TIAR countries meet in Bogotá (Dec. 3, 2019)

News Briefs

Venezuela

• A meeting of Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR) countries today in Bogotá does not include civil society representatives -- a fact that 28 leading organizations in Venezuela and other countries in the hemisphere have objected to in a letter that calls for regional governments to "refrain from supporting the use of force, and insist on a political, non-violent solution that restores democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela."

• Opposition leader Juan Guaidó is considered Venezuela's legitimate leader by more than 50 countries -- but his hold on power is excessively fragile, writes Luz Mely Reyes in the Post Opinión. Though Guaidó's faction of opposition parties insists on new presidential elections, he is increasingly vulnerable to Chavista machinations, together with splinter opposition factions. "... Unless something extraordinary happens, democratic forces run the risk of losing this battle," she warns.

Honduras

• Seven men found guilty of killing the Honduran indigenous environmentalist Berta Cáceres have been sentenced to 30 to 50 years. The sentencing comes more than a year after the guilty verdict, reports the Guardian. Cáceres' family and supporters welcomed the sentences, but reiterated demands to bring the masterminds and financiers of the assassination to justice. Her lawyers said evidence in the trial points to the responsibility of the powerful Atala Zablah family, and that the case must not be considered closed, reports Criterio. 

Cuba

• The case of José Daniel Ferrer, a Cuban dissident detained two months ago, shows how the Cuban government continues to repress dissident voices, even as it allows new freedoms, reports the New York Times. Ferrer said he has been tortured while in detention -- the case has garnered widespread international condemnation. 

Haiti

• Thousands of Haitian children returned to school yesterday -- after months of unrest kept institutions around the country shuttered. Though police patrols protected schools, many students stayed home yesterday, reports the Associated Press.

• An active-duty U.S. Marine was indicted by U.S. prosecutors on charges of smuggling guns into Haiti. Haitian native Jacques Yves Sebastien Duroseau was detained last month in Port-au-Prince with boxes filled with guns, ammunition and body armor. (McClatchy, New York Times)

• Haitian bishops called politicians -- both in government and in the opposition -- to be self-critical and reach an agreement of historical proportions ahead of the Christmas holidays. (Vatican News)

• Haiti's ongoing crisis highlights the persistent scourge of government corruption, and the need for a strong civil service to counter it. "It would be an illusion to think that a single solution can put an end to corruption in Haiti. But we still argue that the fight must begin with the creation of a new public management system," write a group of experts in the Conversation.

Bolivia

• Bolivian interim-president Jeanine Áñez revoked a decree exempting security forces from criminal responsibility while carrying out operations. The move comes after widespread condemnation from human rights groups -- and after at least 19 civilians were killed in two separate episodes of repression. (EFE)

• A group of international academics and think tanks questioned the OAS audit of Bolivia's Oct. election and called for investigation into the organization's role in the country's crisis. (Guardian)

• Cohete a la Luna reviews questioning of the preliminary report that found severe irregularities in the vote that would have given former president Evo Morales a fourth mandate, and wonders when the OAS will release the pending final report.

• Bolivia's move towards a new electoral process is meant to provide a clean slate after the current institutional crisis -- but democracy will only be restored if they are perceived as free and fair, writes Linda Farthing in the Guardian. Far-right civic leader Luis Camacho, who played a key role in Morales' ouster, will be a candidate. And it remains to be seen who will run for Morales' MAS party, which retains considerable support among voters. Perhaps the key question is whether the Bolivian right would accept an eventual MAS victory, asks Farthing.

• The struggle between Morales' supporters and his ousters has taken on biblical overtones -- literally. But the message from the Vatican towards indigenous communities is very different, and risks putting the Pope in the midst of a conflict between his ideals and the Catholic Church's strongest supporters, reports Foreign Policy.

• Last week Bolivia's interim-government reestablished ties with Israel, part of its drastic reversal of Morales' foreign policy legacy. (Associated Press)

Ecuador

• The United Nations mission investigating the protests that occurred in Ecuador between Oct. 3-13 heard numerous complaints of arbitrary detentions by police and the possible disproportionate use of force, for which it asked that further investigations be permitted into those cases. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, denounced the  “high human cost," of the episode. (EFE, United Nations)

Regional Relations

• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro learned the hard way that a personal relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump is not much of a guarantee. Brazil's leader and diplomats were blindsided by Trump's decision to reinstate steel tariffs against Brazil and Argentina yesterday, reports the Washington Post. Indeed Bolsonaro's "gambit to push Latin America’s largest country closer to the Trump administration is looking increasingly like a humiliating diplomatic defeat," according to a separate Washington Post piece.

Brazil

• A group of lawyers, public defenders and civil society rights groups -- Aliança -- is collaborating with the defense of four Brazilian volunteer firefighters who the government accused of starting forest fires. (Época, see yesterday's briefs.)

• Brazil leads the world in telephone harassment, a dubious distinction that experts chalk up to a lack of telemarketing regulation combined with overuse of data registration in Brazilians' everyday lives. (Washington Post)

Chile

• Chile's government expressed surprise at the magnitude of economic impact the past month and a half of massive protests have had -- October's economic activity index fell 3.4 percent. (El País)

Mexico

• Members of the LeBarón family met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador yesterday, and said they want to work with authorities to improve security policies in the wake of a massacre in which 9 members of the extended clan were killed by a criminal group. (Washington Post, see yesterday's post.)

Argentina

• Argentine vice-president-elect Cristina Fernández de Kirchner defended herself in a four-hour court appearance yesterday, in a case accusing her of diverting public works funds, reports the Buenos Aires Times. She strenuously denied the allegations, which she has consistently said are politically motivated. (Página 12 does a deep dive into the accusations themselves.)

Climate Change

• Latin America's inhabitants are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change -- flooding, droughts and hurricanes. -- El País

El Salvador

• El Faro shares (and illustrates) the testimony of El Mozote massacre witnesses.

Did I miss something, get something wrong, or do you have a different take? Let me know ...  

Latin America Daily Briefing