The two neighbors are back at the negotiating table after a six year hiatus. Since President Obama pledged to relax travel restrictions for Cuban Americans in April, we’ve all been looking for signs of a next step from the administration.
These migration talks show a renewed willingness to engage in focused
discussions – one issue at a time. This limited engagement with Cuba
is part of a clear signal coming from Washington that diplomacy will
again be central to America’s foreign policy. And as Hillary Clinton
delivers a major speech this week at the Council on Foreign Relations
to outline her global priorities, Latin America has to be high on the
list.
by Vanessa Kritzer and Jennifer Johnsonon July 13, 2009
“The Mexican army has carried outforced disappearances, acts of torture and illegal raids in pursuit of drug traffickers, according to documents and interviews with victims, their families, political leaders and human rights monitors.”
In a detailed exposé published on the front page of last Thursday’s Washington Post, reporters Steve Fainaru and William Booth draw on testimonies from victims, their family members, political officials and human rights monitors to illustrate some of the brutal tactics that the Mexican Army has employed in its efforts to combat drug related violence. Horrific and heartbreaking stories from rural and urban communities, including Puerto Las Ollas, Guerrero and Tijuana, Baja California, are representative of too many of the abuses that have occurred.
LAWG calls for the restoration of democratic order in Honduras,
including return of democratically-elected leader Manuel Zelaya and the
restoration of full civil liberties and freedom of the press.
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Honduran President
Zelaya and announced, following the meeting, that Costa Rican President
Oscar Arias has agreed to act as a mediator and has been accepted by
both President Zelaya and the leader of the de facto government,
Roberto Micheletti.
“But it has been my view for several days that the most useful role
we could play is to convince all that are directly concerned, not only
President Zelaya, but also the de facto regime, the OAS, the UN,
everyone, that we needed to have a process where the Hondurans
themselves sat down and talked to each other,” said Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton at the daily press briefing. “And that is –
that’s been my goal, and I believe that we are on the brink of that
happening. I’m hoping that it actually occurs soon. So we have tried
through our good offices to get people to this point. And we’re very
grateful for the willingness of President Arias to serve in this
position, and we’re also appreciative of the efforts of the OAS as
well.”
by The Latin America Working Groupon July 10, 2009
The coup deposing democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya that
took place in Honduras on June 28, 2009 has been condemned by the
Organization of American States and governments from around the
world --including the United States. Now the U.S. government needs to
stay on the right side of history and make its message unmistakable.
Will you take action to help ensure that the White House stands firmly
for democracy in Honduras and our Congress joins the deafening chorus
signaling, in no uncertain terms, that coups are a ghost of the past
and will not be tolerated?
*Please call your congressional representative. Tell her/him to support the Delahunt-McGovern House Resolution on Honduras!
Deeply concerned after learning of an assassination attempt against
human rights defenders in Guerrero, including Margarita Martín de las
Nieves, the Latin America Working Group, Human Rights Watch, the
Washington Office on Latin America and Due Process of Law Foundation
issued a letter to Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, the Mexican
Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, urging
state and federal authorities to take immediate action to ensure the
safety of Margarita Martín de las Nieves and fully implement security
measures necessary to make certain that human rights defenders in
Guerrero can safely carry out their work without fear of reprisals. These protective measures
include those agreed to by the Mexican government within the context of
proceedings before the Inter-American system of human rights.
by Millie Moon and Vanessa Kritzeron July 10, 2009
“I urge all leaders in the Americas to see the Honduran crisis for what
it is: an urgent call for the profound social and institutional changes
our region has delayed for far too long.”
This is how Costa Rican President Oscar Arias closed his strongly
worded op-ed, which was published in the Washington Post on Thursday,
July 9th.
The situation in Honduras has only worsened since the coup on June 28th when the Honduran military rousted President Manuel Zelaya from his bed, and flew him to Costa Rica in his pajamas.
Action Center
