Category Archives: Human Rights Issues

Police Disappearing Protesting Students in Mexico in 2014

Posted on October 5, 2014 by

I’ve written before of police violence against students in Mexico on a much grander scale. And now, in 2014, it tragically appears we have a twenty-first century version, no less horrific even if on a smaller scale: Authorities were investigating whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights Issues, Mexico, Police Violence, Student Movements, The "Disappeared"

On This Date in Latin America – September 16, 1976: Argentina’s “Night of the Pencils”

Posted on September 16, 2014 by

Given the recent discussion of memory and military dictatorships, it seems worthwhile to recall one of the many horrific events of Argentina’s military dictatorship: La Noche de los Lápices, or “Night of the Pencils.” The Night of the Pencils had … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Buenos Aires, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Military Dictatorships, On This Date in Latin America, The "Disappeared", Torture

Thoughts on Letting Brazil’s Military Investigate Itself for Past Abuses during the Dictatorship

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

This week, Brazil’s Truth Commission finally managed to get the Ministry of Defense to accede to requests to investigate the military and sites of torture during Brazil’s military dictatorship of 1964-1985. I’m of two minds on this. On the one … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Issues | 1 Comment

Dictatorship Apologists, 50 Years On

Posted on April 2, 2014 by

Yesterday, Brazil’s Congress marked the 50th anniversary of the military coup that overthrew constitutional president João Goulart and ushered in a 21-year military dictatorship that killed hundreds of its own citizens and tortured thousands others.  In 1964, Congress was directly … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Issues, Latin American Politics, 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

Around Latin America

Posted on November 30, 2013 by

–Dozens of Haitians are dead after the boat they were traveling on capsized as they sought to seek refuge and a new start in the wake of recent tensions and violence in the Dominican Republic. -For those who missed it, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 World Cup, Around Latin America, Border Issues, Brazil, Corruption, Cuba, Gender and Sexuality, Haiti, Human Rights Issues, Indigenous Peoples, International Relations, Labor in Latin America, Land Struggles & Issues, Latin America, LGBT Rights & Issues, Paraguay, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements, Sports in Latin America

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

Chiquita Trying to Shirk Responsibility for Aiding Terrorist Organizations

Posted on August 26, 2013 by

Banana companies have long had a horrible history in Latin America, based upon political corruption, economic exploitation, and even the overthrow of democratically-elected regimes. Yet the horrible practices of multinational fruit companies in the region is not a relic of … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict in the Americas, Colombia, Food, Human Rights Issues, Multinational Corporations in the Americas, Paramilitary Groups, Torture, Violence in the Americas | 2 Comments

Around Latin America

Posted on August 25, 2013 by

-In spite of a recent attack that left 13 Colombian soldiers dead, peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC continue, in an attempt to end civil war and conflict that has lasted nearly 50 years and left tens … Continue reading →

Posted in Augusto Pinochet, Brazil, Chile, Civil Conflict in the Americas, Colombia, Corruption, Ecuador, Education in the Americas, Educational Reforms, El Salvador, Environmental Issues in the Americas, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionárias de Colombia (FARC), Futebol (Soccer), Human Rights Issues, Labor in Latin America, Legal Issues in Latin America, Mexico, National Parks, Oil in the Americas, Peru, Prisoners' Rights, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements, Sports in Latin America, Technology in the Americas, The Amazon, Women's Movements & Issues, Women's Rights

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