Peace & Justice Update

Volume 24 ● Number 2 ● March 22, 2010

Haiti

Honduras

Côte d’Ivoire

Guinea

Uganda

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Sudan

Philippines

Nepal

Liberia

Colombia

Cuba

Guatemala

Featured Stories

Africa: Sudanese government signs cease-fire with rebel group.Asia: Taliban attacks despite security crackdown; suicide blasts kill 45 in Lahore, Pakistan. Latin America: Colombian president’s

Source information: Information presented in this update is condensed from wire and newspaper reports from Lexis/Nexis and from electronic sites on the World Wide Web. Complete bibliographical information is unavailable from these services, but every attempt has been made to properly cite information and give credit to source materials. This update is intended for use by IPJ staff and associates for informational purposes only. As the material in this update is condensed, and does not directly quote the primary source, information from the update should not be quoted.

Any opinions expressed herein solely reflect the views of the individual Update author(s) and in no way reflect the official views and/or positions of the IPJ, its staff, or the University of San Diego.

Update subscriptions: Electronic subscriptions to the Peace & Justice Update are free; simply send an email to updates@sandiego.edu and include the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

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The countries for the Peace & Justice Update have been chosen as areas of

The Peace & Justice Updates are written by the Spring 2010 interns at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego.

The interns are Jill Covert, MA (University of San Diego ’09), Jessica Langston (University of San Diego), Nallely Manriques (University of San

Diego), Clint Morrison, BA (Georgetown University ’09), and Ashlen Nimmo (University of San Diego).

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SOURCE LIST

Abidjan = Abidjan (www.abidjan.net)Affaires Stratégiques = Affaires Stratégiques (http://www.affaires-strategiques.info/)AFP = Agence France-Presse (www.afp.com)AI = Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org)Al-Jazeera = Al-Jazeera (http://english.aljazeera.net)All Africa = AllAfrica.com (www.allafrica.com)Analyst = The Analyst (http://www.analystliberia.com)AP = Associated Press (www.ap.org)APA = African Press Agency (www.apanews.net)Asia News = Asia News Network (www.asianewsnet.net)BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation (www.news.bbc.co.uk)BBC Monitoring = BBC Monitoring International Reports (www.monitor.bbc.co.uk)BBC Mundo = BBC Mundo (www.bbc.co.uk/mundo)Bloomberg = Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com)CFR = Council on Foreign Relations (www.cfr.org)Chicago Tribune = The Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com)CIA = CIA - The World Factbook (www.cia.gov)CNN = Cable News Network (www.cnn.com)Colombia Reports = Colombia Reports (www.colombiareports.com)CSM = The Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com) Daily Monitor = Daily Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)Daily Nation = Daily Nation (www.nation.co.ke)Daily Observer = Daily Observer (http://www.liberianobserver.com)DSR Sri Lanka = Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (www.priu.gov.lk) Economist = The Economist (www.economist.com)EFE = EFE (www.efe.com)El Diario de Hoy = El Diario de Hoy (www.elsalvador.com)El Tiempo = El Tiempo (www.eltiempo.com)Enough = Enough (www.enoughproject.org)Euronews = Euronews (www.euronews.net)Financial Times = Financial Times (www.ft.com)Govtrack = Govtrack (http://www.govtrack.us/)Guardian = The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)Guatemala Times = Guatemala Times (www.guatemala-times.com)Haitian Times = Haitian Times (www.haitiantimes.com)Hill = The Hill (www.thehill.com)Himalayan Times = The Himalayan Times (www.thehimalayantimes.com)Hindu = The Hindu (www.hindu.com) Honduras Weekly = Honduras Weekly (http://hondurasweekly.com/)HRW = Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org)iAfrica = iAfrica (http://iafrica.com)IANS = Indo-Asian News Service (www.ians.in)

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ICG = International Crisis Group (www.crisisweb.org)IHT = International Herald Tribune (www.iht.com)Independent = The Independent (www.independent.co.ug)Informer = The Informer (www.theinformer-lr.com)IPS News Agency = Inter Press Service News Agency (www.ipsnews.net)IRIN = Integrated Regional Information Network (www.irinnews.org)Jeune Afrique = Jeune Afrique (http://www.jeuneafrique.com)E-Kantipur = Kantipur News (www.ekantipur.com)Kuwait Times = Kuwait Times (www.kuwaittimes.net/)LAHT = The Latin American Herald Tribune (www.laht.com)La Prensa Grafica = La Prensa Grafica (www.laprensagrafica.com)Laredo Sun = Laredo Sun (www.laredosun.us) LA Times = Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com)Latin America Press = Latin America Press (www.latinamericapress.org)LBO = Lanka Business Online (www.lankabusinessonline.lk)Miami Herald = The Miami Herald (www.miamiherald.com)Mindanews = Mindanews (www.mindanews.com/)MSF = Médecins Sans Frontière (www.msf.org)Monitor = The Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)NACLA = North American Congress on Latin America (www.nacla.org)Nepal News = Nepal News (www.nepalnews.com)New Times = The New Times (www.newtimes.co.rw) New Vision = The New Vision (www.newvision.co.ug)NYT = The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)OAS = Organization of American States (www.oas.org) Observer = The Observer (http://www.observer.ug/)Oxfam = Oxfam International (www.oxfam.org)Patriote = Le Patriote (www.lepatriote.net)Prensa Libre = Prensa Libre (www.prensalibre.com)Relief Web = Relief Web (www.reliefweb.int) Reuters = Reuters (www.reuters.com)Rewmi = Rewmi (www.rewmi.com)RFI = Radio France Internationale (www.rfi.fr)República = República (www.myrepublica.com)Sec. Council Report = Security Council Report (www.securitycouncilreport.org)South Asia News = South Asia News Magazine (www.southasia.net) Sudan Tribune = Sudan Tribune (www.sudantribune.com) Sunday Leader = The Sunday Leader (www.thesundayleader.lk)TIME = Time (www.time.com)Times Live = Times Live (www.timeslive.co.za)Times of India = Times of India (www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Times Online = Times Online (www.timesonline.co.uk) TRC = Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (www.trcofliberia.org)Ugandaclusters = Ugandaclusters.ug: (www.ugandaclusters.ug)UGPulse = UGPulse (www.ugpulse.com)UHRC = Uganda Human Rights Commission (www.uhrc.ug)UN News = UN News Center (www.un.org/news)

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UNESCO = UN Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization (www.unesco.org) UNHCR = UN High Commissioner for Refugees (www.unhcr.org)UNICEF = UN Children’s Fund (www.unicef.org)UNIFEM = UN Development Fund for Women (www.unifem.org)UNMIL = United Nations Mission in Liberia (http://unmil.org) VOA = Voice of America News (www.voanews.com)WSJ = The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com)WP = The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)Xinhua = Xinhua News Agency (www.xinhuanet.com/english)

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UPDATE SUMMARY

AFRICA

CÔTE D’IVOIREUN holds seminar on media and civil society groups’ role in strengthening democracy.

GUINEAInterim president warns military and transitional government members to stay out of elections.

LIBERIAOpposition leader recasts Lofa County violence in context of civil war.

SUDANSudanese government signs a cease-fire agreement with the Liberation and Justice Movement rebel group.

UGANDAParliament ratifies the ICC Bill.

ASIA

NEPALFact-finding report released on army killing of three Dalit women.

PAKISTANTaliban attacks despite security crackdown; suicide blasts kill 45 in Lahore.

PHIILIPPINESNew money links found for Abu Sayyaf faction leader.

SRI LANKAFonseka appears in court for first time since arrest.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIAPresident Uribe’s supporters maintain majority after congressional elections.

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CUBAFariñas’ hunger strike and Zapata’s death trigger foreign condemnations of Cuba’s human rights record.

GUATEMALACondemned assassin of Bishop Gerardi to be released from prison early.

HAITIConcerns for the safety of women in Haiti heighten as reported cases of sexual violence in IDP camps are on the rise.

HONDURASTwo Honduran journalists murdered in the past week.

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AFRICA

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

UN holds seminar on media and civil society groups’ role in strengthening democracy. Over 30 prominent Ivoirians – from religious figures to civil society leaders to members of the press – gathered March 10 in the town of Gagnoa for the seventh in a series of seminars on the role of press and civil society groups in a democratic society. The seminar, organized by the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), aimed to “create the best conditions to ensure that the media becomes a major actor in maintaining and strengthening a peaceful electoral environment,” according to UNOCI delegation chief Lassila Nzeyimana.

Currently, many observers believe that those conditions are lacking in Côte d’Ivoire. Seminar participants noted that local media outlets have been stifled by the Ivoirian government and various political factions, as they are often pressured into buttressing political parties’ views. A representative of a local human rights group, Diarassouba Moussa, argued that “most of the press organs are subservient to political parties, so much so that sometimes information that [is] given [is] not true and can sow discord within the population.”

On February 25, the French news channel France 24 was banned from Ivoirian airwaves by the government during a series of violent clashes between demonstrators and government security forces following President Laurent Gbagbo’s controversial decision to dissolve the government and the election commission. According to a government spokesperson, the French network was suspended because it covered events “in a biased way, violating journalistic ethics.” France 24 officials, meanwhile, contended that they were simply reporting on the situation as it developed. The government however believed the reports were damaging to Gbagbo and his forces and therefore banned the network. The fact that this well-financed French media outlet was not free to report independently from government

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control does not augur well for local media groups with significantly fewer funds at their disposal.

The symbolism of the UNOCI conference being held in Gagnoa should not be ignored. The government action of suspending France 24 broadcasts was a reaction to reports on violent demonstrations, one of which occurred in Gagnoa. By holding a workshop on the importance of free and independent media in a town linked to government suppression of the press, UNOCI – intentionally or unintentionally – made a symbolic statement in support of free and independent media. (PR-Canada, March 14; Rapid TV News, February 25; RFI, March 3, 2010)

President Laurent Gbagbo (Source: BBC)

GUINEA

Interim president warns military and transitional government members to stay out of elections. General Sekouba Konaté, acting president since December 2008, has issued two warnings which bode well for upcoming elections. On March 14, Konaté cautioned the Guinean military that any attempt to interfere with the election would be met with a swift and unforgiving government response. On the same day, he stated that officials currently serving in the transitional government would not be eligible to run in the June 27 elections.

Speaking to soldiers at the Alpha Yaya military barracks, a location often associated with corruption and abuses by the military elite, Konaté struck down notions that members of the armed forces would subvert the electoral process. “Let no Guinean military officer or enlisted man or woman for that matter, believe a coup d’état is possible here at this time,” he said to the troops gathered. Acknowledging international suspicion of the Guinean military due to its role in a September 2009 massacre currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court, Konaté stated, ‘‘Each and

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every one of us in the army is being closely monitored until this transitional period is over and even beyond.’’ Accordingly, he indicated that members of the military should not overstep the bounds of their authority and promised strict reprisals should any member do so.

Some familiar with the situation in Guinea have noted a lack of cohesion among the military, with different factions often at odds with one another despite a façade of unity. These observers contend that the current political situation in Guinea – an interim military government preceded by a military junta which seized power through a 2008 coup – is a direct result of internal conflicts among the soldiers. Seeking to counter this perception, Konaté assured the public, “The present Guinean army is now one and indivisible!” It is unclear whether the purported unity of the military will sustain the tensions inherent in a transfer to civilian rule, despite Konaté’s assertions.

It does appear clear, however, that the civilians currently serving in the transitional government will not be eligible to run for office in the upcoming June elections. Following his speech at Alpha Yaya, Konaté told reporters that transitional government members would not be permitted to run in June. This statement appears to verify previously unsubstantiated reports on the ineligibility of transitional government members in the general elections. As recently as January 22, Prime Minister Jean Marie-Doré had maintained that his role in the transitional government would not preclude him from standing in elections. Konaté’s statement undermines Dore’s position. Outside observers – from nongovernmental organizations to international bodies – see the exclusion of transitional government members as a positive development towards fair and open elections.

Guinea has returned to relative stability after the December 2008 assassination attempt against then-junta leader Dadis Camara plunged the country into a state of uncertainty. Since that time, Moussa Dadis Camara has ceded his claim to power, leaving Konaté and Doré in charge of the government. The first Guinean democratic elections in a half-century are scheduled for June 27, 2010. (Daily Nation, March 15; VOA, January 22, March 14, 2010)

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General Sekouba Konaté (Source: Voice of America)

LIBERIA

(The following is an opinion piece on recent developments in Lofa

County)

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Opposition leader recasts Lofa County violence in context of civil war. George K. Kieh, head of the New Deal Movement (NDM), provided the opposition party’s interpretation of recent violence in Lofa County. The letter, published in the Liberian Journal March 10, placed the violence within the framework of the country’s recovery from 14 years of civil war.

On February 26, reports surfaced that “scores of civilians” were killed in Lofa County along the Guinean border. Allegations held that a 14-year old Christian girl was killed by a group of Muslim boys. In response, groups of ethnic Lorma, who are Christian, carried out reprisals against Muslim buildings and neighborhoods, razing at least one mosque. Those reprisals induced further violence as groups of ethnic Mandingo, who are Muslim, burned at least one church and sacked other Christian buildings. Within 48 hours, four Liberians were reported dead, two dozen were wounded, and UN peacekeeping troops had taken control of the region to stem the violence.

Initially, this episode was classified as an outbreak of ethno-religious violence. The narrative of Christian Lorma against Muslim Mandingo emerged as the dominant perspective, with the takeaway lesson that Lofa should increase interreligious dialogue in the hopes of softening social cleavages and soothing regional tensions.

Though an ethno-religious explanation appears plausible, Kieh and the NDM have argued that such a conclusion fails to account for the lingering effects of the Liberian civil war. The NDM position holds that the violence, “was not an isolated development; rather, it represents a direct consequence of 14 years of Liberia’s brutal armed conflict.” While “ethno-tribal envy and hatred” contributed to the violence, focusing solely on that one aspect of the episode would ignore the other, “various post-conflict-related” causes, including mass unemployment among youths, conflicts over land access, border concerns, drug trafficking, citizenship disputes, and tactics of “misinformation and disinformation.”According to Kieh, allowing the Lofa episode to be exclusively labeled as ethno-religious prevents a full understanding of the causes of violence in Liberia. These causes, he contends, stem from the country’s recent violent past and have yet to be dealt with by the government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. “There will be no peace in Liberia,” Kieh wrote, “if the root causes for war are not identified and squarely dealt with.”

The NDM placed blame on the ruling government, citing Sirleaf’s inability to implement the recommendations of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In the absence of wholesale reforms to deal with the wounds of the past, tensions and the use of force have

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remained a part of Liberian life even after the cessation of war, contends the opposition.

In the closing section of his letter, Kieh called for a series of measures, including the provision that efforts to soothe tensions in Lofa County not be limited to religious groups alone. While acknowledging that “faith-based institutions” should “complement” reconciliation efforts, he urged that other factors – including disputes over land access and immigration matters – be considered as well.

The violence in Lofa was clearly driven by ethno-religious tensions. However, recognizing this feature of the incident should not obscure the other factors at play. Ethnicity and religion do not exist in a vacuum, but rather are important pieces of a wider-reaching social and political context. Thus, while it is not necessary to agree with the NDM’s argument, care should be taken when placing outbreaks such as Lofa into specific, exclusively defined categories. Being overly narrow in classifying a violent episode precludes a full understanding which, ultimately, undermines any effort to build sustainable peace.

Liberia is still dealing with the consequences of a civil war that officially ended in 2003. The country’s infrastructure remains severely limited due to damages from the war, and reconciliation measures have yet to be fully implemented. (AFP, February 28; Liberian Journal, February 26, March 10, 2010)

SUDAN

Government signs cease-fire agreement with Liberation and Justice Movement rebel group. On March 18 the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed a cease-fire agreement with the government. The agreement was hailed by Ali Osman Taha, the Vice-President of Sudan, as “an important step which will give momentum to peace efforts in Darfur.” LJM, an umbrella group made up of ten insurgent groups that came together in February is the second rebel group to negotiate an agreement with the government. The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) entered into peace talks with the Sudanese government February 23, with a March 15 deadline for the completion of a deal between the two entities. These negotiations brought hope for the prospect of peace in the near future in the Darfur region, but progress has stalled in part due to the talks occurring between the government and LJM.

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Tensions remain between the various rebel groups: JEM wanted LJM to join in the negotiations with the government rather than entering into separate talks. In addition, JEM criticized the cease-fire agreement between LJM and the government, saying that LJM does not have a substantial enough military presence to have a cease-fire: “The ceasefire is meaningless. It is a ceasefire without any fire,” remarked JEM official Al-Tahir al-Feki.

Now, just one major group has not negotiated with the government. Sudan Liberation Army has refused to participate in peace talks, but U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, stresses the necessity to incorporate all insurgent groups if there is to be hope of lasting peace in Sudan, and in particular in Darfur. There is also a sense of urgency to the various groups’ ability to negotiate with the government, because of the pending national elections April 11. According to UN estimates, since 2003 the Darfur conflict has resulted in the death of 300,000 persons and has displaced 2.7 million. (AFP, March 17; BBC, March 15, March 18; CNN, March 18; Sudan Tribune, March 17, Washington Post, March 18, 2010)

Representatives from Khartoum and the Liberation and Justice Movement rebel group signed a cease-fire agreement Thursday. (Source: CNN)

UGANDA

Parliament ratifies ICC Bill. Parliament passed the International Criminal Court (ICC) bill on March 9, three years after the legislation was introduced. The bill allows for enforcement of punishment for crimes against humanity and other crimes associated with genocide and war. It also permits the ICC to arrest suspects and to carry out legal proceedings in

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Uganda. The bill was approved with a few amendments, including eliminating the possibility of capital punishment. The UN-facilitated Rome Statute of 1998 established the ICC in 2002 as an independent and global court that could intervene when governments were not prosecuting individuals suspected guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

On March 1, Ugandan civilian group Youth Right sent a petition to ICC Prosecuter Luis Moreno-Ocampo for the prosecution of President Yoweri Museveni, Inspector General of Police Edward Kale Kayihura, and Army Commander Aronda Nyakayirima. Youth Right, comprised of young people from the major Ugandan political parties, considers the president and his two commanders responsible for the killing of 27 Ugandans in a civil disturbance in Kampala in September 2009. Opposition leader Norbert Mao has also called for an ICC investigation of abuses by Museveni.

The ICC has already indicted Joseph Kony, leader of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and other top LRA commanders. Kony has been missing for about a month and has been thought by some, including the Ugandan government, to be seeking refuge in Sudan, but Sudanese officials publicly denied this accusation March 15. (AFP, March 15; Daily Monitor, March 17; Modern Ghana, March 12; New Vision, March 10; Observer, March 14, 2010)

President Yoweri Museveni (Source: The Observer)

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ASIA

NEPAL

Fact-finding report released on army killing of three Dalit women. On March 16, Nepal’s largest non-governmental organization, the Infomal Sector Service Center (INSEC), released a report stating that the three Dalit women, including a 12-year old girl, who were shot and killed March 10, were not killed in a shoot-out between the army and poachers as the army claimed. The report states the killing carried out by the army was extrajudicial. The three women were killed while cutting grass for their livelihood in the Bardiya National Wildlife Park. The Bardiya district is an area of Nepal that experienced some of the worst human rights violations and disappearances during the Maoist insurgency. Just two days before the shootings, the Nepali government had announced International Women’s Day as a public holiday. The killings also came less than a week after INSEC issued another report March 4 stating there had been a sharp increase in violence against women during the first two months of 2010. The report documented 54 incidents of violence against women includingten murders, 21 rapes and six attacks against brides failing to bring a dowry. Four of those slain were brides who had insufficient dowries. The violence increases despite the fact that Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal declared 2010 to be the “Year to End Gender-Based Violence.” (IANS, March 4, 12; INSEC, March 16, 2010)

PAKISTAN

Taliban attacks despite security crackdown; suicide blasts kill 45 in Lahore. On March 12, twin suicide blasts targeting military convoys killed an estimated 45 people and left another 100 wounded. The assailants approached convoys on foot detonating their explosives 15 to 20 seconds apart; ten to twelve of the dead were Pakistani soldiers. The blasts occurred in Lahore, Pakistan’s second most populated city, in a busy market area near a region of dense military security. Several smaller and nonfatal blasts occurred throughout other parts of the city bringing panic to citizens and prompting markets to close.

The bombings came after Pakistani security forces claimed to have made progress with several offensives and high-profile arrests of Taliban leaders, Taliban’s number two commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The

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attacks last week seem to be a direct challenge to the Pakistani military, demonstrating that the Taliban are still present and capable of launching lethal attacks targeting Pakistan security. Militants struck several times in other parts of Pakistan this week. The five blasts this week included a car bomb suicide attack on a police intelligence building in Lahore March 8 killing 13 people. On March 10, a shooting and bombing at U.S.-based aid agency, World Vision, left six office employees dead. Analyst Khadim Hussain said, “the militant network is not substantially or reasonably damaged and they are still capable of striking.” (CNN, March 12; NYT, March 12; Reuters, March 12, 2010)

PHILIPPINES

New money links found for Abu Sayyaf faction leader. Filipino militant Khair Mundus has become the leader of a key faction of Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaeda-linked extremist group in the southern Philippines. A military report obtained by the Associated Press states that Mundus has connections to financial backers from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia and that he has been giving Islamic religious training to Abu Sayyaf fighters.

Abu Sayyaf, meaning “Father of the Swordsman” in Arabic, was founded in 1991 on the predominantly Muslim island of Basilan in the southern Philippines. The militant group has been deemed responsible for bombings, kidnappings and beheadings, and has allegedly given sanctuary to Indonesian terror suspects. Abu Sayyuf, estimated to have 400 fighters, has been listed as a terrorist group by Washington.

Last year, the United States offered $500,000 for information on the whereabouts of Mundus, who had previously been arrested by Philippine authorities in 2003 and escaped a local jail in 2007. Mundus confessed to having arranged the transfer of al-Qaeda funds to an Abu Sayyaf chief for the financing of bombings and other attacks. Documents recovered from an Abu Sayyaf camp captured by government troops, as well as information from a previously kidnapped Sri Lankan peace worker, revealed Mundus’ emergence as leader of the Basilian-based faction of the group. According to AP, the reports also stated that Mundus was able to arrange funds to be transferred to Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani through a Philippine

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bank in 2001 to 2003 under false names. Janjalani was killed in 2006 by Philippine troops. (AP, March 14, 2010)

(Source: BBC)

SRI LANKA

Fonseka appears in court for first time since arrest. Former General Sarath Fonseka was tried in military court in Colombo on March 16, marking the first official hearing after his arrest. Hearings are being held for two charges against Fonseka: March 16 hearings addressed his alleged participation in politics while still a member of the military and March 17 proceedings addressed the accusation that he violated military procurement procedures. The trial is to resume April 6 and the Supreme Court will hear Fonseka’s official complaint against his arrest on April 26.

Fonseka was arrested February 8, not long after his defeat by incumbent Mahinda Rajapaska in the January 26 presidential election. The government initially claimed Fonseka was detained on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. Fonseka was held in military custody for several weeks without being officially charged. Prior to his presidential campaign, Fonseka was a close ally of Rajapaska: the two are credited with the success of the government’s May 2009 defeat of the rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Fonseka’s arrest has been met with many vocal criticisms, including from Sarath Silva, the former chief justice of Sri Lanka, who considers Fonseka’s arrest unconstitutional. Critics claim that the arrest was intended to keep Fonseka from participating in upcoming parliamentary elections and find it problematic that the three members of the tribunal were all government appointed. Fonseka is running for a parliamentary seat in April 8 elections as leader of the Democratic National Alliance party (JVP).

Fonseka’s wife, Anoma Fonseka, has been active in mobilizing against her 19

husband’s arrest. Among her efforts, she filed a suit of habeas corpus on March 11, calling for her husband to be released since he was not subject to military law at the time of the presidential race; this motion is to be officially reviewed March 19. (BBC, March 9, 16; Daily Mirror, March 16; The Hindu, March 17, 2010)

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LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIA

Voters in Bogota review ballots on during congressional elections March 14.

(Source: AP)

President Uribe’s supporters maintain majority after congressional elections. Colombians went to the polls March 14 to elect all 102 members of the Senate and all 166 of the Chamber of Representatives. The election results confirmed former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos’s position as the front-runner to follow incumbent Álvaro Uribe after May 30 presidential elections. Santos’s conservative Social National Unity Party (known as “La U”) expanded its number of congressional seats while the conservative coalition maintained its overall majority. La U increased its number of seats in Congress by seven, now controlling 27 seats. The Conservative Party won 24 seats and the Liberal Party won 18 seats. Conservative parties together now control 65 percent of the Senate and a majority in the Chamber of Representatives. The Party of National Integration (PIN), which “has emerged as a surprising force in Colombian politics,” according to the AP, securing 8 seats. The new party has links to right-wing paramilitary groups.

Defense Minister Gabriel Silva called the elections the calmest in 25 years; there were no major incidents, but some complications were reported. Reports from an electoral observation mission organized by the NGO Global

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Exchange say that some candidates paid up to 100,000 pesos (about $53) for votes in parts of the country and paramilitaries were thought to be forcing certain voting behavior in some rural areas. The left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was suspected of attacking some polling stations, so those voting centers were moved. About 440,000 policemen and soldiers were present to maintain order around the country, and the Organization of American States (OAS) sent 100 international observers to monitor the election proceedings.

Santos is a close ally of Uribe and if he wins the presidency, Colombia is expected to see a continuation of Uribe’s military and economic strategies, and alignment with the United States. Uribe’s approval rating has remained over 60 percent during his eight years in office due to the popularity of his crackdown on the FARC and economic policies that ushered in foreign investment and renewed economic growth. On February 26 the Constitutional Court ruled against a referendum that would allow Uribe to run for a third term. He has publicly stated his respect for the decision. Santos’s main opponents include Rafael Pardo of the Liberal Party, Sergio Fajardo of Citizens’ Movement, and a Conservative Party candidate, either Noemí Sanín or Andres Felipe Arias. Ballots are being recounted for the Conservative Party’s internal election; results may not be confirmed until Saturday, March 20. (AP, March 16; Colombia Report, March 14 & 15; Laredo Sun, March 13; Washington Post, March 15, 2010)

CUBA

Fariñas’ hunger strike and Zapata’s death trigger foreign condemnations of Cuba’s human rights record. Forty-eight year old psychologist and dissident journalist Guillermo Fariñas has decided to continue his hunger strike, which began February 24, despite Granma newspaper’s indication that the dissident will be allowed to die should he follow through. The government news stated that it would be unethical to force-feed him and that the government “will not accept … blackmails.” Fariñas initiated his protest a day after the death of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, February 23. He is demanding the release of 26 ailing prisoners and stated that he will continue his fast “until the final consequence.” A Spanish diplomat, who visited him Monday March 9, informed him that Cuba was willing to let him leave for Madrid, an offer which Fariñas refused. Since beginning his strike Fariñas has lost consciousness twice and has received fluids and nutrients intravenously. Although he refuses to eat or drink he is currently in stable condition.

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On March 11, the European Parliament condemned Cuba for the “avoidable and cruel” death of Zapata. The president of the European assembly Jerzy Buzek responded to Tamayo’s death and Fariñas’ current strike by stating that “we need action, the Cuban government must respect fundamental freedoms, especially the freedom of expression and political association.” Cuba labeled the EU’s condemnation hypocritical and wrong. Cuba’s National Parliament declared that Europe was in no position to judge Cuba given Europe’s inadequate treatment of immigrants and unemployed and its alleged complicity with America’s treatment of al-Qaeda terror suspects. The Cuban parliament stated that it “rejects impositions, intolerance and pressure” from abroad. The Cuban government considers dissidents to be paid stooges of Washington as well as common criminals.

Human rights group Amnesty International has appealed to President Raúl Castro to release political prisoners and repeal laws restricting fundamental freedoms. Deputy director of Amnesty International Kerrie Howard stated, “Cuban laws impose unacceptable limits on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.” The Cuban government did not respond to Amnesty’s request and is known to routinely dismiss human rights groups as tools of the United States. March 18 marks the anniversary of the “Black Spring” crackdown when the government imprisoned 75 protestors. The Ladies in White, a group of mothers, wives and sisters of those jailed in 2003 have declared a week of protests which includes marches, prayer gatherings and the reading of letters from their jailed loved ones. The women were heckled by hundreds of government supporters as they left church in Central Havana. On March 17 Cuban security forces violently broke up the Ladies in White’s third day of protest. Security forces dragged and punched the female protestors and forced them into a government bus. (Amnesty International, March 17, 2010; AP, March 11, 2010; AP, March 12, 2010; Reuters, March 15, 2010; The Miami Herald, March 9, 2010; The Miami Herald, March 18, 2010)

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Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas (Source: BBC)

GUATEMALA

Convicted assassin of Bishop Gerardi to be released from prison early .

Bishop Gerardi days before his death. (Source: BBC)

On March 16, a Guatemalan judge announced that retired Colonel Byron Disrael Lima Estrada, who was imprisoned for his role in the 1998 assassination of Bishop Juan José Gerardi Conedera, would be released after serving half his 20-year sentence. The judge stated Lima was being released due to good behavior, which is allowed under the Redemption of Sentences Act. Three other accomplices were also imprisoned for the murder, including Lima’s son, retired Captain Byron Lima Oliva, Obdulio Villanueva, and Father Mario Orantes. Villanueva was murdered in jail and the other two accomplices are not expected to be released at this time. Nery Rodenas, director of the Archbishop’s Office for Human Rights, says he and his colleagues are shocked by the decision to release Lima early, adding that the murder of Monsignor Gerardi was heinous. Bishop Gerardi was bludgeoned to death two days after the publication of the Guatemala: Never Again! Recovery of Historical Memory Project (REHMI) report, which he oversaw. The report documented over 54,000 human rights abuses, more than 90 percent found to have been perpetrated by the military. In all, it is estimated that over 200,000, mostly indigenous people, were killed during the 36-year internal conflict with 50,000 forcibly disappeared. (AFP, March 16, 2010)

HAITI

Concerns for the safety of women in Haiti heighten as reported cases of sexual violence in IDP camps increase. The women among the estimated

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700,000 individuals occupying tent communities in Port-au-Prince following the January 12 earthquake are dealing not only with concerns about meeting their basic needs, but also fear of violent sexual attacks that have been on the rise in the camps. There have been reports of women being gang raped, as well as of sex-for-food negotiations, and it is likely that the reports do not reveal the full extent of the violence. Aid workers say that there are daily sexual assaults against women in the camps, but social stigma and fear prevent the women from reporting the incidents. Overcrowding, a shortage of management agencies, and a lack of lighting in the camps are cited as three principal issues increasing women’s susceptibility to sexual violence, according to a report by the Integrated Regional Information Networks.

The recent reports of rape and sexual violence in the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) show an increase in this type of crime since the earthquake, but women have been the victims of sexual violence in Haiti for many years, in particular in times of political instability. In 2008 Amnesty International reported that “a trend has emerged” in Haiti of armed groups of men assaulting girls. The report explained that beginning in 2004 armed insurgents used rape to cause fear and punish women who were suspected supporters of then-president Jean Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted in a coup that year. (Amnesty International, November 27, 2008; IRIN, March 9; Washington Post, March 16, 2010)

HONDURAS

Two Honduran journalists murdered in the past week. Journalist Nahum Palacios, 36, was killed when his vehicle was riddled with 42 bullets March 14 while driving in Tocoa, a city near the northern Honduran coast. Palacios, the second journalist murdered in Honduras in the past week, was the director of a TV station and an employee of Radio Tocoa. His murder was the third in a series of murders of media professionals in March. Just three days prior to Palacios’ murder, David Meza, a correspondent for Radio America, was shot and killed as he was returning to his home in La Ceiba. Earlier in March Joseph Ochoa, a correspondent with the Canal 51 television station, was killed in an attack that was likely targeting his passenger Karol Cabrera. This was the second attack against Cabrera, the host of a controversial radio and television program, and a known supporter of the June 2009 coup that ousted former president Manuel Zelaya. The first of these attacks resulted in the death of Cabrera’s pregnant 16-year-old daughter.

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Investigations into these March killings have not produced any definitive results, and authorities have stated that there is no conclusive evidence linking the professions of these individuals to the murders. Local Honduran journalists however, are protesting the attacks and demanding justice. The journalists made their demands known Monday, March 15 when they marched in the streets of Honduras’ second city, San Pedro Sula, shouting phrases such as, “End the violence against the journalism profession,” and “We want justice.”

On March 4, during her trip to Latin America, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States will be restoring $30 million in non-humanitarian aid to Honduras that was cut following the coup against Zelaya. In total, $450 million in international aid to Honduras was frozen. Although the U.S. condemns the coup, Clinton remarked that moving on is a necessary step in ensuring that similar disruptions of democracy no longer occur, and she urged other countries to also normalize relations with Honduras. Argentina and Brazil are two countries that have yet to recognize the current government as legitimate, and Honduras remains suspended from the Organization of American States. (Associated Press, March 16; El Tiempo, March 15; Latin American Herald Tribune, March 15; New York Times, March 5; Reuters, March 4, 2010)

Media professionals gathered in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to condemn and seek justice for the series of three murders of fellow journalists. (Source: El Tiempo)

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