Peru: Cajamarca martyrs put to rest amid ongoing civil strike
On July 6, in a silent mass demonstration that filled the central plaza of Celendín town, last rites were held for three of the five campesinos killed in protests against the Conga mine project in Peru’s northern region of Cajamarca… Read morePeru: Cajamarca martyrs put to rest amid ongoing civil strike
Pakistan NATO resupply deal: house of mirrors
To grease the deal allowing NATO to resupply the Afghan operation through Pakistan, the US pledged Islamabad $1.2 billion in “counterterrorism” aid—even as Pakistan’s intelligence services are accused of aiding the Taliban.
Libya: Cyrenaica “federalists” block oil terminals
With elections underway in Libya, “federalists” demanding a greater share of power in the east of the country are blocking roads and oil terminals to enforce their call for a boycott—bringing oil exports nearly to a halt.
Argentina: ex-dictators sentenced in baby thefts
Former Argentine dictator Jorge Videla was condemned to 50 years in prison for the abduction of babies of “disappeared” dissidents. Another former dictator, Reynaldo Bignone, received 15 years on related charges.
Peru: Sendero Luminoso attacks spread
Sendero Luminoso guerillas scored two attacks on army “counter-terrorist bases” in as many weeks, leaving one solider dead and one wounded. One attack was in Huancavelica, far outside Sendero’s usual jungle territory.
Bolivia: police attack indigenous protest camp in La Paz
Bolivian police used tear gas, pepper spray and blasts from a water cannon mounted on an armored vehicle against protesters at the camp established by the Ninth Indigenous March just off Plaza Murillo in central La Paz.
Peru: one more dead in Cajamarca; protest leader detained
With Peru’s northern Cajamarca region under a state of emergency, police again fired on protesters in a rural town, leaving one dead. Protest leader Marco Arana was meanwhile arrested and beaten in the regional capital.
UK jurists report: Israeli child detention practices illegal
A delegation of senior British jurists released a report finding Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children in custody violates international law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Fourth Geneva Convention.
India: demand probe of massacre in Naxalite zone
Rights advocates and left-wing political parties in India are demanding an inquiry into the massacre of 19 adivasi (tribal) villagers in a remote part of Chhattisgarh state by police hunting for Naxalite guerillas.
Brazil: indigenous tribes occupy Belo Monte dam site
For two weeks the jungle construction site of the planned Belo Monte dam in Brazil’s Pará state has been under occupation by some 200 members of the Xikrin, Arara and other indigenous peoples, many armed with spears.
Peru: three dead in Cajamarca anti-mining protests
Three people were killed—including a youth of 17 years—when National Police and army troops fired on protesters opposing the US-backed Conga gold mine project in Peru’s northern region of Cajamarca.