in Spanish) from the CNDDHH website. I'd just like to highlight one point from the summary:

...various representatives of government indicated that the ongoing investigations would focus primarily, or even exclusively, on the possible crimes of the indigenous protesters and not on the possible irregularities committed by the police and other actors during the violent events. This is a worrying fact. [trans. mine]

Worrying indeed.

Relator de la ONU presento informe sobre sucesos de Bagua (CNDDHH)

News Round-Up

From Fujimori on Trial, a quick visual overview of the twists and turns of the case - invaluable if you haven't got the time or inclination to read through hundreds of pages of documents.

Rifle Used to Kill Chile's Victor Jara Turns Up (Latin American Herald Tribune)
Interesting - but can anyone tell me how they know that it is exactly THE rifle? According to this article, it "was standard issue for the Chilean army at the time of the putsch" and "ballistics tests enabled authorities to determine what kind of weapon fired the bullets". What kind of weapon? Or which one exactly? CSI fans want to know.

10,000 Victims of Colombia's Violence to Receive Compensation Payments (Impunity Watch)

Peru Supreme Court Ratifies Guilty Verdict Against Former Chief of National Intelligence Service for La Cantuta Massacre (Peruvian Times)
Peruvian Times headlines never leave anything to add.

Uruguay: Compensation for Political Prisoners

Uruguay has paid $42 million (973 million pesos) in compensation during the past three years to more than 3,000 former political prisoners and those who fled the country or hid from authorities, the state-run news agency said Monday.

Uruguay Compensates Ex-Political Prisoners (CNN)