Latin America and the Caribbean


Ecuador will appeal Chevron’s arbitration award

At the last minute, the State Attorney General's Office of Ecuador informed the Union of People Affected by Texaco (UDAPT) that it had begun the appeal process of the arbitration award in favor of Chevron in The Hague. In November, UDAPT warned in a statement that the arbitration award issued ordered the Ecuadorian State "to violate judicial autonomy and interfere…

Colombia: Arbitrary detentions of peasant representatives denounced

The Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations (CLOC-LVC) denounced the "arbitrary detention" by the Attorney General's Office of Colombia of three well-known leaders of the National Agricultural Coordination (CNA) on December 15. They are Adelso Gallo, a recognized peasant and social leader from the central-eastern region of Colombia, a member of the National Board of the CNA, detained in the…

Death threats against CLOC-Via Campesina leader Nury Martínez

In early November, Elsa Nury Martínez, Chair of the National Agricultural Union Federation in Colombia (FENSUAGRO) and member of the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organisations (CLOC-Via Campesina), received death threats against her and her family. These threats came from the ‘Black Eagles’ narco-paramilitary group (Águilas Negras - Bloque Capital), who singled out the peasant leader as a military target…

Goodbye to the Pinochet-era Constitution

With 78% of votes, the Chilean people have opted to change the current Constitution, which has been in force since 1980 under Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. The same percentage of people supported doing this through a Constituent Convention (instead of a mixed convention), whose candidates will be elected on 11 April 2021. From that moment on, the convention will have almost…

Democracy restored in Bolivia

After the coup d´Etat against Evo Morales' re-election in November 2019, there were high hopes that these presidential elections in October 2020 would reinstate democracy in Bolivia. 48 hours before the vote, the Argentinian delegation that traveled to Bolivia to act as international observers denounced the illegal detention of lawmaker Federico Fagioli and the generalised violence they received from officials…

Beyond the pandemic: online discussion organised by the Continental Day for Democracy and against Neoliberalism

On 22 September, the Continental Day for Democracy and against Neoliberalism (La Jornada Continental), will hold an online discussion entitled “Popular dialogues: unity, democracy and life for our peoples”. Taking place at 4pm in Central America (12am midnight CET), the discussion will be broadcasted live on their Facebook page in Spanish, English and Portuguese. “It will be a moment to…

Globalize Solidarity, Localize Agriculture!

On 10 September 2020, La Via Campesina will once again mark the International Day of Action against WTO and FTAs. On this day, in memory of Lee Kyung Hae’ sacrifice, LVC intend to hold a web-dialogue between peasant leaders and activists from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. They will elaborate and argue why agriculture must remain out of all…

“If we don´t mobilise, they are going to let the Machi die”

After being 100 days on hunger strike, on 11 July, Machi Celestino Córdova announced he would begin a dry hunger strike. With the little strength he has left, he sent an audio message addressed “to the Mapuche people and native peoples, to all society around the world, to all peoples fighting for their spiritual beliefs, for their territories, their freedom,…