New Chilean Government Apologizes to "Dispossessed" Mapuche People

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Article from NotiSur, March 28

The recently inaugurated government of President Michelle Bachelet issued a timely mea culpa this month in an effort to press the proverbial reset button on long-frayed relations with the Mapuche, Chile’s largest indigenous group. On March 12--just one day after Bachelet took office--the new intendente (appointed regional governor) of the Araucanía Francisco Huenchumilla formally apologized for the "dispossession" of the Mapuche’s ancestral lands. He said the state has made "mistake after mistake" and has a "pending debt" dating back to the late 1800s, when the Mapuche were forced off their lands through a series of military campaigns known euphemistically as the "pacification of the Araucanía." Most of that land is now in the hands of non-Mapuche farmers and large forestry companies. Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Read More

Weekly Commentary: For more information on the Mapuche people please visit the “Mapuche Nation” webpage. This webpage contains information on the Mapuche Nation’s status regarding international treaties, social organizations and current political situations. The relationship between national governments and indigenous collectives throughout Latin America has been a topic of extreme importance. The United Nations in 2007 created the “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People” in attempt to codify the rights of indigenous populations around the globe. Precursors to this declaration can be found in the Organization of American States’ “Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” as well as the International Labour Organization’s “Convention 169” known as the “Indigenous and Tribal People’s Convention”.

 Link: Mapuche Nation

 Link: Mapuche International

Peru’s New Cabinet Gets Reluctant Approval

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Article from NotiSur, March 28

On the verge of a total crisis involving the Peruvian Cabinet, opposition members of Congress forced three ballots before giving new ministers a vote of confidence. Opposition legislators, however, maintained their demand that first lady Nadine Heredia stop actively participating in governmental affairs. With then Housing Minister René Cornejo presiding, the Consejo de Ministros, which had been sworn into office on Feb. 24, appeared before Congress March 14. Article 130 of the Peruvian Constitution requires the Cabinet president, accompanied by the full Cabinet, to appear before Congress within the first 30 days of taking office "to present and discuss general government policy and key management measures." The required visit in effect raises the question of trust, essentially setting up a vote of confidence for the Cabinet. This Cabinet is the fifth under President Ollanta Humala, who is just midway through a five-year term. Elsa Chanduví Jaña Read More

What’s Going On with Dominican Cinema?

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Article from NotiCen, March 27

Fifteen films were produced in the Dominican Republic in 2012, a sizeable figure considering that, from 1923, when the first Dominican film was produced, to 2010, 57 local films and 72 foreign films were produced on Dominican soil. Among the foreign films that have been produced in the Dominican Republic are the Spanish film Fiesta del Chivo and the US film The Godfather Part II. The films produced in the Dominican Republic in 2013 span a number of genres including drama, comedy, and historical fiction. The country has also served as a backdrop for a number of international commercial productions, soap operas, and reality shows, a popular format nowadays. As a result, the Dominican Republic now has an increasingly number of skilled technical and artistic staff to meet the requirements of foreign production companies. Crosby Girón Read More

Costa Rica Begins Process to Join Alianza del Pacífico Amid Skepticism, Opposition

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Article from NotiCen, March 27

Costa Rica’s outgoing government is keen on becoming a member of the exclusive club of Latin American economies in the Alianza del Pacífico (AP), much to the skepticism and, in some cases, outright opposition voiced by some quarters. On Feb. 10, in Colombia’s northern Caribbean city of Cartagena de Indias, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla--whose four-year term ends May 8--signed a declaration for Costa Rica to adhere to the AP’s Framework Agreement, thus beginning the process to become a full member of the regional economic and trade integration bloc. George Rodríguez Read More

Environmentalists Give NAFTA Mixed Reviews

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Article from SourceMex, March 26

A leading Mexican environmentalist, who acknowledges that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) did not produce the environmental disaster opponents had warned it would, nevertheless feels it is time to review and update the environmental agreements associated with the three-nation pact. "After 20 years, it is necessary to revise the parallel agreements," Gustavo Alanís, general director of the Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA), told LADB last month. However, while many parts of the trade agreement need adjusting, he said, there is no political will to do so. Conversely, Femke Bartels, who stepped into the leadership of Greenpeace Mexico half a year ago, blamed NAFTA for contributing to Mexico’s environmental problems in two areas--toxic rivers and maize production. But she also expressed hope that Mexico would take advantage of its extraordinary wind and solar resources to wean the country from its traditional dependence on fossil fuels. Lindajoy Fenley Read More

Mexico, U.S. Unveil Environmental Restoration Plan for Colorado River Delta

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Article from SourceMex, March 26

The US and Mexican governments have announced a pilot project to restore wetlands in the Colorado River delta in Baja California state, a once lush area that has dried up because of the diversion of water upstream. The project, which was set to start on March 23, is part of a larger effort by the two countries to bring more stability to water supplies from the Colorado River. Mexico and the US made the commitment to restore the Colorado River via a five-year agreement, signed in November 2012, which allowed the two countries to share and manage water from the waterway. The new joint effort would allow both countries to respond more efficiently to drought and other environmental challenges. Carlos Navarro Read More

New Law Sets Specific Rules for Citizen Consultations

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Article from SourceMex, March 20

A new law is now in effect that could make it easier for the center-left opposition to organize a referendum allowing citizens to speak out against the energy reforms approved in late 2013. Opinions differ, however, on whether restrictions in the new Ley de Consulta Popular could prevent such a referendum. The initiative, approved overwhelmingly in both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Enrique Peña Nieto, puts into practical terms the political and electoral reforms that Congress approved in 2011 and 2013. The reforms created several major changes in Mexico’s political structure, including independent candidacies and the right of citizens to call for referenda. Carlos Navarro Read More

PEMEX Contractor, Mexico’s Largest Bank at Center of Major Financial Scandal

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Article from SourceMex, March 19

A massive case of fraud and mismanagement is at the center of a financial scandal involving a private contractor for the state-run oil company PEMEX, Mexico’s largest bank, and powerful individuals with connections to the conservative opposition Partido Acción Nacional (PAN). The controversy centers on Oceanografía, a company based in Ciudad del Carmen in Campeche state, which has provided offshore oil services to PEMEX subsidiary Exploración y Producción (PEP) for more than four decades. The company, whose majority owner is entrepreneur Amado Yáñez Osuna, is under investigation of fraud and money laundering. In the most recent case, the company is alleged to have fraudulently obtained millions of dollar in loans from Mexico’s largest bank Grupo Financiero Banamex (GFB). Carlos Navarro Read More

Cuba Aims to Increase Coffee Production After Harvest Levels Plummet

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Article from NotiCen, March 20

Cuba aims to increase coffee production this decade after harvesting 6,200 tons of beans during 2013-2014, a low figure compared with the 60,000 tons achieved in 1959. Coffee remains the most popular drink on the island and has been ingrained in the country's culture since the Haitian Revolution in the late 18th century. The Cuban coffee industry had its most difficult moment in 2012 when the harvest was a mere 4,000 tons, considered to be the worst in more than a century. That harvest forced the government to import coffee from Vietnam to meet the needs of a population that seems to be able to do without everything but the tiny cup every morning. Daniel Vázquez Read More

Salvador Sánchez Céren Wins Salvadoran Presidency by Hair’s Breadth

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Article from NotiCen, March 20

After a year-and-a-half-long campaign season, two rounds of voting, competing claims of victory, right-wing protests, a thinly veiled coup threat, and a partial recount, El Salvador’s grueling presidential race has finally produced a victor: former guerilla commander and current Vice President Salvador Sánchez Céren. El Salvador’s top election official, Tribunal Suprema Electoral (TSE) head Eugenio Chicas, made the announcement on March 16, a full week after Sánchez Céren of the governing Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) faced off against Norman Quijano of the hard-right Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) in an astonishingly close winner-take-all runoff. Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Read More

ILO Report: Latin America’s Youth Still Struggling To Access Job Markets

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Article from NotiSur, March 21

In Latin America, unemployment and job insecurity continue to have a disproportionate impact on young people (aged 15 to 24). A serious economic problem, the situation also has major social and political implications and is even, in some cases, affecting stability and democratic governance, a recently released International Labour Organization (ILO) report concluded. "It is not surprising that young people take to the streets, as their lives are marked by discouragement and frustration because of lack of opportunities," Elizabeth Tinoco, regional director of the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, said Feb. 13 upon presenting the study. The ILO is a UN agency specializing in labor issues. Elsa Chanduví Jaña  Read More

Afro-Brazilian Religious Groups Organize Under Banner of Religious Freedom

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Article from NotiSur, March 21

When Pope Francis visited Brazil for World Youth Day in July 2013, he met with business, cultural, and religious leaders from across the country. Of particular note, he received Ivanir dos Santos, a babalawo, or Afro-Brazilian priest. It was a first-time encounter of major symbolic proportions given the history of animosity between the Catholic Church and syncretic religions like candomblé and umbanda, which blend African and Catholic traditions. "For society, [this encounter] signifies that, regardless of sect, we are all brothers and sisters," says dos Santos. "It was a valuable moment for the entire world and a moment of pride for religions with African roots." This sentiment reflects a recent surge in political activism and advocacy for religious freedom on the part of the Afro-Brazilian religious community, which until recently has largely remained hidden from mainstream society. Gregory Scruggs Read More

Nicaraguan Mining Boom Continues, but Who Really Benefits?

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Article from NotiCen, March 13

A leading Nicaraguan environmental group is sounding the alarm at President Daniel Ortega’s cozy embrace of metals mining, an industry that has boomed in recent years and now boasts the country’s number-one export product: gold. The sector enjoyed another banner year in 2013. Led by B2Gold, a Canadian firm, miners exported nearly US$436 million worth of gold, a new record, despite a substantial drop in the commodity’s selling price. The precious metal finished the year as Nicaragua’s leading export. And yet, for all its lustrous numbers, the resurgent industry's overall contribution to the econom is deceivingly small, and the pollution created by this economic activity is extracting a heavy toll on Nicaragua. Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Read More

TB Outbreak in Argentine Sweatshops

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Article from NotiSur, March 14

Tuberculosis, a disease linked with poverty that had been under control in Argentina since the early part of the last century, has reappeared with a vengeance in the country’s capital. As before, the outbreak appeared in clandestine sweatshops that make high-fashion, expensive clothing. Paradoxically, the city that is a South American cultural Mecca with the highest rates of human development also has the country’s highest pollution levels. After reading files from the state Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and the four main public hospitals where infectious diseases are treated, Prosecutor Federico Delgado criticized Buenos Aires, pointing out that its tuberculosis (TB) index increased 25% (from 26.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 1985 to 33 cases in 2011) in the Argentine capital, while the national TB index dropped by 39% for the same 26-year period. Andrés Gaudín Read More

Prison-Generated Crimes Lead Honduran Authorities to Block Cell-Phone Service in Jails

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Article from NotiCen, March 13

Crimes such as extortion, carried out from Honduran prisons, as well as hits and robberies planned in the country’s jails, led authorities last month, in an effort to counter such illegal activities, to block cell-phone services in the 24 penitentiaries nationwide. It was one of the first measures taken by the new administration, headed by President Juan Orlando Hernández, who, on Jan. 27, succeeded former President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo (2010-2014)--both of the rightist, pro-military Partido Nacional (PN)--for the 2014-2018 period. The measure is aimed at preventing convicts from running criminal networks from within prisons walls and cells, and it covers a 1 km radius. In an immediate response, inmates’ ingenuity began aiming at more-sophisticated technology--satellite telephones--and their anger against the measure triggered mutiny attempts in at least two prisons. George Rodríguez Read More

First Electoral Setback For Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa

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Article from NotiSur, March 14

President Rafael Correa’s Alianza País (AP) stumbled in recent local elections, falling in a number of strategic provinces and municipalities to emergent conservative and social democratic forces. The losses included Quito, the capital, which could serve as the springboard for a new opposition bloc. The government also lost all but one of Ecuador’s Amazonian provinces and may be forced to change its tune regarding resource extraction, which the elected prefectures in those areas are likely to oppose. The Quito mayoral result was a particularly tough blow for the Correa administration, whose preferred candidate, incumbent Augusto Barrera, lost the Feb. 23 election to conservative challenger Mauricio Rodas. The loss was all the more galling considering Barrera’s relatively strong track record as mayor. Luis Ángel Saavedra Read More

Veracruz Government Again Accused of Covering Up Motive for Journalist’s Murder

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Article from SourceMex, March 12

Javier Duarte de Ochoa began his term as governor of Veracruz state on Dec. 1, 2010. Since that time, 10 journalists have been murdered, four others have disappeared, and 132 attacks have been launched against news organizations in the state. While Veracruz has always been one of the most dangerous states in Mexico for reporters, editors, photographers, and others employed in the news business, journalist rights organizations argue that the situation has worsened during the current administration. There are allegations that the governor has attempted to silence criticism from the press and has covered up two murders. Carlos Navarro Read More

Legal Challenges Filed Against Tax Reforms, Particularly Higher Value-Added Tax in Border Communities

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Article from SourceMex, March 12

A tax revolt of sorts is brewing in communities along the US-Mexico border, with residents in Tijuana filing a legal challenge against a tax reform promoted by President Enrique Peña Nieto and easily ratified by Congress in 2013. Among other things, the measure created a uniform value-added tax (impuesto al valor agregado, IVA) of 16% throughout the country, overriding the preferential rate of 11% applied to sales in border communities. In mid-February, the Consejo Coordinator Empresarial (CCE) presented a petition with more than 58,000 names to a Federal District Court. The petition contained enough valid signatures for District Judge Blanca Evelia Parra to agree to review the case. There are also efforts by Congress to reverse the higher IVA for border communities Several senators have brought the case to the Supreme Court, and a group of members of the Chamber of Deputies are planning a similar action. Carlos Navarro Read More

South America Gears Up for Busy Election Year, Tension Mounts in Colombia During Electoral Campaign, Mexico Legislators Introduce Initiatives to Ease Marijuana Restrictions

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Articles in SourceMex, NotiCen and NotiSur for March 5-7

Statements Abroad Allege US Military Base in Costa Rica, Question Nation’s Sovereignty, Comment on Elections

On its foreign policy front, Costa Rica has recently been the subject of statements from a Venezuelan-based television network and Bolivia's President Evo Morales that have ruffled local diplomatic feathers and led this Central American nation to react, denying the allegations and demanding apologies. The comments coming from the South American countries appear to be an effort to sway the Costan Rican presidential and congressional elections. The first round of voting occurred on Feb. 2, and the presidential vote will be finalized next month in a runoff. George Rodríguez Read More

Tension Mounts in Colombia During Electoral Campaign, Peace Talks
Colombians, including President Juan Manuel Santos, live in a climate of tension, moving from one shock to the next. Between Feb. 4 and Feb. 23, disturbing allegations have been revealed about political destabilization and various cases of violence that include spying, military corruption, threats to political and social leaders, and attacks against progressive candidates participating in both upcoming elections. This tense situation unfolds in the context of 15 months of conversations between the government and guerrillas aimed at putting an end to the internal war that has gripped the country for more than half a century. Andrés Gaudín Read More

Center-Left Legislators Introduce Initiatives in Mexico City Legislature, Congress to Further Ease Restrictions on Marijuana
The latest attempt to bring greater legal legitimacy to marijuana in Mexico appears to have run out of steam before full debate could take place. A faction from the center-left Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) introduced legislation in the Mexico City legislature (Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal, ALDF) and in the federal Congress in mid-February to further liberalize Mexico’s marijuana laws. The initiative proposed to create marijuana dispensaries in Mexico City and increase the amount of the drug people across the country could carry for personal use. While the effort gained a lot of attention in the press, the measure appears to be going nowhere in the three legislative bodies. Carlos Navarro Read More

Constitutional Court Rules Guatemala’s Attorney General Must Step Down
Even though, under the leadership of Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz, the Ministerio Público (MP) has achieved unprecedented results in tackling homicide, rape, and kidnapping in a country with high levels of impunity, Guatemala’s highest court, the Corte de Constitucionalidad (CC), ruled, on Feb. 5, that she must step down seven months before the end of her term in office. The ruling was based on a constitutional challenge put forward by wealthy businessman Ricardo Sagastume, who argued that, since Paz y Paz took office early to complete the term of her predecessor, Conrado Reyes, who was removed from office , her four-year term should end in May 2014. Local and international human rights organizations say Guatemala’s conservative establishment seeks to punish Paz y Paz for her efforts to bring human rights violators to trial. Louisa Reynolds Read More

South America Gears Up for Busy Election Year
Presidential elections are set to take place in four South American countries this year, starting with Colombia, where the right is expected to keep its hold on government. At the other end of the political spectrum are the governments of Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay, where progressives are also looking to retain power. All three face challenges from conservative forces, which are doing everything they can to push for leadership change. Convincing voters in those countries will not be easy, however, given the success the governments have had incorporating previously marginalized groups into the social, economic, and political fold. Andrés Gaudín Read More

Femicide: Alarming Problem Despite Vanguard Law
Despite a law approved by Congress in 2007 to confront femicide in Mexico, the killing of women and girls because of their gender--remains an alarming epidemic throughout the country. The 2007 law includes a unique mechanism to prevent femicide called the Declaración de Alerta de Violencia de Género, or gender-violence alert. Organizations have asked for gender-violence alert declarations eight times. But each time--from Oaxaca and Chiapas in the south to Nuevo León in the north and Hidalgo, Guanajuato, and México state in the center--the government commission charged with enacting the alerts has rejected the requests. The Observatorio Ciudadano Nacional de Feminicidio (OCNF) says an average of six femicides per day occur in Mexico. Lindajoy Fenley Read More

Femicide Rooted in Patriarchal Culture
The roots of femicide emerge from an extreme version of patriarchal culture, say Mexican activists. Despite the laws, ingrained cultural factors make it difficult to ensure women the freedom from violence. Yuriria Rodríguez, a lawyer with the Observatorio Ciudadano Nacional de Feminicidio, cites an example of the view she said arose in the wake of a gender-violence alert rejection. "An attorney general said, 'We’ve found the causes explaining why women are being killed. Women are being killed because they are transgressing the roles society assigns them. Every time you turn around there are more female workers, more female taxi drivers. Since they are transgressing cultural roles, men get mad and kill them.' Lindajoy Fenley Read More

Joaquín Chapo Guzmán Arrested in Mexico, Nicaragua’s Extreme Constitutional Makeover Takes Effect, Hague Resolves Peruvian-Chilean Maritime Dispute

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Articles in SourceMex, NotiCen and NotiSur for February 26-28

Sinaloa Cartel Expected to Survive Arrest of Joaquín Chapo Guzmán

The capture of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficker Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo, is almost certain to change the landscape for organized crime in Mexico. Guzmán Loera’s organization, the Sinaloa cartel, was clearly the best organized drug-trafficking organization in Mexico and overseas. The organization, also known as the Cartel del Pacífico, was structured like a global business, acquiring raw materials from Mexico, Asia, and South America and selling the finished product primarily in the US and Europe. Many experts believe that the organization, while weakened with the arrest of El Chapo, is powerful enough to survive the loss of its leader. One of Guzmán Loera’s lieutenants, Ismael Zambada, also known as El Mayo, has amassed enough power and responsibility to take over the mantle of leadership.Carlos Navarro Read More

Nicaragua’s Extreme Constitutional Makeover Takes Effect
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega put the finishing touches this month on a thunderous political power play that could extend his already lengthy stay in office until 2021--and beyond. Late last year, the Ortega administration presented a set of reforms that, among other things, called for an end to presidential term limits. At the time, Nicaraguan presidents were limited to two nonconsecutive terms, a rule Ortega ignored when he participated in--and then won--the 2011 election. Three weeks ago, the Asamblea Nacional, Nicaragua’s legislature, gave the sweeping amendments final approval. Ortega is now free to seek re-election as many times as we wants. A win in 2016, should he run again, would give the wily Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional leader his third consecutive presidential term and fourth overall. Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Read More

The Hague Resolves Peruvian-Chilean Maritime Dispute
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Jan. 27 resolved a six-year maritime border dispute between Peru and Chile. However, the decision sparked a new conflict regarding a triangle of land in the border area. The ICJ verdict last month, which is final and binding, states "that the maritime boundary between the Parties starts at the intersection of the parallel of latitude passing through Boundary Marker No. 1 with the low-water line, and extends for 80 nautical miles along that parallel of latitude to Point A. From this point, the maritime boundary runs along the equidistance line to Point B, and then along the 200-nautical-mile limit measured from the Chilean baselines to Point C." While Chile had argued that the limit began at Marker 1, Peru had countered that the beginning was at the Punto de la Concordia, 300 meters southeast of the coastal border. Elsa Chanduví Jaña Read More

Government Downplays "Silver" Anniversary Of Dictator Alfredo Stroessner’s Departure
Paraguay marked the 25th anniversary earlier this month of its return to democracy following three and one-half decades of bloody civic-military dictatorship under Gen. Alfredo Stroessner (1954–1989). Stroessner’s was the longest-running single-leader dictatorship in Latin American history. The Somoza dynasty in Nicaragua lasted longer (43 years) but involved three different heads of state (a father and two sons) and was interrupted at various times. And yet for all its significance, reactions to the anniversary, on Feb. 3, were markedly subdued, particularly by the government. There were a few academic events and a few television news items dedicated to the issue. Andrés Gaudín Read More

CELAC Summit in Cuba and Violence in Venezuela
The II Summit of the Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC) took place Jan. 28-29 in Havana, Cuba. Thirty-three heads of state from the region took part; however, the US and Canadian heads of states were not invited. Cuban President Raúl Castro said one aim of the summit was to "rethink the relationship with transnational corporations and improve coordination between regional organizations." He also talked about the importance of establishing a new paradigm of integration, based, fundamentally, on greater cooperation between regional organizations such as the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (ALBA), Petrocaribe, the Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (UNASUR), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA). Crosby Girón Read More

Meeting of Mexican, U.S., Canadian Leaders Described as Lackluster
On, Feb. 19, President Enrique Peña Nieto hosted his counterparts from the US and Canada for a summit in Toluca, the capital of his native México state. And, as expected, Peña Nieto’s meeting with US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was an uneventful gathering that resulted in no new agreements, at least none that were made public. This has been the case each year since the annual summit was begun under ex-President George W. Bush in 2005 to promote greater economic partnerships and cross-border initiatives. The three North American leaders reportedly did not spend much time on issues that have been a source of friction, including the lack of immigration reform in the US and alleged US spying on Peña Nieto, and Canada’s insistence that visas be required for Mexicans visiting that country. Carlos Navarro Read More