Home Blog Page 428

PBI-Colombia accompanies Verification Mission to assess and report on the humanitarian crisis in Catatumbo

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 26, the Peace Brigade International-Colombia Project posted, “Last week PBI accompanied a Verification Mission to the Catatumbo region organised by the Programme for Prevention and Protection Routes for Human Rights Defenders in the Northeast.”

PBI-Colombia adds, “This programme is made up of the organisations ASCAMCAT, ACVC, CAHUCOPANA, AHERAMIGUA; IAP and is financed by the Catalonian Development and Cooperation Agency (ACCD).”

ASCAMCAT = Asociación Campesina del Catatumbo; ACVC = Peasant Farmer Association of the Cimitarra River Valley; CAHUCPANA = Humanitarian Action Corporation for the Coexistence and Peace of Northeast Antioquia; AHERAMIGUA = the Association of Agro-Ecological and Mining Fraternities of Guamoco; IAP = International Action for Peace.

This web-link provided by PBI-Colombia further explains that a verification mission took place on February 21 in order to develop an assessment of the threats and the humanitarian crisis now being faced by farming communities in the area.

The statement notes that according to the community:

1- There is a high presence of the public force, represented in the National Army in the territory.

2- Since September 2019, unidentified military personnel have made searches without a court order, intimidation, stigmatization and accusations of being collaborators of insurgent groups.

3- Registration: taking photographs of documents and photographs when they leave their homes.

4- Due to the humanitarian crisis in the territory, the economic blockade carried out by the insurgent groups and the National Army has generated consequences in: shortages, loss of the peasant economy, confinement and in general the limitation to the fundamental rights that are due guarantee within the Social State of Law.

Among the six demands from the community: “We demand the political will of the National Government in the continuity of the dialogue table with the ELN [National Liberation Army] and that the possibility of dialogues with other armed groups be contemplated.”

All six demands can be read here.

In terms of additional context, Spain’s News has reported, “Since the signing of the Colombian Government’s peace agreement with the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] and the demobilization of that former guerrilla, the spaces that their fronts occupied in the Catatumbo became the subject of a dispute between the ELN and the EPL [Popular Liberation Army] as a strategic step for traffic of cocaine to Venezuela.”

And Colombia Reports recently noted the “two-week crisis in the northeastern Catatumbo region, where the ELN and multiple armed rivals have been fighting for two weeks. In this region, an additional shutdown by the regional EPL guerrilla group has disallowed locals to work the land or buy food while children are unable to go to school.”

For PBI-Colombia articles on the Catatumbo region, please see this webpage.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies National Day for the Dignification of the Victims of the Armed Conflict

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 26, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project noted that it had accompanied the National Day for the Dignification of the Victims of the Armed Conflict march and posted on its Facebook page a series of photos from the day.

The Guatemalan daily newspaper El Periodico reports, “On Tuesday [February 25], several activities were held in different parts of [Guatemala City] for the National Day of the Dignification of the Victims of the Armed Conflict.”

“Relatives of people who disappeared during the internal war took a tour of the streets in zone 1. They carried photographs of people whose whereabouts are still unknown 23 years after the Peace Accords were signed.”

“[There was also a tribute to] student leader Oliverio Castañeda de León, who was murdered on October 20, 1978. They placed flowers and candles in the place at the entrance of the Passage Rubio, Sixth Avenue of Zone 1.”

That article also notes, “Several organizations requested the approval of bill 35-90 for the creation of the Commission for the Search of Victims of Forced Disappearance and other Forms of Disappearance.”

The 36-year-long war (internal armed conflict) in Guatemala began in November 1960 (after a US-backed coup in June 1954) and ended in December 1996 with signing of the Agreement for a Firm and Lasting Peace.

The Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) has stated that over 200,000 people were killed or disappeared during the conflict and attributed 93 per cent of the violations to state forces and related paramilitary groups. The CEH also found that 83 per cent of “fully identified” victims were Indigenous Mayan peoples.

The BBC has reported that the land reform that began in Guatemala in June 1952 was stopped by the coup in June 1954.

The Guardian adds, “A peace agreement in 1996 should have led to land redistribution, but a handful of powerful families still dominates the economy, and Guatemala remains one of the world’s least equal and most violent countries, with the largest 2.5% of farms occupying more than 65% of the land.”

“Economic integration forced on Guatemala by the US and global bodies have further opened the country to foreign-backed mining, hydro and other extractive industries, forcing more evictions of indigenous peoples and leading to more violence and inequality.”

Peace Brigades International accompanies 10 organizations in Guatemala with 10 international volunteers based in Guatemala City.

PBI-Mexico accompanies Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre at meeting with members of the European Parliament

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 25, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project posted, “PBI accompanies the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre in an international meeting with members of the human rights subcommittee of the European Parliament to discuss the situation of human rights and its defenders in city Juarez, on the border of Mexico with the US.”

PBI-Mexico has previously noted, “The Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre, located in Ciudad Juárez, in the state of Chihuahua, was created in 2001 by priest Óscar Enríquez Pérez to address human rights issues in the region.”

It adds, “Today, the Centre’s main areas of work are a comprehensive defense of rights and the accompaniment of victims of human rights violations, with a focus on cases of torture and enforced disappearances.”

On June 6, 2019, El Mexicano reported, “From 2011 to May 2019, the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre has documented nearly 200 cases of torture that occurred in the different police corporations in Ciudad Juarez.”

That article continues, “Organizations such as PBI-Mexico showed their support for human rights advocates in their fight to combat torture in Juarez.”

On February 7, Wear Your Voice reported, “Through the 1990s and early 2000s, a surge in the killing of women drew international attention and turned Juárez into the ‘capital of femicides’. Many of the victims were workers who were killed on their way to the maquiladoras — foreign assembly plants and factories — or after leaving them. Women’s bodies were dumped in a wasteland or along the side of a road.”

That article focused on the murder of artist and feminist Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre in Ciudad Juarez on January 18. She was a member of ‘Hijas de su Maquilera Madre’ (Daughters of Maquila Worker Mothers) that accompanies the families of victims of femicide.

PBI has been accompanying the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre since 2013. The centre was the first organization to receive accompaniment from the then newly formed PBI team in northern Mexico.

PBI supports call for mandate of Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders to be extended

By
Brent Patterson
-

The term for the current United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, ends on May 1.

Prior to this, Forst will be presenting his report on his visit to Colombia.

At the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council, which takes place from February 24 to March 20, States will consider a resolution extending for three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders position.

Civil society organizations, including Peace Brigades International, are calling on all States to support the consensus renewal of the mandate, and to resist any attempt to undermine the mandate and States’ obligations.

This statement of support highlights, “The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders is integral to their protection and recognition, globally. It gathers and responds to information on the situation of defenders around the world, engages constructively with governments and non-State actors and provides expert recommendations to promote the effective implementation of the Declaration on human rights defenders.”

The full statement and list of signatories can be seen here.

PBI-Kenya visits with families of victims of extrajudicial killings, the Sisters for Social Justice Centre in Mombasa

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 23, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project shared a Facebook post by HAKI Africa that notes, “HAKI Africa today hosted the United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on extra judicial killings Dr Agnes Callamard in Mombasa.”

The post continues, “She was accompanied by Li Fung From the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR-KENYA) and Ms Virry from Peace Brigades International – Kenya Project.”

“In the morning HAKI Africa took the three to visit families of victims of extra judicial killings in Kisauni [a constituency in Mombasa]. After that, civil society organisations met with the three guests followed by lunch with State officials. In the afternoon, HAKI Africa took the guests to visit the Sisters for Justice Social Justice Centre.”

That post concludes, “As an organization, we are honoured to host the UNSR, OHCHR and PBI in Mombasa and will continue to reach out to international partners to support promotion of human rights at the Coast and Kenya at large.”

HAKI Africa is “a national human rights organisation based in Mombasa working to improve livelihoods and enhance the progressive realisation of human rights in Kenya. Initiated in 2012, the organisation promotes partnership between state and non state actors in order to constantly improve the well being of individuals and communities and ensure respect for human rights and rule of law by all.”

Dr. Agnes Callamard was appointed as a Special Rapporteur in August 2016. She is also the Director of Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression initiative, a former Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, and she taught and conducted research on international refugee movements for the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada.

Li Fung is the Senior Human Rights Adviser at the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya.

The Sisters for Justice Social Justice Centre is a “women led organisation working to promote and protect the rights of women and of their children.”

And the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project is a partner organization to Missing Voices, works with the Mathare Social Justice Centre, the Ghetto Foundation and Saferworld on the Ushirikiano Mwema kwa Usalama (Good relationships for safety) projects, has provided trainings for the recently-formed Network of Mothers of Victims and Survivors of extra judicial killings, and convenes the monthly WHRD [Women Human Rights Defenders] Toolkit Organizers meetings.

PBI-Kenya attends civil society media conference in Mombasa with UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 23, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project was present at a Haki Africa media conference in Mombasa that featured Dr. Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

The 20-minute video of that media conference can be seen here.

Dr. Callamard was appointed as a Special Rapporteur in August 2016. She is also the Director of Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression initiative, a former Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, and she taught and conducted research on international refugee movements for the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada.

At the media conference she highlighted, “As the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions I take the issue police killing extremely seriously. And I take the issue of impunity attached to police killing even more seriously.”

On February 20, Human Rights Watch stated, “Since December 25, 2019, police in Kenya have shot dead at least eight people in Nairobi’s Mathare, Kasarani, and Majengo settlements. The police continue to kill crime suspects and protesters in cold blood despite persistent calls to end the killings and the use of excessive force.”

The New York Times adds, “The killings come amid public anger in the East African nation over police brutality and the government’s failure to hold officers to account despite an official police watchdog that has received tens of millions of dollars from foreign donors.”

Global Affairs Canada has noted, “In 2017-18, Canada provided $83.84 million in international assistance to Kenya.” The Government of Canada further notes, “In Nairobi, exercise extreme caution in informal settlement communities, such as Kasarani, Kibera and Mathare, due to the high level of crime and limited capacity of police to respond to incidents.”

The Government of Canada’s travel advisory for Canadians visiting Kenya further cautions: “There is a high crime rate in most regions of Kenya, particularly in major cities such as Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, and at coastal beach resorts. Traditionally, crimes increase in the weeks before Christmas. Be aware that there have been incidents of ‘mob justice’ in which a crowd lynches suspected criminals prior to the arrival of police.”

The Government of Canada statements do not advise caution or raise concerns about police killings and extrajudicial executions.

PBI-Kenya is a partner organization to Missing Voices, works with the Mathare Social Justice Centre, the Ghetto Foundation and Saferworld on the Ushirikiano Mwema kwa Usalama (Good relationships for safety) projects, has provided trainings for the recently-formed Network of Mothers of Victims and Survivors of extra judicial killings, and convenes the monthly WHRD [Women Human Rights Defenders] Toolkit Organizers meetings.

In 2018, four PBI-Kenya international volunteers accompanied members of two grassroots organizations and twenty-nine human rights defenders working in the Nairobi’s urban settlements and the Mount Kenya region.

Update on your 2019 tax receipt

By
Brent Patterson
-

Thank you for your donation to Peace Brigades International-Canada in 2019!

If you made your donation online, you will have received a tax receipt via email within moments of that donation. You can also download that tax receipt via this platform.

If you made your donation via a cheque or a credit card form mailed to us, you will be receiving your tax receipt in the mail in the coming days.

Thank you again for your support!

PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón in community visits on the Oxec III hydroelectric dam

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 20, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted on its Facebook page, “These days we witness different activities of the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón in the communities of Caserio Las Tres Cruces, Sacta, Cheslau, Tzacpec and San Martin Chichaj, among others.”

“We accompany a meeting in the municipality of Cahabón to present a series of petitions to the vice-mayor and the council of the municipality.”

PBI-Guatemala adds, “Among others, the members of the Resistance request that the consultation be recognized in good faith, held in August 2017. It also demands that the municipality does not grant the license for the construction of the Oxec III project without prior, free and informed consultation to the affected communities.”

PBI-Guatemala has previously pointed out, “On the Cahabón River and its tributaries Oxec, Canlich and Chiacté, seven hydroelectric plants currently operate: Renace I, II, III, IV, Oxec, Oxec II, and Chichaic.” The two most recently completed dams are Oxec II which began operation in September 2018 and Renace IV which became operational in January 2019.

And PBI-United Kingdom has explained, “In August 2017, PBI provided security support to the good-faith consultation in which the 195 communities of the Cahabón River overwhelmingly rejected the Oxec hydroelectric projects.”

Numerous concerns have been raised about these dams, including their impacts on the river, tributaries and ecosystems. Indigenous peoples have stated that the dams are illegal because they were not properly consulted or informed about them as required under the ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Peace Brigades international-Guatemala Project has accompanied the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón since July 2017.

PBI-Kenya co-hosts “Every Voice Matters” conference on safety and security in Nairobi

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 20, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project posted, “Today on World Day of Social Justice, PBI-Kenya together with Mathare Social Justice Centre (MSJC), Saferworld and Ghetto Foundation cohosts the conference “Every Voice Matters: collaborative approaches towards enhanced safety and security in Nairobi’s urban settlements.”

“Guest of honour is Dr. Agnes Callamard, Director of Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression initiative and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.”

PBI-Kenya adds, “PBI is committed to putting human rights defenders at the centre.”

In another social media post today, PBI-Kenya also shares, “The delegation from the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk and PBI-United Kingdom met with International Justice Mission and joined the Women Human Rights Defender (WHRD) Toolkit Organizers for a community town hall meeting on SGBV [Sexual and Gender Based Violence] in Mathare. This year the [fifteen dedicated and passionate] WHRD Toolkit Organizers will launch a campaign to address the low conviction rate of rape and defilement perpetrators.”

And it posted, “Every Voice Matters: a panel discussion with mothers of victims network, the Mathare Social Justice Centre, social justice working group, IPOA [the Independent Policing Oversight Authority], and Makadare Court, moderated by Faith Kasina (convener of the social justice centre working group).”

Missing Voices, a group of organizations whose mission is to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Kenya, recently stated last year police killed 107 Kenyans and that most of those killed were young men mostly in informal settlements.

PBI is a partner organization to Missing Voices, works with the Mathare Social Justice Centre, the Ghetto Foundation and Saferworld on the Ushirikiano Mwema kwa Usalama (Good relationships for safety) projects, has provided trainings for the recently-formed Network of Mothers of Victims and Survivors of extra judicial killings, and convenes the monthly WHRD Toolkit Organizers meetings.

In 2018, four PBI-Kenya international volunteers accompanied members of two grassroots organisations and twenty-nine human rights defenders working in the Nairobi’s urban settlements and the Mount Kenya region.

Below is a compilation of 11 posts on Twitter about today’s conference.

PBI-Mexico accompanies OFPC at the 14th anniversary of the Pasta de Conchos coal mine explosion

By
Brent Patterson
-

On February 19, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project posted, “PBI accompanies the Organización Familia Pasta de Conchos (OFPC) in commemoration of the tragedy of the Pasta de Conchos mine. At 14 years of the tragedy, families continue to demand justice and the rescue of their families.”

The explosion at the Grupo Mexico’s Pasta de Conchos coal mine near Nueva Rosita, San Juan de Sabinas municipality in the state of Coahuila on February 19, 2006 killed 65 people. To date only two bodies have been recovered from the mine.

Reuters has reported, “A special prosecutor for the case blamed Grupo Mexico for allowing a deadly mix of methane, heat and oxygen to build up in the mine, failing to build proper ventilation shafts or to neutralize explosive coal dust. Government inspectors who failed to enforce the necessary safety precautions were also implicated.”

That article adds, “In the moments following the blast, the workers were likely buried by thousands of tons of rock. Investigators also said it was possible that many of the men were incinerated.”

On May 1, 2019, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pledged to recover the 63 bodies still trapped in the mine.

On February 19 of this year, Prensa Latina reported, “President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced today that work to recover the bodies of 63 miners trapped in the Pasta de Conchos mine begins this year on the 14th anniversary of that tragedy.”

Expansion further reports that the recovery will start in October.

Members of the Pasta de Conchos Family Organization have been threatened and harassed on numerous occasions in connection with their work. Cristina has been harassed, beaten, threatened and subjected to defamatory accusations.

The Pasta de Conchos Family Organization has received protective accompaniment from PBI-Mexico since 2014.

1...427428429...474Page 428 of 474