by Lisa Haugaard
on January 04, 2013
U.S. policy towards our Latin American neighbors is, as usual, in need of a few New Year's resolutions. Here goes:
- Ban assault weapons. Three months before the murders of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut, 110 victims of violence and advocates from Mexico traveled across the United States calling on us to take action to stop the violence that has claimed over 100,000 lives in Mexico during the last six years. They asked us to ban the assault weapons that arm Mexico's brutal cartels. Some70 percent of assault weapons and other firearms used by criminal gangs in Mexico come from the United States. The United States should reinstate and tighten the assault weapon ban and enforce the ban on the import of assault weapons into our country, which are then smuggled into Mexico. Do it for Newtown. Do it for Aurora. Do it for Mexico's mothers and fathers who have lost their children to senseless violence.
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by Jenny Johnson
on November 26, 2012
Just days before his inauguration on December 1st, Mexico’s president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto will make a short visit to Washington, DC to meet with President Obama and leaders in Congress to discuss the U.S.-Mexico relationship in the next sexenio. In a recent guest op-ed in the Washington Post, Peña Nieto made clear his desire to shift the focus of the bilateral relationship away from security concerns and the fight against organize crime towards trade and economic interests.
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by Jenny Johnson
on December 19, 2012
No question, Mexico’s new President Enrique Peña Nieto was faced with many profound and pressing human rights issues when he assumed office on December 1st. With human rights defenders and journalists enduring alarming levels of threats and attacks in Mexico, including targeted killings and disappearances by both state and non-state actors that have gone largely uninvestigated and unpunished, many are calling on Peña Nieto to commit to provide the political will and resources needed to protect defenders and journalists and prevent future attacks.
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by Chelsey Crim, LAWG Intern
on November 12, 2012
Edited and compiled by Max Schoening and Sibylla Brodzinsky, Throwing Stones at the Moon: Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence, offers a glimpse into the tragedy faced by the women, men and children who have had to flee their homes because of the violence affecting Colombia. Part of the Voice of Witness book series, Throwing Stones at the Moon: Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence is a compilation of stories from Colombia’s victims of violence, offering personal accounts about the effects Colombia’s internal armed conflict has had on civilians.
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by Lisa Haugaard
on December 14, 2012
On December 11, the day after International Human Rights Day, the Colombian Congress approved a justice “reform” bill that will likely result in many gross human rights violations by members of the military being tried in military courts—and remaining in impunity. The bill, along with a separate ruling by the Council of State, unravels the reforms put in place after the “false positives” scandal in which over 3,000 civilians were killed by soldiers.
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by Chelsey Crim, LAWG Intern
on November 12, 2012
You’ve likely heard about the exciting buzz that has been permeating in Colombia. Yes, you guessed it; we’re talking about the announcement of the peace talks! We’ve decided to compile our own list of interesting sources –including the important voices of different civil society actors that are sometimes not heard –for our faithful readers to easily access.
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