The OAS drops a bomb

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 24, 2010

Wave goodbye.

So it’s come to this. After 11 years of back and forth debate over what the Bolivarian Revolution means for Venezuela, the OAS’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has an answer: It’s bad. Real bad. In an amazing 319-page report, the IACHR finally confirms what Venezuelan human rights groups have been denouncing for years:

In this report, the Commission identifies issues that restrict full enjoyment of the human rights enshrined in the American Convention on Human Rights. Among other issues, the IACHR analyzes a series of conditions that indicate the absence of due separation and independence between the branches of government in Venezuela. The Commission also finds that in Venezuela, not all persons are ensured full enjoyment of their rights irrespective of the positions they hold vis-à-vis the government’s policies. The Commission also finds that the State’s punitive power is being used to intimidate or punish people on account of their political opinions. The Commission’s report establishes that Venezuela lacks the conditions necessary for human rights defenders and journalists to carry out their work freely. The IACHR also detects the existence of a pattern of impunity in cases of violence, which particularly affects media workers, human rights defenders, trade unionists, participants in public demonstrations, people held in custody, campesinos (small-scale and subsistence farmers), indigenous peoples, and women.

The executive summary continues on to highlight “a troubling trend of punishments, intimidation, and attacks on individuals in reprisal for expressing their dissent with official policy,” as well as government policies designed to gut the power of elected opposition leaders, the use of criminal charges to suppress public demonstrations, and “issues that affect the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in Venezuela.”

This report is fairly unprecedented and should take the wind out of the sails of those who have argued that the OAS has been too soft on Venezuela. The question now is, will Venezuela stay in the OAS? It’s not a silly question. Chávez will, of course, react vehemently. But more importantly, the release of the report coincides with the fact that Venezuela might be on its way out anyway.

Last year, the country straight-up rejected a ruling by the OAS’ Inter-American Court of Human Rights, arguing the ruling represented “unacceptable intervention in the government and the judiciary.” Rejecting the jurisdiction of the court is a serious violation of Venezuela’s obligations as a member of the OAS, and the court is just now deciding how to respond.

One wonders if a report of this magnitude, scope, and harshness is designed to pave the way for Venezuela’s exit from the OAS.

(Full IACHR report.)

Posted in Human Rights, Politics, Venezuela | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Want one

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 24, 2010

Zoom zoom. (Via La Verdad Dominicana.)

If I could have a warplane, it would be an Embraer Super Tucano. The Brazilian-made planes are sharp, versatile, tough, and – at a cost of a mere US$9 million – a great deal. Apparently, many Latin American countries feel the same way. The LA Times is reporting that the Super Tucano is a hit with the drug-busting air forces of the region, and is gaining an international profile:

Chile and the Dominican Republic have bought Super Tucanos. An Embraer spokesman declined to comment on reports that Indonesia and Peru have also placed orders.

The Pentagon is considering buying 200 of the aircraft, and Britain’s Royal Air Force is weighing the possibility of replacing its fleet of Harrier vertical takeoff jets with Super Tucanos instead of Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, which cost 10 times as much.

If the Pentagon buys the planes — 100 each for the Navy and Air Force, according to reports — the order would equal the total number of Super Tucanos that have been sold to date.

The principal customers have been the air forces of Brazil, with 99, and Colombia, which bought 25.

On the other hand, war planes are dangerous. Here’s a video of what sounds like a Peruvian Tucano in action, shooting down a planeload of missionaries with the help of the CIA. Nice job, guys:

Posted in Brazil, War on drugs | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Happy reunion

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 24, 2010

A father and son met each other for the first time after being separated by Argentina’s dirty war for 33 years. In 1977, Abel Madariaga’s pregnant wife was kidnapped by a government death squad and taken to the Campo de Mayo, a military base in the suburbs of Buenos Aires.

She gave birth, and was never heard from again. A military captain took the baby home with him – umbilical cord still attached – and raised him as his own. Then yesterday, after more than three decades, Madariaga was finally reunited with his son, Francisco – now a street performer – after a positive DNA test. The two appeared incredibly happy in the press conference.

The group who brought them together was the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an association dedicated to reuniting with their families the estimated 400 children of the disappeared kidnapped during the dirty war. Francisco was number 101.

Posted in Argentina, Human Rights | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Portillo report still missing

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 23, 2010

Empty? (Via markhillary.)

Is Alfonso Portillo healthy or sick? No one knows yet, though we were supposed to find out yesterday. It’s now been three days since the ex-Guatemalan president accused of embezzlement and money laundering ditched a maximum-security prison for a military hospital with conflicting reports as to why.

El Periódico says today that it got hold of two reports from two different doctors that say two completely different things. The one from a National Forensic Science Institute doctor says the ex-prez is in perfect health. The one from the doctor hired by the defense says he suffers from a racing heart, chest pains, and high blood pressure. Doctors from the military hospital itself haven’t released any official statements.

Prensa Libre, meanwhile, is reporting that the hospital denied a public prosecutor’s request to do a medical examination of Portillo. The article also says the U.S. has until March 29 to formalize a request for extradition.

Central American leaders have a history of receiving special treatment upon entery to the penal system. Nicaragua’s Arnoldo Aleman served most of his prison term for robbing the Nicaraguan state of about $100 million in house arrest, due to health reasons. Also, arrested former Costa Rican presidents Rodríguez and Calderón spent their “preventative detention” in the comfort of their own homes, rather than prison.

One can only imagine the strings Portillo might be pulling.

Posted in Guatemala, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Neutral parties

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 23, 2010

(Via Amnesty International.)

The indigenous peoples in Colombia just want to be left alone. Instead, they’ve been systematically victimized by left-wing guerrillas, paramilitaries, and the military alike. According to a new report just out from Amnesty International, the attacks increased in 2009.

Posted in Colombia, Human Rights | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Doctor will sue you now

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 23, 2010

Eight Cuban doctors are suing Venezuela and Cuba for what they call conditions of “slavery.” The doctors – who were brought to Venezuela to work in the Barrio Adentro public health projects of the Venezuelan government – say they were forced to work 24-hour shifts and see up to 80 patients per day.

“They kept us under constant supervision, they didn’t let us go out, not even to a restaurant or to have friendships. They even deprived me of food,” said Frank Vargas, a 33-year-old General Practitioner and Havana native.

Vargas said he arrived to Venezuela in April of 2008. After working for three months in communities in the Zulia state, he fled to Colombia in July of that year because he couldn’t stand the extreme work conditions. He arrived to Miami in August of 2009.

(Apparently no one informed the good doctor that you’re supposed to flee away from Colombia.)

The article in the Miami Herald doesn’t specify, but I assume the Cubans are bringing civil suit under the Alien Tort Claims Act, which is often used to sue entities who commit human rights violations outside the U.S. In this case, the entity would be the Venezuelan government and its oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA), which holds substantial assets in the U.S., including the Citgo chain of gas stations and refineries.

Should the Cubans manage to prove their case, they might have a shot at getting some of the $450 million they’re requesting. In 2008, a judge ordered the Curacao Drydock Company to pay former Cuban workers $80 million after the workers claimed they had been sent to do slave labor for the company in payment of a debt owed it by the Cuban government.

(h/t The Devil’s Excrement.)

Posted in Cuba, Human Rights, Venezuela | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A deal too good to make

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 23, 2010

Act now.

A classic scam from Costa Rica’s early days as a place for feverish, poorly-researched gringo investment was The Teak Farm. It went like this:

  1. Give us a million dollars.
  2. We’ll give you a share in a sustainable teak farm.
  3. Soon you’ll be making 25-30% ROI.
  4. We’ll manage the whole thing, so don’t bother visiting.
  5. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

The Los Angeles Business Journal has a story about how one such scam played out. If you’re considering investing in Costa Rica, read this story, and take it as a blueprint for what not to do. This country is a haven for scammers, double-crossers, get-rich-quick cons, and greedy real estate vultures. Trust no one. Everyone will charge you more than what it’s worth, and your most trusted business associates will steal everything you have.

Other than that, it’s paradise.

Posted in Costa Rica, Economy | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Remembering El Salado

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 23, 2010

February 18 was the 10th anniversary of the El Salado massacre, in which 400 paramilitary members spent two days brutalizing the small village of El Salado in Bolívar, Colombia. From a Human Rights Watch report describing the massacre:

On February 18, 2000, an estimated 400 uniformed and armed paramilitaries arrived in the village of El Salado, Bolívar, and proceeded to commit what may have been the most brutal massacre in the country’s history. They spent the next two days terrorizing the townspeople, pulling them out of their houses and dragging them to the local soccer field before torturing and killing them. “They pulled my daughter away … she called to me, ‘mommy,’ and they shot her in the head,” one mother who managed to survive told Human Rights Watch. Meanwhile, the woman said the paramilitaries were killing many of her friends and relatives in the soccer field. “They killed my cousin, they scalped her, tied her up,… they strangled her and finally they cut her head off.” The same mother thought another daughter, who was only seven years old, had managed to escape with a neighbor. But three days later she found the child’s body. “They put a plastic bag over her head and she died suffocated … on the top of a hill.” On the basis of paramilitaries’ confessions, prosecutors estimate that over 100 people may have been killed in the massacre.

A comprehensive background of the massacre was produced by the Grupo de Memoria Histórica and can be downloaded as a PDF here. Pages 34 to 42 compile eyewitness accounts of the massacre. Not pleasant reading.

Posted in Colombia, History, Human Rights | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Calling in sick

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 23, 2010

Found a "Portillo"? (Via Prensa Libre.)

What’s wrong with Alfonso Portillo? The Guatemalan ex-president (2000-2004) was arrested and placed in a maximum-security prison on January 26 at the request of the United States, which is seeking him on charges of laundering part of the US$70 million in government funds that Guatemala, in turn, is trying him for embezzling.

But on Saturday, he was suddenly transferred to a military prison hospital with “respiratory problems.” Then it was rumored he had heart problems, but no one had released any official statement. The public prosecutor requested a report on Portillo’s condition from the military, but the report was delayed.

People are starting to wonder what’s going on. Portillo has evaded justice before: To face the embezzlement charges, he had to be extradited from Mexico in 2008. And his mysterious illness occurred right after President Colom stated that extraditing Portillo to the U.S. was fine by him. The authorities say the report on Portillo’s health will be released today.

But we’re still waiting.

Posted in Guatemala, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

They Want You

By Peter Krupa | Published: February 22, 2010

The FARC have taken to recording revolutionary merengue to attract new recruits. According to an article in El Tiempo, they spent US$150,000 on a CD produced by professional musicians. One song on the disk – “La Canción del Guerrillero” – is quite the booty-shaker.

Grab your rifle and grenades.

Posted in Colombia, Odd, War on drugs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

  • DAILY LINKS

    • The Nation has a long, wonky, wonderful article on Mexican maize cultivation, the effects of NAFTA, and the dangers of genetically-modified seeds. Author Peter Canby backs up his excellent writing with piles and piles of meticulous research. Not to be missed. [link, via SM] (Image from Joel Penner.)

    • Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas ended his hunger strike yesterday after 134 days. Farinas decided to end his strike after the Cuban government said it would release political prisoners rounded up in the "Black Spring" crackdown of 2003. Get well soon. [link]

    • The Uruguayan selection, which has made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup, just received a shipment of half a ton of fine cuts of beef for the mother of all asados in preparation for a contest against Ghana on Friday: "450 kilos of lomo, 200 of entrecot, 75 of vacío, 75 of colita de cuadril, 150 of ojo de bife and 50 kg of picaña." [link]

    • Hitmen have assassinated the PRI candidate for governor of Tamaulipas State, Rodolfo Torre Cantú. Torre was gunned down along with six others at about 10:30 this morning on a highway on the way to a campaign event. Drug mafias are assumed to be responsible. [link]

    • From the days when coups were something of a regional sport, new documents detail a famous British ballerina's role in a plot to topple the government of Panama. The plan was to use her yacht to gather men and arms, then "land somewhere and collect in the hills." It didn't work. [link]

    • Mexico's Attorney General's Office has posted on its web site irrefutable evidence that gold-plated AR-15s and diamond-studded pistol grips are not nearly as cool-looking as they sound. The deadly knick-knack collection is said to belong to Valencia Cartel leader El Lobo. [link]

    • Two Brazilian ranchers were sentenced to 30 years in prison apiece for ordering the killing of an environmentalist nun: "Prosecutors said the pair offered to pay a gunman $25,000 to kill the 73-year-old [Dorothy] Stang because she had prevented them from stealing a piece of land that the government had granted to a group of poor farmers." [link]


    • This video of a kidnapping and car chase in Mexico is notable mainly for the bad-assitude of the TV journalists who were on this like white on rice. Well done, gentlemen.

    • The Economist takes a peak at the Mockus phenomenon in Colombia: "His moustacheless beard gives him the air of a Baltic pastor... He is financing his campaign with a bank overdraft. His supporters rely on Facebook and make their own posters; street vendors sell unofficial campaign T-shirts." [link]

    • Some cruise lines will cease traveling to Antarctica after this cruise season, as a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil goes into effect next year. The ban came after a 2007 incident when a Gap Adventures ship got punctured by ice and sank, causing a mess. [link]