This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at http://un.org.au/2014/03/24/international-day-for-the-right-to-the-truth-concerning-gross-human-rights-violations-and-for-the-dignit. The second was published at https://www.google.com.br/search?q=deaths+of+human+rights+defenders+in+brazil+in+2017&oq=deaths+of+human+rights+defenders+in+brazil+in+2017&aqs=chrome..69i57.18067j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF- The third was published at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/16/the-guardian-view-on-the-of-brazilian-politicians-marielle-francos-legacy. The fourth was published at https://theglobalamericans.org/2016/07/4325/.
24th of March is the International Day foe the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. On this day in 1980, human rights defender Monsignor Oscar Romero, from El Salvador, was assassinated. In a study conducted in 2006, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that the right to the truth about human rights violations is an inalienable and autonomous right, linked to the duty and obligation of the state to protect and guarantee human rights, to conduct effective investigations and to guarantee effective remedy and reparations. The study affirms that the right to the truth implies knowing the full and complete truth as to the events that transpired, their specific circunstances, and who participated in them, including knowing the circunstances in which the violations took place, as well as the reasons for them. In a 2009 report on the right to the truth, the Office of the U.N. high commissioner identified best practices for the effective implementation of this right, in particular practices relating to archives and records concerning violations of human rights, and programmes on the protection of witnesses and other persons involved in trials connected with such violations.
At least 312 human rights activists were killed in 27 countries during 2017, according to the Front Line Defenders' annual report. "More than two-thirds of these, 67% of activists killed, were defending land, environmental and indigenous peoples' rights, nearly always in the context of mega projects, extractive industry and big business," FLD said in their Human Rights Defenders At Risk report. FLD said that many of them were predictable. Only 12% of reported deaths resulted in an arrest and 84% of victims received at least one targeted death threat. "Around the world, defenders continue to tell us that government officials refuse to respond to requests for protection following death threats to activists," said FLD Executive Director Andrew Anderson. "Killings almost always occur following a series or pattern of threat, indicating that if preventive action were taken by police, and threats against defenders were taken seriously by authorities, HRD killings could be drastically reduced." Although killings occurred in 27 countries, 80% of them occurred in just four countries: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines. While human rights activists are being killed by mostly unknown assailants, they also face threats from governments of the countries they work in with criminalization of their work being used more often as a tool, sometimes even with the threat of death. "In 2017, thousands of activists were detained on fabricated charges, subjected to lengthy, expensive and unfair legal processes or sentenced to long prison terms," the report states. "In a number of countries, authorities accused human rights defenders of 'waging war against the state' and 'secession' charges, which carry the death penalty."
Political cynicism is rife in Brazil. Years of scandal have left many regarding elected representatives en masse as corrupt and liars, and democracy as broken. Murder is frequent in Rio. Yet, tens of thousands have taken to the streets across the country to protest against the killing of Rio de Janeiro politician Marielle Franco and her driver. Franco, was shot dead only 18 months after her election to the city council. Sceptics wondered if she could get elected, yet her tally of votes was the fifth highest of more than 50 councillors. The outrage of her murder should only illuminate the power of her message. In some ways her story symbolise the evolution of social movements in Brazil and the way that a longstanding working-class protest has begun to form connections with middle-class activism. Some supporters hope that her death will prove a turning point in Brazil, saying the strength of the protest suggest it has broken a widespread political apathy. Set against this are the grave fears of Brazil tilting still further away from justice, fairness and security. In this context, international condemnation of this murder matters. It offers moral support to protesters and reminds mainstream politicians and authorities that Brazil will be judged on whether it brings Franco's killers to justice or not and listen to her warnings. Authoritarianism only will further brutalise communities.
2015 was the deadliest year for environment and land activists all over the world. According to a report by Global Witness, "On Dangerous Ground," there were 185 killings of activists across 16 countries, which represents a 59% increase from 2014. While this represent a global trend, Latin America has the worst record. Out of the ten deadliest countries, seven are from Western Hemisphere. And while these numbers are alarming, it is also likely that these statistics do not include many killings that take place in remote or indigenous areas. What makes the numbers, even if underreported, even more appaling is that in other measurements of democracy and human rights and environmental protection, Latin America leads much of the developing world. In 2015, the five bloodiest countries were Brazil (50 deaths), the Philippines (33), Colombia (26), Peru (12) and Nicaragua (12). One reason for the disconnect between high scores civil right/ environmental policy and the high death toll of environmental activists may be that in the context of greater openness, the cases of murdered environmentalists are more likely to be reported. Killings in others countries may not be reported in the press. The second explanation is related to the fact that almost half of those killed in Latin America were indigenous. Indigenous people have been, and continue to be, subject to exclusion. They are worse off than non-indigenous populations in terms of income, education level, nutrition and health indicators. A recent report by the World Bank affirms that 19% of the indigenous territories in Latin America are subject to legal or illegal mining, and the majority of that 19% are formally indigenous lands.
No comments:
Post a Comment