Latin America and the Caribbean


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,…

Grassroots organisation OFRANEH denounces kidnapping and disappearance of Garifuna leader in Honduras

48 hours after the kidnapping and disappearance of Sneider Centeno, President of the Triunfo de la Cruz Community Board and active member of the Black Fraternal Organisation of Honduras (OFRANEH), Real World Radio interviewed fellow OFRANEH member César Benedith, who denounced that they have not yet received “any type of answer from the government.” At the time of the interview,…

Bolsonaro accused at UN session of attacking women journalists

During the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which takes place from 30 June to 17 July in Geneva, Switzerland, journalist Bianca Santana reported how she was personally targeted by the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, by social media on 28 May. This case is one of 54 attacks that organisation Artículo 19 Brasil recorded since Bolsonaro took…

Colombia: systematic murders of social leaders multiply during the pandemic

Since the beginning of 2020, at least 103 social leaders and defenders of territories, and 24 former FARC members undergoing a reinsertion process in line with the Peace Accords, have been murdered in Colombia, according to local NGO Indepaz. The Continental Day for Democracy and against Neoliberalism (La Jornada Continental), which represents different social movements and organisations, denounced the government…

RECORD NUMBER OF LAND CONFLICTS IN BRAZIL IN 2019

Throughout 2019, the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) recorded 1833 conflicts in the countryside (averaging five per day), 23% more than in 2018. This is the highest number on CPT records in the past five years. There was also a 14% increase in the number of murders (from 28 to 32), 7% more attempted murders (from 28 to 30), and 22%…

ENVIRONMENTAL REFLECTIONS IN TIMES OF QUARANTINE (PART 1)*

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a symptom of the environmental imbalances that have resulted from treating nature as a commodity. We could argue that the impact of the pandemic would not have reached this magnitude if it weren’t for decades of neoliberalism, which has privileged business over lives: promoting agribusiness and extractivism, cutting down forests, and destroying vital water ecosystems.…