All Content: human rights cases

Mexican Human Rights Defender Norma Andrade Attacked for Second Time in Two Months

WOLA's letter to Mexico's Secretary of the Interior
8 Feb 2012
News
The recent attacks on Norma Andrade demonstrate the need to implement a protective mechanism for human rights defenders.

Recent Developments on the Use of Military Jurisdiction in Mexico

31 Jan 2012
Analysis & Commentary
In this memo, WOLA's Maureen Meyer analyzes recent developments and obstacles in transferring cases of human rights violations from military to civilian jurisdiction in Mexico, including the status of three such cases and the implications of the Mexican Supreme Court's July 2011 ruling.

“In Someone Else’s Shoes:” An artistic event in support of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity

27 Jan 2012
Video
More than 100 artists, along with the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, come together to hold an event where music, video, and social change converged to give voice to the victims of violence in Mexico, launching a campaign called "In Someone Else's Shoes." Watch the campaign ads here.

Illegal Mining and Paramilitary Violence in Afro-Colombian Territories

A letter to the U.S. Congress on continued attacks on Afro-Colombians' rights
25 Jan 2012
Publication
WOLA hosted Francia Marquez and Clemencia Carabali's delegation to the U.S. in early January 2012. Both women were featured in the PBS series "Women, War & Peace."

Former Guatemalan Dictator to Face Court for Genocide During Civil War

24 Jan 2012
Analysis & Commentary
José Efraín Ríos Montt will appear in court this Thursday, January 26, to face genocide charges relating to his 1982-1983 regime. However, a lack of transparency within the Defense Ministry and weaknesses in the Guatemalan justice system may make it difficult to bring him to justice.

Government Records and Human Rights Prosecutions in Brazil

The Araguaia case and its implications for truth and justice
20 Jan 2012
Analysis & Commentary
On December 15, 2011, WOLA and the National Security Archive co-hosted a discussion to mark the one-year anniversary of the Araguaia ruling in the Inter-American Court on Human Rights (IACHR). Watch the event and read about their conclusions.

WOLA: Promoting Human Rights, Democracy, and Social Justice

22 Dec 2011
Video
As the year winds to a close, we hope you will enjoy this video about how WOLA works with partners in the region to advance human rights in Latin America. If you have not done so, we hope you will consider making a donation to WOLA to support our continued efforts. Your support makes a difference.

On One-Year Anniversary of Tragic Murder of Mexican Activist, U.S. Congress Urges Need to Protect Human Rights Defenders

16 Dec 2011
Publication
The increasing number of attacks and murders of human rights defenders in Mexico in this past year underscores the continued failure of the Mexican government to protect defenders and the urgent need for more action to ensure that they can carry out their work safely.

Dangerous Precedent Set by Consultation Process for Colombia’s Victims’ Law

Afro-Colombian Rights Undermined
8 Dec 2011
News
The law did not respect Afro-Colombian peoples’ right to previous consultation, and the Santos administration is missing the opportunity to correct this error

Declaration on the Death Threats Received by Grassroots Organizations and Human Rights Defenders in Barrancabermeja

Paramilitaries continue to attack civil society
7 Dec 2011
Publication
For decades, grassroots organizations that work for the defense, protection and promotion of human rights in the region of Magdalena Medio have been the target of threats and forced disappearances, in the midst of a climate of impunity and the absence of justice for the victims

A human rights counteroffensive in Colombia

Making it harder to try military human rights abuses, keeping human rights groups on the defensive
1 Dec 2011
Analysis & Commentary
The Colombian government is taking actions that fly in the face of many years of reforms, jurisprudence and international recommendations

Afro-Colombian Victims Ignored in Development of Victims’ Law

Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN) Statement*
22 Nov 2011
Publication
Colombia has so much to gain from a law for victims of the internal armed conflict that respects the constitutional rights of the victims–the government only needs the political will to do so.

The Anniversary of the Jesuit Martyrs & Justice in El Salvador Today

16 Nov 2011
Analysis & Commentary
The legacy of the Jesuits is alive today and evident in two important issues now being debated in El Salvador. The first has to do with amnesty and impunity—whether those with power and influence can commit human rights abuses without fear of prosecution. The second has to do with the strength and role of the military.

Colombia Human Rights Bulletin

October 2011
31 Oct 2011
Publication
WOLA would like to share with you the following links to documents written by WOLA and organizations we partner with in Colombia on human rights, labor rights, and Afro-Colombian and indigenous issues.

Uruguay: Amnesty, Impunity, and Changing Political Conditions

The Shifting Balance between Political Stability, Reconciliation, and Justice Over Time
27 Oct 2011
Publication
In an interview conducted in Spanish, WOLA Program Director Geoff Thale talks with Uruguayan journalist, writer and activist Juan Raúl Ferreira about the post-dictatorship human rights amnesty granted to Uruguay's military, and subsequent efforts to undo it.

Father Dean Brackley, S.J. ¡Presente!

17 Oct 2011
Publication
Father Brackley will be remembered for his tireless work for human rights and social justice in El Salvador. He was a remarkable man who will be sorely missed.

Remembering Sister Yolanda Cerón

13 Oct 2011
Video
A film by the Diocese of Tumaco in memory of Sister Yolanda Cerón

Obama and Romney Out of Touch on Cuba

13 Oct 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney clearly share one thing: they are both out of touch when it comes to Cuba and what U.S. policy should be towards the island.

Human Rights During the Juan Manuel Santos Administration’s First Year in Office

Background Report by USOC and WOLA
29 Sep 2011
Publication
The report offers analysis on the topics of extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Afro-Colombians, indigenous peoples, internal displacement, the Victims Law and sexual violence against women.

"The Justice Cascade" Wins WOLA-Duke Human Rights Book Award

23 Sep 2011
Publication
WOLA and Duke University are proud to announce Kathryn Sikkink’s new book The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World Politics as the winner of the 2011 WOLA-Duke Human Rights Book Award.