A US military training center in the port city of Concón, in the central Chilean province of Valparaíso, will be used for exercises "clearly oriented toward the control and repression of the civilian population," according to an open letter that more than 20 human rights organizations sent Chile's Defense Minister Andrés Allamand on May 7. The US Southern Command is also planning to build an installation in Argentina, at the airport in Resistencia, capital of the northeastern province of Chaco.

Intense activity is currently taking place on a global scale to demand the release of two indigenous men who have been jailed for their political beliefs and activism, and who have become emblematic figures for the struggle against injustice in prisons and against political repression. Although the prisoners are based in Chiapas, Mexico, activities are taking place in countries including South Africa, Brazil, France, England, Scotland, Spain, the United States, Switzerland, New Zealand and Argentina.

Every year, Latin America climbs in global geopolitical rankings because of the steady increase in its declared reserves of strategic resources. This is a true disaster, since it reinforces the dependence of the region on the exploitation and exportation of its natural resources.

Environmental engineer Reinhard Seifert has been persecuted, threatened and arrested, but he continues researching the effects of mining on Cajamarca's water resources as the Peruvian government currently weighs its decision on the future of the Conga gold mine. If approved, the project would give Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. the ability to construct one of the world’s largest gold mines on fragile, high-altitude wetlands.

With 35 students, the first secondary school specifically for transvestites and other members of sexual minorities who face discrimination in mainstream schools opened in March in the Argentine capital. Francisco Quiñones, the head of the new school, explained that the idea was "to create an inclusive school, free of discrimination, that takes into account and values the different trans identities, where they can manage to finish secondary school. Public schools, which are governed by rules that cater to heterosexuals, drive these people away."

Clodoveo Rodriguez has lived his 78 years in his native community of San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa. Since late 2011, his home has literally been fenced-in by the neighboring Escobal silver mine, a joint venture by Tahoe Resources and Goldcorp. Despite pressure from the Canadian mining companies to sell, he refuses to leave his land.

The long-awaited environmental impact review for the Conga project was published Wednesday, suggesting U.S.-based Newmont Mining Corp make “substantive improvements” to its development plans if it wants to move forward with its $4.8 billion gold and copper mining project in Cajamarca, Peru. While Cajamarca Regional President Gregorio Santos, a leader of the anti-Conga movement, said the review is a victory for the region, many question the quality of the findings.