Month: April 2015
In Mexico, Disappearance Is the Rule of Law
Source: Latino Rebels Seven months have passed since the Mexican government said that there were no bodies: no bones, no teeth, no nothing. All 43 of them were burned up in a pile of trash, […]
“We Are Defending Life:” The Criminalization of Environmental and Indigenous Rights Activists in Guatemala
The community of Santa Cruz Barillas is protesting the construction of dams in their territory, including the Santa Cruz hydroelectric project owned by the Spanish firm Ecoener Hydro Energy, as part of the regional energy integration project called for in Plan Mesoamerica. The project has been plagued by human rights violations, including the failure of the Guatemalan government and companies to consult the indigenous communities prior to construction. The community fought back, and has paid dearly for their resistance to the projects within their territory.
Indigenous Controlled Mining Under Fire in Colombia Following Death of Human Rights Defender
Leading indigenous human rights defender has been killed by unknown gun men At 8pm on April 7, Fernando Salazar Calvo was gunned down brutally outside his home. He was a prominent human rights defender and […]
Guatemalan Activist Murdered Near Mine Site
Human rights groups are calling for investigation of the killing of a member of group critical of proposal to expand silver mine. Oxfam’s office in Guatemala is joining with 23 other organizations to call for […]
Guatemala: How a Pseudo-Military Project Was Created to Protect the Escobal Mine
One of the most dramatic events took place on April 27, 2013, when private security guards from the company Alfa Uno – associated with the Israeli company Golan Group – acted on orders of the then-head of security Alberto Rotondo Dall’Orso and indiscriminately shot at community members who were peacefully protesting in front of mining facilities in San Rafael Las Flores. Seven community members were injured.
Zapatista Communiqué: The Storm, the Sentinel, and Night Watch Syndrome
Translation by El Kilombo Intergalactico Dear friends and enemies: so… err… umm… the thing is… well… remember that at the end of our March 19, 2015 text entitled “About the Homage and the Seminar,” we […]
Argentina: Punishing to Let the Oil Flow
On April 13th a provincial court of Neuquén, in the Argentine Patagonia, will determine the charges for which traditional authorities of the Mapuche people who defended their territory against the exploitation of hydrocarbons will be brought to trial. […]
The “Other” Politics of Ayotzinapa
How a popular movement arisen from the forced disappearance of student-teachers in Mexico demonstrates a horizontal politics of shared leadership.