Category Archives: Human Rights Violations

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

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

“Was Rios Montt responsible for Guatemala’s Genocide?”

Posted on August 14, 2015 by

A reminder that, in any sane understanding of governance, of the role of the state, of human rights, or even of the structure and function of military institutions, the answer to this question is always “Yes.” To make the argument that … Continue reading →

Posted in Genocide, Guatemala, Guatemala's Civil War, Human Rights Violations, Legal Issues in Latin America

Manuel Contreras, Head of Chile’s DINA, Dead at 86

Posted on August 8, 2015 by

Manuel Contreras, who headed the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (National Intelligence Directorate, or DINA) from 1973-1977, some of the most repressive years of Augusto Pinochet’s regime, has died at the age of 86. As head of DINA, Contreras was directly responsible for … Continue reading →

Posted in Augusto Pinochet, Chile, Deaths, Human Rights Violations, The "Disappeared", Torture

Get to Know a Brazilian – Ivens Marchetti

Posted on June 14, 2015 by

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. As we continue our look at the lives of the fifteen political prisoners exchanged for US ambassador Charles Elbrick, whom armed leftist groups took hostage in September … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Get to Know a Brazilian, Guerrilla Movements in Latin America, Human Rights Violations, Torture

Get to Know a Brazilian – João Leonardo da Silva Rocha,

Posted on June 7, 2015 by

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. This week, we look at João Leonardo da Silva Rocha, the sixth of fifteen political prisoners who were exchanged for US Ambassador Charles Elbrick in 1969, in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Violations, Latin American Politics, The "Disappeared", The "Left" in Latin America

Get to Know a Brazilian – Onofre Pinto

Posted on May 31, 2015 by

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. Continuing the series looking at the fifteen political prisoners released in exchange for US Ambassador Charles Elbrick in 1969, this week we focus on the life of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Get to Know a Brazilian, Human Rights Violations

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

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