Year: 2012
Paraguay: Why the Canadian Government Supports the Ouster of Lugo
After Paraguayan President was pushed out of office in an “institutional coup”, Canada was one of only a handful of countries in the world that immediately recognized the new government.
Belo Monte Dam Suspended by Brazilian Appeals Court
A high-level court suspended construction of the controversial Belo Monte dam project on the Amazon’s Xingu River yesterday, citing overwhelming evidence that indigenous people had not been properly consulted prior to government approval of the project. The decision concludes that the Brazilian Constitution and ILO Convention 169, to which Brazil is party, require that Congress can only authorize the use of water resources for hydroelectric projects after an independent assessment of environmental impacts and subsequent consultations with affected indigenous peoples.
Act Now! General Motors Workers on Hunger Strike in Colombia
Source: USLEAP A long-running struggle by General Motors workers in Colombia garnered new attention last week when five workers went on a hunger strike to protest the company’s firing of sick workers, sewing their lips […]
Paraguay: Spanish Tycoon’s Role in Destruction of ‘Hiding Tribe’s’ Forest
One of Spain’s richest men has been implicated in the illegal bulldozing of a South American forest where the last uncontacted Indians outside the Amazon are hiding, following a recent raid by Paraguayan officials. Jacinto […]
US State Department Blinks on Honduran Security
Source: Honduras Culture and Politics All across the US, the news from Honduras over the last day has been the same: “US withholds funds to Honduran police” Or, if you read the Washington Post, Minneapolis […]
“Honey of the Revolution” – An Interview with Rosangela Orozco, Member of the Alexis Lives Foundation (Fundación Alexis Vive) in Venezuela
Rosangela Orozco, who is affectionately known as “La Chiqui,” is a young militant from the Caracas barrio 23 de enero and a leading organizer with the Gran Polo Patriótico (Great Patriotic Pole, GPP). The GPP was created in preparation for the October 2012 elections and to deepen the Bolivarian process. The GPP builds on the legacy of the Polo Patriótico, a coalition of left political parties and social organizations that supported Chávez in electoral campaigns and referenda.
Americas: Governments Prioritize Profit over Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
Governments across the Americas are putting profit before the physical and cultural survival of thousands of Indigenous peoples, said Amnesty International in a briefing paper published ahead of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples on […]
Mexico’s Peace Movement Heads to the US
On August 12, the Movement for Peace will begin a four-week tour of the United States, beginning in San Diego, California, and taking in 27 cities on its way to Washington, D.C. According to Javier Sicilia, the goal of “The Peace Caravan” is to “promote dialogue with American civil society and its government regarding the following themes: the need to stop gun-trafficking; the need to debate alternatives to drug prohibition; the need for better tools to combat money-laundering; and the need to promote bilateral cooperation in human rights and human security…”