Category Archives: Human Rights Issues

On Lynchings and the Weakness of the State

Posted on January 24, 2016 by

Well, this is horrible: The lynching began around 7:20 p.m., not long after the brothers had finished conducting their final interviews on tortilla consumption. Residents confronted them, mistaking the pair for kidnappers. The police confirmed that the men were, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Brazil, Corruption, Governance in Latin America, Guatemala, Impunity, Mexico, Violence in the Americas

Links Around Latin America

Posted on September 27, 2015 by

Several stories of note from around the region lately: Last week, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Timochenko met in Cuba to finalize a peace plan that could finally end a struggle that’s lasted over 50 years. Boz … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Around Latin America, Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Civil Conflict in the Americas, Colombia, Corruption, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionárias de Colombia (FARC), Guatemala, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Latin America, Latin American Art, The Malvinas War, Torture

Why Is Political Impunity So Frequent in Brazil?

Posted on August 23, 2015 by

Simon Romero has an excellent piece up about the widening corruption scandal in Brazil. The whole thing is worth reading for a better understanding of the context and possible direction of the scandal and the investigations into corruption. For those … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Corruption, Impunity, Latin American Politics

On Guatemala, Corruption, and the Strength of Democracy in Latin America

Posted on August 22, 2015 by

While much of the focus here has fallen on the recent corruption scandal in Brazil, there is another case in Latin America where the public and legal actors are beginning to hold political elites responsible for corrupt practices. In Guatemala, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Corruption, Guatemala, Honduras, Impunity, Latin American Politics, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements

McDonald’s, Labor, and Brazil

Posted on August 21, 2015 by

McDonald’s has been in the news this year in the US as workers have mobilized to demand a livable wage, just one area (alongside health issues) where the company faces criticism. But McDonald’s is not just the target of critiques in … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Food, Human Rights Issues, Labor in Latin America, Multinational Corporations in the Americas | 1 Comment

On Brazil’s Lynching Problems

Posted on August 20, 2015 by

I wrote last month on the lynching of Cleidenilson Pereira da Silva, commenting that his was far from an isolated case. Vanessa Barbara has more: A few days after that attack, a man in metropolitan Belo Horizonte was dragged through … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Crime in Latin America, Impunity, Legal Issues in Latin America

Police Massacres in Brazil

Posted on August 15, 2015 by

Last month, a killing spree in Manaus (the capital of the state of Amazonas) left 35 people dead. As the shock of the sheer total in the city of 1.7 million wore off, the responsible party began to emerge, with evidence … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Human Rights Issues, Police Violence, Violence in the Americas

The Limits of Bans on, and Limited Access to, Abortion

Posted on May 19, 2015 by

As many know, and as may be unsurprising, Latin America in general is one of the more restrictive regions in the world when it comes to abortion and legal reproductive rights for women. Several countries, including Nicaragua and El Salvador, have … Continue reading →

Posted in Abortion, Children's Rights, Health Issues in the Americas | 2 Comments

Brazil’s Truth Commission – A Roundup

Posted on December 11, 2014 by

Yesterday, on International Human Rights Day, Brazil’s National Truth Commission (Comissão Nacional da Verdade) concluded and submitted its report after over two years of work across 14 work groups and thousands upon thousands of hours of interviews, fact-finding, document-collecting, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Issues, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries, Latin American Politics, Memory Struggles, Military Dictatorships, Truth Commissions

The Ties between the Ayotzinapa Killings and Argentina’s Military Dictatorship

Posted on November 8, 2014 by

Over a month ago, 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers’ college in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, went “missing” after mobilizing and protesting for improvements in Mexico’s educational policy and social system. Within days, authorities had uncovered mass graves; yet the … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Human Rights Issues, Memory Struggles, Mexico, The "Disappeared", Uncategorized