by Jennifer Johnson and Vanessa Kritzeron April 01, 2010
Working to protect human rights in the heavily militarized mountain region of Guerrero, Mexico is never easy; and threats and harassment are not new for the Mexican human rights defenders who work for the Organization of the Me’phaa Indigenous People (OPIM) and the Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights. But we have been alarmed to see a rise in threats against them because of their outspoken advocacy, including their accompaniment of two indigenous women, Inés Fernández Ortega y Valentina Rosendo Cantú, who were raped and tortured by soldiers in 2002.
by Lisa Haugaard, Mavis Anderson, and Jennifer Johnsonon March 31, 2010
We know you want to see a just U.S. foreign policy to Latin America.
We're working on it. But we need your help. We need you to stay active and keep those calls and letters coming. And we need you to generously support our work, with a non-tax-deductible gift to the LAWG for our advocacy efforts. Or give a tax-deductible gift to the LAWGEF for our educational work.
Hoy, como todos ustedes saben, nos une en este lugar el recuerdo
imperecedero de Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, guía espiritual de
nuestra Nación.
Me conmueve profundamente poder compartir este día con ustedes, porque
muchas veces en mi vida pensé que nuestra Patria no alcanzaría nunca la
paz si no recuperábamos la memoria de Monseñor Romero.
Lo que jamás había imaginado era que yo mismo sería uno de los
protagonistas de esta recuperación, al conducir los destinos del país.
On the 30th anniversary of the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero, Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes apologized for the role of the Salvadoran government in this cataclysmic event.
His words are so moving they require no further introduction.
by Vanessa Kritzer and Lisa Haugaardon March 26, 2010
Until two years ago, José Goyes had lived in the indigenous community of
Honduras in Cauca, Colombia. But his life came under threat because of
his role as a leader in his community's struggle for land rights in the
face of abuses committed by a multinational corporation that owns a dam
in their area. The threats got worse and worse until finally on July 5,
2008, as he was leaving his office, hitmen fired 4 shots at him.
Luckily, he survived, but he was forced to flee to Bogotá.