We have just released our July/August edition of the Global Justice Monitor. It includes the following articles:
US Military Surge in Costa Rica
Six Months After the Quake
Organizers’ Conference
Building a Movement Against US Militarism
Day of Action Against US Militarism
News from Nicaragua
AFGJ recently released the following press release. Below the release you will also find the text of a letter that was sent to OAS in regards to the issue.
A coalition of human rights and social justice organizations today criticized the administration of outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for its recent attempt to thwart the development of a constructive regional dialogue around the country’s deadly six-decade-old internal conflict and called on President-elect Juan Manuel Santos to foster improved communication within Colombia and the region as a means to move the country forward toward peace and democracy. Read the rest of this entry →
The Alliance for Global Justice has, for some time, been following the situation at the maximum security prison in Valledupar, Department of Cesar, Colombia. The conditions there are deplorable. For instance, inmates are allowed access to water only 10 minutes a day, being forced to collect water in buckets coming out of pipes at a trickle. The water they collect must suffice for all of their daily needs, including drinking, bathing and clothes washing. Toilet facilities are filthy and often unusable. Read the rest of this entry →
Join Alliance for Global Justice Co-Coordinator Chuck Kaufman and be part of the ongoing accompaniment and solidarity presence in Honduras. September 15 (Central American Independence Day) is the day that the Honduran Resistance will present the results of the Consulta calling for a Constitutional Assembly. Delegates will meet with members of the Platform for Human Rights and learn about the “Commission of Truth” or “True Commission” launched as a counterbalance to the government-sponsored Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is supported by the U.S. Read the rest of this entry →
Despite the fact that Costa Rica is widely regarded as a pacifist nation due to its decision not to have its own military forces, the country controversially granted the US permission to send 7,000 troops and 46 warships (along with their accompanying airplanes and helicopters) to Costa Rica through the end of the year. Officially, the act is considered part of the US led “Drug War” (which is increasingly war-like in nature). Costa Rica’s neighbors, however, see the massive military presence as a potential base for regional strikes. Internally, many Costa Ricans are questioning the military presence and its impact on the nation’s sovereignty. Read the rest of this entry →
Twenty-seven members of Congress sent Secretary of State Clinton a letter stating their concern over reports of continuing violence in Honduras. The group recommended that more investigative work be done into the state of human rights in the country, that just last year fell victim to a coup. The group also suggested that if reports of violence and human rights violations prove to be valid, the US government would need to reconsider its support for the country’s government. Please read this letter here.
