IRTF News

In Colombia, violence against social activists, trade unionists, and former guerrillas persisted throughout April 2024, adding to a grim tally since the start of the year: 59 activists and ten former FARC members in the peace process have been killed, alongside 21 documented massacres. Despite government efforts to engage in dialogue with armed groups, the scale of the human rights crisis remains daunting.

Key incidents in April include:

• 1 April: Ever Albeiro Espí Hernández, president of a community council in Arauca, was murdered, marking the 40th activist killing in 2024.
• 5 April: Explosions in Cauca and the forced confinement of indigenous families in Buenaventura due to armed groups' presence.
• 7 April: Five people killed in a bar in Valle del Cauca, and a Conservative Party councillor murdered in Caldas.
• 9 April: A councillor from an indigenous political party was abducted in La Guajira.
• 13-14 April: A massacre in Cucuta, followed by the killing of lawyer Jaime Alonso Vásquez.
• 15 April: Youth worker Yoiner Gómez Burbano was murdered in Cauca.
• 17 April: Former FARC member Carlos Garzón Noscue was killed in Putumayo, and LGBTQ activist Manuel José Bermúdez's body was found in Antioquia.
• 19 April: Two Attorney General's Office employees were abducted in Cauca, and activists Carlos Arturo Londoño and Clarivet Ocampo were killed in Valle del Cauca.
• 20 April: A massacre in Antioquia, the killing of community activist Zayra Enciso Gómez, and the murder of teacher trade unionist Luis Alfredo Leones Álvarez.
• 21 April: Community activist Narciso Beleño was killed by Gulf Clan paramilitaries in South Bolivar.
• 25 April: Youth worker Yarlinton Robledo Rentería and social activist Robinson Franco were murdered.
• 27-30 April: Several killings, including political candidate John Freddy Gil Franco and social activist Antonio Montañéz Villazana in Arauca.

These events underscore the ongoing and severe human rights challenges in Colombia, with numerous activists and former combatants being targeted despite peace efforts.

In a court hearing in San Salvador on April 10, a judge upheld charges against five anti-mining activists known as the Santa Marta Five. The activists, arrested in January 2023, face charges of "illicit association" and an alleged murder dating back to the Salvadoran Civil War. Supporters believe that Bukele's administration targets them for their roles in the country's mining ban. Despite being granted house arrest in August 2023, international support calls for justice, as concerns arise over the motive behind their criminalization and its threat to the mining ban.

The Santa Marta Five, including Teodoro Antonio Pacheco and Saúl Agustín Rivas Ortega, are esteemed community leaders who fought against the US-backed military dictatorship in the 1980s. They played pivotal roles in rebuilding their community post-civil war and organizing against foreign mining companies in the 2010s, leading to the historic mining ban of 2017. However, their detention under Bukele's administration raises concerns about legal rights.

Bukele's rise to power signifies a shift from the promises of the 1992 peace accords, as his administration undermines democratic principles and human rights. Despite his efforts to combat gang violence, his tactics, including indefinite detention without due process, draw criticism. The state of exception, declared in 2022 and now permanent, suspends civil and political rights, posing a threat to human rights and the rule of law. The broader implications extend to environmental activism and economic interests, overshadowing the fight against gang violence.

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was recently found guilty of drug-trafficking in a New York court, revealing the complicity of the U.S. and Canada in supporting his regime for over 12 years. The Under the Shadow podcast series discusses the U.S.-backed military coup in 2009 and subsequent support for the narco regime. Karen Spring, a former Rights Action colleague, provides insight into the trial, exposing the regime's violence and corruption, enabled by U.S. and Canadian support. The trial highlights the failure of the "war on drugs," institutional corruption, media complicity, and the challenges faced by the new Honduran government in repairing the damage. Despite this, there is a lack of accountability for the actions of U.S. and Canadian governments, leaving the Honduran population to suffer the consequences of their support for oppressive regimes.

Honduras is set to withdraw from the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on August 25, a significant departure from its trade and investment policies of the past four decades. President Xiomara Castro's decision, announced in early March, comes amidst ongoing ICSID claims totaling at least $12 billion USD, equivalent to 40% of GDP or nearly three-quarters of the national budget. The move raises legal complexities as Honduras is party to multiple trade agreements, including CAFTA-DR, which specifies ICSID as the dispute forum. The government's rationale for withdrawal remains unclear, though concerns over investor-state dispute procedures have been voiced. Private-sector groups criticize the decision, anticipating economic repercussions and legal challenges. Meanwhile, discussions with China for a free-trade agreement suggest a strategic shift in Honduras' economic alliances. Despite skepticism about the move's long-term impact, it underscores the Castro administration's stance on national sovereignty and economic policy.

To read the full article: Migrant Justice Newsletter - April 2024 | InterReligious Task Force on Central America (irtfcleveland.org)

Welcome to IRTF’s March 2024 newsletter on Migrant Justice and the current situation at the US-Mexico border. After you’ve looked through the articles, we hope you can take a few minutes to see the TAKE ACTION items at the bottom. In this newsletter, please read about : 1.  Changing Trends in Migrants at US-Mexico Border. 2. ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends . 3. Study Reveals: Border Wall Height Exacerbates Trauma Incidents . 4. At the Border: Recent . Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border . 5. Border Patrol and Local Law Enforcement’s Patterns of Abuse in Ohio’s Immigration Enforcement. 6. Raising the Credible Fear Screening Standard Will Endanger Lives but Won’t Fix The Border . 7. Children in US-Mexico Border Camps. 8. Migrants Mired in Transit as Mexico Becomes US’s Immigration Enforcer. 9. Kidnapping of Migrants and Asylum Seekers at Texas-Tamaulipas Border Reaches Intolerable Levels . 10.  Migrant Deaths in New Mexico and Western Texas . 11. Human Rights in the Darién Gap of Panamá.

 TAKE ACTION NOW. Here is what you can do to take action this week in solidarity with migrants and their families. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.) A) SPEAK UP FOR DEMOCRACY IN EL SALVADOR. B)  SPEAK UP FOR PEOPLE IN HAITI. C) STOP DEPORTATIONS TO HAITI . D) PROTECT UNACCOMPANIED MINORS. E) VISIT CAPITOL HILL: #ReuniteUS. F) HELP REFUGEES & MIGRANTS IN CLEVELAND. 

• An Indigenous woman from the Inga community in the Condagua reservation in Putumayo, Colombia, is leading the struggle against a Canadian mining company that plans to mine the community’s sacred mountains for copper and molybdenum.
• Within Soraida Chindoy’s territory is the Doña Juana-Chimayoy páramo, where eight rivers have their source and where there are 56 lagoons. The site, where the Amazon rainforest and the Andes meet, is sacred to the Indigenous population.
• Her campaign against mining was borne of tragedy.

What’s new? With its “total peace” policy, the Colombian government aims to engage all the country’s armed groups in talks, but it has no dialogue under way with the largest armed criminal outfit, the Gaitanista Self-Defence Force. This gap is significant, given the Gaitanistas’ deep pockets and their drive to expand. 

Approximately eleven years ago, Berta Cáceres led a group of activists to block a road, initiating a struggle against the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam in Honduras. Despite their victory and the halting of operations in 2018, the community still faces threats and violence. Since Cáceres' murder in 2016, 70 environmental activists have been killed in Honduras, making it the most dangerous country for nature defenders. The cancellation of the project led to division within the community, with some seeing it as a victory for their rights while others anticipated development opportunities. Despite challenges, there have been some strides towards justice, with evidence implicating individuals linked to the powerful Atala family in Cáceres' assassination. However, impunity remains a pervasive issue, and the community continues to face threats and harassment. The struggle for justice continues amidst ongoing violence and institutional weaknesses in Honduras.

The people of El Salvador have been living under a State of Exception, purportedly implemented to combat gang violence, for two years now. During that time, Salvadoran civil society groups and international organizations have documented serious human rights violations committed against thousands of people detained under the pretext of this security policy. The question now being raised is: might the violations being committed under El Salvador’s current security policies amount to crimes against humanity?