Category Archives: Impunity

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

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

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

The Brazilian Truth Commission after One Year

Posted on December 3, 2013 by

The truth commission investigating repression and state-sponsored violence during Brazil’s military dictatorship of 1964-1985 has recently completed a full year of work, and issued a report of some of its major findings after one year: Part 1. Hiding of Documentation from … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Impunity, Police Violence, The "Disappeared", Torture, Truth Commissions

Remembering Tlatelolco

Posted on October 2, 2013 by

Forty-five years ago today, Mexican police and armed forces killed hundreds of unarmed, peaceful protestors.

Posted in Human Rights Violations, Impunity, Mexico, Mexico's Institutional Dictatorship, Police Violence

On This Date in Latin America -July 24, 1993: The Candelária Massacre

Posted on July 24, 2013 by

In the early hours of the morning on this day twenty years ago, police in Rio de Janeiro murdered eight street children on the steps of Rio’s Candelária Cathedral in what came to be known as the Candelária Massacre. Official … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Children's Rights, Favelas, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Impunity, Inequalities in the Americas, Latin American History, Police Violence, Rio de Janeiro, Violence in the Americas | 1 Comment

Meanwhile, In Brazil’s Congress…

Posted on June 18, 2013 by

As I mentioned yesterday, there were a number of causes behind the recent wave of demonstrations in Brazil. One of those sources of unrest is the traditional power of political elites – after all, it wasn’t an accident that crowds … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Citizenship, Corruption, Democracy in the Americas, Governance in Latin America, Impunity, Legal Issues in Latin America, LGBT Rights & Issues, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements

A Judicial Showdown – Ríos Montt Trial to Continue?

Posted on April 20, 2013 by

Yesterday, I was rather pessimistic after Guatemalan Judge Carol Patricia Flores suspended the trial of former general Efraín Ríos Montt on a technicality, setting the process back a year and a half and making justice look increasingly difficult. However, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Guatemala, Guatemala's Civil War, Human Rights Issues, Impunity, Indigenous Peoples, Legal Issues in Latin America

Genocide Trial in Guatemala Suspended on a Technicality; What’s Next?

Posted on April 19, 2013 by

Yesterday, Guatemalan Judge Carol Patricia Flores, the judge most recently overseeing the trial of Efraín Ríos Montt on charges of genocide against indigenous peoples, suspended the trial based not on any lack of evidence, or prosecutorial wrongdoing, or on any finding … Continue reading →

Posted in Guatemala, Guatemala's Civil War, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Impunity, Indigenous Peoples, Legal Issues in Latin America