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Nicaragua
January 20, 2009
1. Aleman prison sentence revoked in exchange for political stability
2. FSLN Continues Electoral Gains on Atlantic Coast
3. Outlines of Emergency Economic Plan Emerge
4. Teachers "Obliged to become Street Vendors"
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1. Aleman Prison Sentence Revoked/Lawsuit Threatened
The Nicaraguan Supreme Court freed "in a definitive manner" former President Arnoldo Aleman, voiding his 2003 conviction for stealing more than US$100 million from state coffers and with money-laundering on a grand scale. The move seemed to be the last step in a five year political dance between Aleman and President Daniel Ortega, although there were indications that the political machinations could continue with an announcement from the Prosecutor Generals' office that it was preparing new indictments on other financial corruption charges that have never been brought to court. Aleman also continues to face indictments in Miami and Panama. For his part, Aleman threatened to sue for $4,000/month back pay he was denied when he lost his legislative immunity.
The timing of the exoneration coincided with the end of the paralysis of the National Assembly as most of Aleman's Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) deputies joined Sandinista (FSLN) deputies in re-electing Sandinista Rene Nuñez as president of the National Assembly. The deal was a set-back for institutionality. It was also a severe blow to the political aspirations of Eduardo Montealegre, both because he failed to pull together a majority to elect his slate to the leadership of the Assembly, and because presumably part of the negotiations for Aleman's freedom included an end to the protests about alleged irregularities in the November 9 municipal elections. Montealegre was contesting his defeat for Mayor of Managua and leading the campaign claiming fraud in the elections. However, with the Nicaraguan right-wing's ever shifting alliances and fractures, one never knows what next month will bring. The annulment removes any legal impediment to an Aleman run for the presidency in 2010. However, he remains the Nicaraguan politician with the lowest public approval rating.
We can expect a period of relative political calm which the Ortega government badly needs to confront the effects of the world financial crisis on Nicaragua. The months of paralysis of the National Assembly has meant that laws were not passed that the IMF requires before it will release loans scheduled for 2009. The European Union, several European countries, and the US Millennium Challenge Fund have suspended aid to the Nicaraguan government over concerns about the municipal elections. In response to a letter from the Nicaragua Network urging the EU not to cut aid because it would constitute "collective punishment" of Nicaragua's poor, EU Ambassador to the US, John Bruton, responded that he is also concerned and, "The European Commission sincerely hopes that the situation will evolve in a positive and constructive way, so that the decision to suspend budget support can be reconsidered as soon as possible."
2. FSLN Continues Electoral Gains on Atlantic Coast
In November, the FSLN won control of 105 municipalities on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, leaving the main opposition parties with only 41, including just one municipality of significant size, the southern city of Granada, on Lake Cocibolca. On Sunday, Jan. 19, these gains were complemented in the municipal elections in the Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) which were delayed due to damage by Hurricane Felix. The FSLN took all the main centers of population, including the principal city of Bilwi/Puerto Cabesas.
The Atlantic Coast, home to most of Nicaragua's indigenous peoples, was declared autonomous by the Constitution passed by the first FSLN government in 1987. Under that Constitution, the North and South Atlantic Regions (RAAN and RAAS) have the right to govern themselves through regional councils representing the local populations of Miskito, Sumo- Mayagna, Rama and other ethnic groups. With 97% of votes counted, the president of the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), Dr. Roberto Rivas, declared the FSLN victorious in Bilwi/Puerto Cabezas, Waspam, Rosita y Bonanza. The Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC), the Front's principal rival, won Siuna and Mulukukú, while the indigenous people's party, Yatama, won Prinzapolka.
Despite alarmist anticipation in much of the national news media, claiming concern that the Coast would see tumult similar to that following the Pacific Coast elections when opposition parties took to the streets to protest the results, Sunday passed off without serious incident, perhaps indicative of agreements reached over the nullification of Aleman's conviction. Voter turnout at 34%, however, was low by Nicaraguan standards, which has historically seen levels way above 50%.
3. Outlines of Emergency Economic Plan Emerge
The global financial crisis has forced the Nicaraguan government to send a revised 2009 budget to the National Assembly. Instead of the US$700 million that it was seeking, the total budget will now come in at US$500 million, pretty much in line with that of last year. Presidential economic advisor Bayardo Arce and Central Bank president Antenor Rosales acknowledged that, of the US$200 million deficit, at least US$100 million was due to European countries and the US suspending promised aid due to alleged irregularities in the November municipal elections.
Rosales went on to say that Central Bank projections for 2009 had Nicaragua halving its probable overall growth, from over 4% to just 2.0%, and an anticipated rate of inflation of 8-9%. Arce underlined that the government will guarantee the financing of all measures adopted, explicitly ruling out a rumored revision of the tax code "for this year, at least." Given the extraordinary nature of the crisis, both men emphasized the vital importance of the assistance provided to Nicaragua by Venezuela and others by virtue of its membership in the Bolivarian Alternative for Our Americas (ALBA). ALBA has established itself as a "fair trading block" challenging conventional "free trade agreements" sponsored by the US and Europe, now widely seen in Latin America as doing more harm than good.
The budget cut-backs have raised concerns among students who can attend university only if they continue to receive scholarships. César Pérez, President of the Nicaraguan National Union of Students (UNEN), explained that those who already have grants will continue to receive their scholarships. "Those primarily affected will be the new intake of students. There simply may well be no budget to offer them support for this year."
Gustavo Porras, FSLN deputy to the National Assembly and General Secretary of the National Workers Front (FNT), called on all sectors of Nicaraguan society to bear the burden of the government's anti-crisis measures. "It's vital that such measures reflect our priorities, our model, our values," he said. "That means they should be aimed at the support of people in the countryside, to support the production of food, the development of small farmer production, the development of our country." He continued, "We want nothing to do with measures to continue and defend neo-liberalism. We've stated clearly that we will not return to neo-liberalism; for example, measures intended to support the banks. Why on earth? That's just defending neo-liberalism! On the contrary, we must adopt measures which involve everyone, all sectors, including the banks and bankers, in developing national production. This is something all Nicaraguans must take on together."
Porras continued by saying that, in the past, the burden of emergency measures tended to be borne by the working class, while the business classes as a rule sought exonerations and other means to soften the impact on themselves, while giving little in return. "Not this time," said Porras. "This time, it's up to all of us to act to cushion and ameliorate this situation." He went on to criticize offices with several vehicles assigned to them where one would do, and challenged his colleagues to cut back on their cell phone ownership and big spending on calls. "The working people are prepared to take on some of the burden of these cuts made necessary by the failure of neo-liberalism," he declared, "but only if they see that they are being borne equitably by all sectors. If we expect them to assist in solving the crisis, we legislators and others in government must set the example," he concluded.
6, Teachers "Obliged to become Street Vendors"
Arsenio Vivas, president of the Nicaraguan National Confederation of Teachers, declared that as many as 7,000 teachers will find themselves forced to take to the streets to sell whatever they can if they are denied "their right" to a double shift. With the lowest teachers pay in Central America many teachers have been forced to teach in both of Nicaragua's daily school sessions in order to earn a double income. Education Minister Miguel de Castilla, has managed to raise teachers' pay three times for a total increase of approximately US$75, although it still remains low. He intends to eliminate the double shift to improve standards within the profession. De Castilla insists that the law expressly forbids teachers taking more than a single shift per day, adding that they are entirely at liberty to take other forms of extra work if they find it necessary.
The minister's position was supported wholeheartedly by José Antonio Zepeda, leader of the Nicaraguan National Association of Teachers (ANDEN). "These people with double or triple shifts are just shameless," he said. "The practice is a leftover from the corrupt so-called school autonomy system, (imposed by the World Bank and IMF) which the current government has replaced with genuinely public schools once again." He claimed that in fact no more than 1,800 teachers would be affected, and that, even as single turn teachers, they already receive a salary of between 3,000 and 3,500 cordobas (US$160 - US$170) per month.
Vivas hotly disputed Zepeda's claims, calling ANDEN a "company union" at the minister's beck and call. "The majority of the teachers who take double shifts are single mothers, struggling to support their families," he said. "How dare they call these people 'shameless', especially when they themselves enjoy the fat salary of a minister or deputy to the national assembly? Even the Central Bank admits that the basic 'food basket' for a month here is now costing around 12,000 (US$ 590) cordobas. And a teacher on 3000 cordobas!" In response to Xepeda's claim that the 44,000 teachers working directly with the ministry of education seemed to be managing, Vivas retorted, "Sure, by working in private schools or by selling on the street!"
Claiming that teachers had gained the right to the double shift, and that de Castilla was really seeking to make room for teachers who were FSLN members, Vivas concluded, "We're going to fight for this right at the start of the new school year in early February. We'll set up a picket outside the Education Ministry and take several other measures to make our voices heard. We're not delinquents nor shameless; this is not a political business, it's a question of hunger." The efforts by the Ortega government to rebuild the education system after 16 years of strangulation and privatization forced by World Bank/IMF structural adjustment conditions has been heroic but difficult. Classrooms are filled to overflowing, infrastructure has deteriorated, and teachers' salaries do not provide a living wage.
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PERU
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Bush signed Peru FTA before Peru met regulations: Obama should enforce or renegotiate corrupted deal
The Peru-US free trade agreement is an embarrassment in the history of relations between the United States and Peru.
The negotiation process of the Peru FTA sums up the worst dangers of "free" trade: little respect for human rights, a mockery of the international law, violation of basic rights of American and Peruvian workers and farmers, and a clear example of how far Wall Street corrupted corporations can go in order to take over the natural resources of developing nations.
Yesterday, President Bush signed the proclamation of implementation of the Peru FTA, even before the government of Peru had fulfilled its commitments signed in May 2007, in order to guarantee labor rights and environmental protections in the Andean country.
This implementation has been done ignoring warnings from US Congress House Ways and Means Committee members and AFL-CIO union leaders.
A history of corruption and abuse
The abusive history of the Peru FTA began with national protests and strikes in Peru back in 2004, when then president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo (US-citizen) announced the negotiations.
Ever since then, not a single chapter of this agreement has been written by the Peruvian government, as the Bush administration imposed all the details that will benefit the same American corporations that have caused the worst economic crisis of a generation.
The Peruvian Congress approved this FTA in June 2006 in a lame duck session, after ignoring the request of 60 thousand signatures for a National Referendum. Eighty percent of those Congress members had already lost the elections. Right after, farmers launched a national strike in 8 regions of the country which met a furious and violent police response.
During the four-years negotiation process, hundreds of thousands of Peruvians have protested in the streets of Lima, and other important Peruvian cities. Alan Garcia run as a candidate opposing t he FTA, but he betrayed his voters after elected.
The political representation in Peru is so corrupted and misrepresenting, that it took the effort of Us Congress members so labor and environmental protections for Peruvians can be included in this FTA - even after it had already passed in Peru’s Congress. On December 2008 the Democratic-led US Congress passed the Peru FTA (with most House Democrats opposing it) but this time it included modifications that president-elect Obama called “well structured.”
In summary, this FTA has been signed by the worst presidents in the history of both countries: a disgraced George W. Bush and Alan Garcia, the shameless president of Peru who still has pending cases of human rights abuses and corruption cases. Bush has the lowest presidential approval in US history and Garcia has a 17% popularity rate in most of Peru.
Peruvians have no representation
The current Garcia government is permanently attacking the interests of Peruvian people, and so far 26 Peruvians have been killing during social protests since 2006.
Thirteen political leaders and intellectuals have been accused of “international terrorism” by a Peruvian Court under the pressure from the Executive, including leaders of CGTP which is the biggest labor union in Peru. Another 300 community organizers and farmers are currently being prosecuted, and some like Roque Gonzales are being incarcerated without justification.
Meanwhile,=2 0several mining projects are leased to foreign corporations in populated regions, ignoring the rights of those who live in those territories. About 73% of the Peruvian Amazon forest has been already leased without consent of the Native communities living there, including protected areas.
As today, about 7 million Peruvian farmers are holding a national strike, protesting a government decree which will privatize the control of water resources in rural territories, affecting the rights of Native people over their natural resources.
Recently a farmer leader in northern Peru denounced that he and 28 other Native leaders were tortured by Peruvian police and a private security company in 2005, during the Alejandro Toledo government, for defending their land against a UK/China mining venture take over.
Above 70% of Peruvian workers work an average of 13 hours per day, with a $200 dollars monthly salary, without labor rights or social security benefits. Peruvian authorities have done little to avoid the activities of abusive labor agencies, which are created by Peruvian companies themselves to avoid meeting labor standards.
More than 5 thousands mining workers have lost their jobs in the last month because of global mineral prices reduction, even when the government says the national economy grew 9% in 2008. The mining industry in Peru is one of the most polluting in the world.
The booming agro industry in Peru’s coastal towns employs day laborers –in the same fashion of undocumented fa rmers in the US- avoiding permanent employment, guaranteeing low wages and no labor benefits. Most of the agribusiness owners are rich Peruvians and foreigner investors, especially from Chile, Europe and the US.
The threats of the Peru FTA
Even before the Peru FTA was implemented, American mining and oil corporations are already polluting entire regions of Peru, poisoning thousands of Indigenous peoples. Abuses are reported daily and even CNN' Planet in Peril showed the horrifying case of the town of La Oroya, where children are poisoned with metal lead in their blood, 10 times the maximum level in the US.
This FTA allows more dependence of the Peruvian government and the vulnerability of the rights of Peruvian people, to whatever decisions are made in Washington, DC. The decrease of sovereignty is already obvious in the Andean country: a recent decree of the Peruvian government is allowing fourteen US Navy war ships to use its seaports in the Pacific coast, and US military personnel have plenty of access to Peruvian territory.
This is not a way for the United States to truly promote democracy, human rights and progress with equality among neighboring nations of Latin America -as we have heard so often. This is corporate corruption, colonialism and imperialism at their worts.
If the new Obama administration is willing the change the US approach towards such unfair region as Latin America, then it should remind the Peruvian government to enforce the FTA labor and environmental regulations.
Otherwise this FTA should be renegotiated.
Autor: Carlos A. Quiroz
COLOMBIA
Dear Colombia Advocates:
Barack Obama's transition team has set up an interactive "Citizen's Briefing Book" http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ where you can send your ideas for America's future to the president-elect.
We'd like you to visit this website today to show your support for a new, positive direction in U.S. policy towards Colombia that stands by victims and human rights activists, helps bring human rights abusers to justice, and invests in peace. >>ideas/viewIdea.apexp?id=087800000004ngi&srPos=0&srKp=087
To "vote" for a new Colombia policy, you must first register at change.gov (we promise it's easy). Once you're registered, go back to our idea and click "vote up." We encourage you to add your own vision for a new Colombia policy to the ideas' comments section.
The ideas that receive the most votes will receive a public response from the transition team, so don't pass up this opportunity to make your voice heard!
If you haven't already, remember to sign our petition calling on President-elect Obama to build a just U.S. policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean. www.lawg.org
Travis Wheeler
Lisa Haugaard
Latin America Working Group
twheeler@lawg.org
*Join LAWG in Washington, DC March 16-19, 2009 for the 7th annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days! Advocacy Days is an excellent opportunity to join other advocates in DC to call on the new Congress to build a new policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean that unites us with our neighbors. Don't miss it--register today!
Urgent Action: Leonard Peltier
Posted by: "NYCLAW" NYCLAW mletwin2001
Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:33 pm (PST)
Dear LP Supporters
I am so OUTRAGED! My brother Leonard was severely beaten upon his arrival at the Canaan Federal Penitentiary. When he went into population after his transfer, some inmates assaulted him. The severity of his injuries is that he suffered numerous blows to his head and body, receiving a large bump on his head, possibly a concussion, and numerous bruises. Also, one of his fingers is swollen and discolored and he has pain in his chest and ribcage. There was blood everywhere from his injuries.
We feel that prison authorities at the prompting of the FBI orchestrated this attack and thus, we are greatly concerned about his safety. It may be that the attackers, whom Leonard did not even know, were offered reduced sentences for carrying out this heinous assault. Since Leonard is up for parole soon, this could be a conspiracy to discredit a model prisoner.
He was placed in solitary confinement and only given one meal, this is generally done when you won't name your attackers; incidentally being only given one meal seriously jeopardizes his health because of his diabetes. Prison officials refuse to release any info to the family, but they need to hear from his supporters to protect his safety, as does President Obama. His attorneys are trying to get calls into him now.
This attack on LP comes on the heels of the FBI's recent letter, prompting this attack by FBI supporters as an attempt to discredit LP as a model prisoner. Anyone who has been in the prison system knows well that if you refuse to name your attackers or file charges against them, then you lose your status as a victim and/or given points against your possible parole and labeled as a perpetrator.
It is not uncommon, in fact is quite common for the government to use Indian against Indian and they still operate under the old adage "it takes an Indian to catch an Indian." In 1978, they made an attempt to assassinate him through another Indian man who was also at Marion prison with LP. But Standing Deer chose to reveal the plot to him instead of taking his life in exchange FOR A CHANCE AT FREEDOM. When Standing Deer was released in 2001, he joined the former Leonard Peltier Defense Committee as a board member. He also began to speak on Leonard's behalf until his murder six years ago today. Prior to his murder, Standing Deer confided with close friends and associates that the same man who visited him in Marion to assassinate Peltier, had came to Houston, TX and told him that he had better stay away from Peltier and anything to do with
him.
We are aware that currently, the FBI is actively seeking support for his continued imprisonment of Leonard Peltier and also also seeking support from Native People. So please be aware, and keep Leonard in your prayers. The FBI is apparently afraid of the impact we are having. If they will set him up to blemish his record just before a parole hearing, what will they do when it looks like his freedom will become a reality? We need to make sure that nothing happens to him again!
Please write the President, send it priority or registered mail. Email to Change.gov or email President Obama. Call your congressional representatives and write letters, not email, to them. Do what you can to get the word out to insure that LP is receiving adequate medical attention for his injuries.
I am asking you, supporters of Leonard and advocates of justice at this time to help. I don't know what else to do. Please Help!
Thank you
Betty Peltier-Solano
Executive Coordinator
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
Also call and request Leonard be treated with dignity and respect.
Canaan Federal Prison
570-488-8000
If you call the prison on Leonard's behalf you will need this register #:
LEONARD PELTIER 89637-132
____________________________________________________
Pursuant to Betty Ann Peltier Solano's letter about her brother,
let the Bureau of Prisons know that the public will hold them
accountable for the safety and well being of Leonard Peltier.
Warden Ronnie R. Holt
USP-Canaan
3057 Easton Turnpike
Waymart, PA 18472
Phone: 570-488-8000
Fax: 570-488-8130
E-mail address: CAA/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV
D. Scott Dodrill, Director
Northeast Regional Office
Federal Bureau of Prisons
2nd & Chesnut Streets., 7th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: 215-521-7301
E-mail: NERO/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV
Harley G. Lappin, Director
Bureau of Prisons
U.S. Department of Justice
320 First Street, NW, Room 654
Washington, DC 20534
Phone: 202-307-3250
Fax: 202-514-6878
Ask President Obama to investigate this incident:
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
FARM WORKERS
Bush's devastating new H2A regs still in effect. Tell Congress to override now. www.ufw.org Change has started. Upon taking office President Obama immediately stayed any pending or new 11th hour regulations that the Bush administration tried to push through.
However, this does not include the devastating new H2A regulations we wrote to you about. These regulations were not included as they already went into effect on Saturday and the only way they can be stopped through a congressional override that President Obama can then sign into law.
We need your help. These Bush administration H2A regulations gut existing protections for both domestic and foreign farm workers. They make it easier for growers to slash the pay of domestic farm workers and hire imported foreign laborers instead of U.S. field workers. They weaken government protections in an industry known for violating the minimum wage, housing requirements and other rules.
The new Obama Administration is facing a mountain of problems left by the outgoing administration. All of them are important. And all require action.
We need your help to ensure that farm workers do not get buried under the pile of crises. With a vote in Congress and a stroke of a pen, the new administration can reverse the terrible changes the Bush Administration wrote into effect. Please act now and e-mail your Congress members today and ask them to take immediate action.
GUATEMALA
URGENT ACTION:
Lawyer and Leader of Organized Vendors Are Assassinated
Leaders Continue to Face Threat: Vendors Continue to Defend the Popular Market in Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango
Recent Events:
On December 23, 2008 Armando Sanchez was murdered at 11:00 AM near his office in the center of Coatepeque. While getting into his vehicle, gunmen on a motorcycle shot him four times, following a series of death threats that had been made against him in recent weeks. Armando Sanchez provided legal advice to the organized vendors of Coatepeque´s traditional markets, the Coordination of United Vendors of Coatepeque, and to the Committee of Campesino Unity (CUC), fighting forceful evictions by the municipal government.
On January 13th a leader of the organized vendors, Amado Corazon Monzón, was murdered while opening his stand in the market when gunmen shot him three times in the head. He had also been involved in organizing the vendors of Coatepeque in efforts to resist forced relocation to a "mega market."
Amongst telephone calls and other direct threats against leaders, a list of targets has been distributed by parallel groups in the streets of Coatepeque. Monzón and Sanchez appeared on this list. Other leaders, including a lawyer that remains in the area, continue to work under threat.
In response to the conflict the central government declared martial law on October 5, 2008, a declaration that has since been extended a number of times. In Coatepeque and other regions, this governmental tactic has been criticized as repressive, ineffective in resolving conflicts, and contributing to the criminalization of the social movement.
Background:
Since 2006 formal and informal vendors have been resisting being forcefully evicted from their traditional location in the center of the town of Coatepeque, department of Quetzaltenango. While the three traditional markets were legalized in Coatepeque over 50 years ago and then declared “patrimony of the people”, the municipal government received an initial loan of 50 million Quetzals in 2004 from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to construct a mega market on the outskirts of town, to which the small producers and vendors would be forced to move.
The small and medium-sized vendors claim, however, that the new mega market would mean great losses to their livelihoods. The new market charges more rent for vendor stands, is located far from the center of town, and is in close proximity to a large garbage dump and two cemeteries. Contamination threatens the hygiene of the goods being sold and the health of those who work in the market and consume its goods. In fact, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources with the University of San Carlos conducted an impact study that confirmed dangerous levels of contamination on the site.
The first forced evictions of the traditional markets took place in November 2007, when police and workers from nearby plantations destroyed vendor stands and allegedly robbed much of their material, while protestors were gassed and heavily repressed. Since then, there have been over 10 forced evictions of the traditional markets and the government continues to extend martial law in Coatepeque, thereby facilitating these acts of repression. The current mayor has refused all attempts to dialogue with vendors, including those requested by the Human Rights Ombudsman. Many vendors continue to resist the forced displacement, which they claim only serves the interests of large businesses and chains that want access to the town center.
PLEASE SEND FAXES AND EMAILS TO THE ADDRESSES BELOW, URGING THE GUATEMALAN GOVERNMENT TO:
Ensure the immediate safety of CUC members, leaders, and other individuals currently facing threats in Coatepeque.
Investigate immediately the recent deaths of Armando Sanchez and Amado Corazon Monzón (unless they asked us not to include his name), as well as all other acts of violence and intimidation related to the conflict in Coatepeque.
Conduct an in-depth investigation into the mega market, including environmental and human rights impacts and the material and intellectual authors of violent incidents.
Immediately revoke the martial law in Coatepeque, which only furthers impunity and violence against community leaders and the general population.
Take all measures possible to prevent further repression in Coatepeque against campesino and indigenous social movements, while protecting the rights of the small producers and vendors.
Sample Letter:
His Excellency, President Álvaro Colóm,
I am deeply concerned about the current situation in Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango and the ongoing conflict over the traditional market. I understand that small and medium-sized vendors have been forcefully evicted from their market over ten times in recent years, often suffering great damages to their property at the hands of the police and military. I also understand that martial law (estado de prevención) has been declared repeatedly in Coatepeque, denying vendors and community members the right to hold meetings and protests, two fundamental rights in a democratic society. Using martial law as a means to deal with a conflict between the municipal government and the vendors in Coatepeque only serves to open space for violent attacks, impunity, and the negation of the vendors' right to organize.
I also understand, and strongly denounce, that two people related to this conflict have been assassinated in recent weeks, indicating an extremely dangerous and urgent situation for community organizers in the region. I urge the government to investigate immediately and thoroughly the assassination of Armando Sanchez, a lawyer who had worked with the vendors in Coatepeque and who had received repeated death threats before being murdered near his office on December 23rd, as well as the assassinations of Amado Corazon Monzón, other leaders, and CUC members related to this case.
In a democratic society that values economic freedom, the rights of small and medium-sized vendors should be respected. Small-scale vendors should be protected from mega projects that directly threaten their livelihoods against their will.
In response to this situation, I urge the Guatemalan government to:
Ensure the immediate safety of CUC members, leaders, and other individuals currently facing threats in Coatepeque.
Investigate immediately the recent deaths of Armando Sanchez and Amado Corazon Monzón, as well as all other acts of violence and intimidation related to the conflict in Coatepeque.
Conduct an in-depth investigation into the mega market, including environmental and human rights impacts and an investigation into the material and intellectual authors of violent incidents.
Immediately revoke the martial law in Coatepeque, which furthers impunity and violence against community leaders and the general population.
Take all measures possible to prevent further repression in Coatepeque against campesino and indigenous social movements, while protecting the rights of the small producers and vendors.
I await a public response from the government on this matter.
Thank you for your time,
Send to:
Sr. Presidente Álvaro Colom
Casa Presidencial
6ª. Avenida 4-18, Zona 1
Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax 011 502 2221 4423
With Copy to:
Inter-American Development Bank
Juan José Taccone
Fax (202) 623-1928
Fax: (202) 312-4029
Fax:(202) 623-3096
Email pic@iadb.org
Human Rights Ombudsman
Doctor Sergio Fernando Morales Alvarado,
Procurador de Derechos Humanos
12 Avenida 12-72, zona 1, Ciudad de Guatemala,
Fax: 011.502.238.17.34
gmasariegos@pdh.org.gt / opdhg@intelnet.net.gt
Attorney General’s Office
Jose Amilcar Velasquez Zarate,
Fiscal General
15 Avenida 15-16 zona 1, Barrio Gerona, 8o nivel,
Ciudad de Guatemala
fiscalgeneral@pm.lex.gob.gt
011.502.2411-9124/ + 502.2411
Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN)
clegal@marn.gob.gt
informatica@marn.gob.gt
SOA
Meeting: Obama Transition Team/ SOA Watch
Take Action to Put Closing of the SOA on the President's agenda:
SOA Watch is excited to share that we had an official meeting with President Obama's transition team on December 16th. SOA Watch's Eric LeCompte along with 16 partner organizations met with five transition team members including Michael Strautmanis - the White House Intergovernmental Relations Director. The meeting was an opportunity to share with the Obama team our feelings on U.S. policy throughout our world.
At the meeting, SOA Watch played a role in highlighting torture, the war in Colombia and a specific request was made to Obama to close the School of the America's/ WHINSEC by executive order.
The transition team indicated that they wish to continue to work with our movement when they are in the White House - but indicated that they could make no official statements until Obama was president. Obama was inaugurated president and we need to let him know we want him to close the SOA/WHINSEC by executive order.
Please take the following actions to put the closing of the SOA/ WHINSEC on President Obama's agenda:
• Send a letter to the Editor about President Obama and the School of the Americas to newspapers in your area. You can use this sample letter or write your own.
Click here for a comprehensive list of media outlets in your area.
Download the sample letter as a Word document here: www.soaw.org/lettertotheeditor.doc
• Circulate the Petition for an Executive Order to Close the SOA/ WHINSEC! We have more than 15,000 signatures at this point!
Click here to download petition forms.
Click here to sign the petition online.
• Go to Change.gov and add your voice to the several thousand who want the SOA/ WHINSEC closed. You'll note that closing the SOA/ WHINSEC by executive order is ranked as one of the top foreign policy ideas. Vote and comment on the Change.gov webpage to show the popular support for the issue.
• Come to Washington, DC from February 15-17, 2009 for the SOA Watch Encuentro, the Lobby Days to Close the SOA and the LASC/NACLA Anti-Militarization Event.
Visit www.SOAW.org for more information.
Register Now!
President Obama and the School of the Americas
It is up to us and all advocates for justice in the hemisphere to ensure that an Obama administration will close the School of the Americas and put an end to the long legacy of using Latin America's people and resources for U.S. ends. Now is the time to ensure that the next administration brings to the Americas not just change, but justice.
Read the article about Barack Obama and the SOA/ WHINSEC from the Winter/Spring 2009 issue of Presente, the newspaper of the movement to close the SOA, here: www.SOAW.org/presente
Together, We Will Close the School of the Americas and Change the Culture of Violence and Domination Towards a Culture of Justice and Peace!
