Peru: Urgent Declaration

In Defense of Democracy, the Rule of Law, and the Right to a Dignified Life: End Impunity and the Criminalization of Social Protests and Mobilizations

December 7 2023

The International Mission for the Observation and Defense of Human Rights in Perú, which documented violations there from March 7 to 15, 2023, which included members of the signatory organizations, expresses its solidarity with the Peruvian people and their urgent demands for justice, full reparations, dissolution of the national congress, new elections, and a new constitution, as well as the immediate release from arbitrary imprisonment of President Castillo, who has been detained unjustly since December 7, 2022. These unfulfilled demands have special resonance as the first anniversary is observed of the illegitimate régime led by Dina Boluarte. The systematic impunity promoted by her government is reflected meanwhile in the outrageous decision of Peru’s Constitutional Court to free former President Fujimori. This unfounded determination puts Perú in open contempt of previous decisions issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

  1. Since December 7, 2022 the current government in Perú has been characterized by authoritarianism, militarism, and repression, exacerbated by racism, socio-economic discrimination, and gender violence. These dimensions have been deployed as a way to distract attention from this régime’s corruption and submission to the interests of the country’s neocolonial élites and their complicity with the ravages of extractivism, ecocide, and the deepening of U.S imperialist hegemony.
  2. We also repudiate the deployment of U.S troops in Perú, the militarization of its borders, and the promotion of trade and investment agreements that undermine the country’s national and popular sovereignty. This includes those associated with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, such as those related to mining and the exploitation of natural resources. It is in this context that we joined together with mobilized sectors of the Peruvian immigrant community in the U.S to publicly reject Boluarte’s pretensions of hosting the next APEC summit in Perú in 2024. We are committed to mobilize support for the massive national and international sectors that oppose this initiative. There have also been important mobilizations protesting Boluarte’s régime by Peruvian migrant communities and others in solidarity with them in New York, Geneva, Mexico City, Bogotá, and on a national scale in Italy, among other spaces.
  3. Our preliminary report documents, and our forthcoming final report, will detail further, the specific contours of the generalized pattern of crimes against humanity perpetrated by this régime. This includes dozens of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and abusive use of deadly force, which has primarily targeted peasant, indigenous and ancestral communities in Perú’s Andean and southern regions. We are also gravely concerned in this context about the recurrent pattern of assassinations and persecution of indigenous environmental defenders throughout the country.
  4. We also underline our commitment with all of the victims of state-promoted violence in Perú since December 7, as well as with the widespread dissemination of our upcoming final report, and with necessary follow-up to its recommendations. We also specifically express our deepest solidarity with the national and international demands for justice of the Peruvian people, and for the restoration of the rule of law, an end to impunity, and the fundamental transformation of Perú within a new framework of mutual understanding and authentic democracy. These demands are more relevant than ever on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the adoption by the UN of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the international Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Respectfully

International Mission for the Observation and Defense of Human Rights in Perú
International Tribunal of Conscience of Peoples in Movement (ITCPM)
Global Exchange
National Lawyers Guild (Gremio Nacional de Abogadas y Abogados, USA
Asociación Americana de Juristas (American Association of Jurists- AAJ)
Water Protector Legal Collective (WPLC)
International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL, Paris)
Forces of Renewal for Southeast Asia (FORSEA, UK/Burma)
Professor Gill H. Boehringer (Australia)

Meeting of the Black Towns

Black Co-Networks for Peace and Justice attended the 2023 “Meeting of the Black Towns” hosted by Negro Mexico, A.C. and Afro Tamiahua in Tamiahua, Veracruz, Mexico, a historic Afro-Mexican community located by the Tamiahua Lagoon which has been impacted by pollution and climate change. The event was attended by nearly 300 people.

During this event, the Black Co-Networks discussed the need to expand their work and collaborations in Mexico, gathered petition signatures for the People’s Movement for Peace and Justice and recruited potentially new members to the organization.

Also, Deputy Sergio Peñaloza Pérez, the representation of the Mexican Black caucus in Congress, reaffirmed his commitment to work with the Black Co-Networks and is interested in working with the organization to introduce a bill that supports the creation of bartering economies in poor Black and Indigenous areas.

Finally, the Black Co-Networks invited Kat Redding, a member of Black Lives Matter South Bend who works around lead contamination testing and education, to gather soil, paint dust and water (from the Lagoon) samples for testing for lead at the University of Notre Dame.

Also, the Black Co-Networks continue their fundraising campaign to support Afro-Mexican families impacted by hurricane Otis. Please consider donating to support an Afro-Mexican kitchen that aims to feed 100 families monthly and bring medicines and purified water to the community.Donate Today

Survivors of Gun Violence

Next week Stop U.S. Arms to Mexico will be bringing three Mexican victims of armed violence to Washington D.C. to attend the National Vigil for victims of gun violence. The three speakers, Nancy Rosete, Angelina Román, and Jessica Carrillo will be joining survivors from all around the country to remember victims of gun violence, lobby Congress and the Executive branch, and form a united delegation that stands against the flow of arms into our communities. Registration for the National Vigil can be found here:Register

Tune in to the Next Episode of La Encrucijada on Rompeviento TV

See you this today (Thursday) for La Encrucijada! At 3:00 pm CDMX, we will meet to discuss the People’s Movement for Peace and Justice agenda on migration issues. We invite you to tune in on the Rompeviento, Peninsula 360, Molino Informativo and Nuestra Red.

As part of this weekly series, we also want to highlight the ten demands of the movement. The fourth demand is:  Demand a binding binational agreement between the US and Mexico that places human rights at the same level of importance as trade and/or security. We need to ramp up the services and support people need and make sure they are easily accessible in communities.  You can read about ALL the demands of the Movement for Peace and Justice here. 

If you haven’t yet already, please sign our petition showing your support for the People’s Movement for Peace and Justice.

We are honored to share this message from our friends at Movement Rights, a fiscally sponsored project of Global Exchange.

Dear Relatives,

This year on Thursday, November 23, as many of us gather with friends and family, we invite you to open your heart and learn a little bit more about the true history of this day. While this is a beautiful time to share our gratitude for all of our blessings, it is also an important time to learn about and share the true history, and how the truth reverberates powerfully today.

We have selected a few articles, videos, and even recipes that can help us all decolonize this holiday:

Some of Movement Rights’ team will be on Alcatraz Island for Indigenous Peoples’ Sunrise Ceremony (2023), a celebration of Indigenous resistance to colonialism. If you are in the Bay Area, please join us on occupied Yelamu Ohlone Territory for a beautiful and inspirational gathering. Learn more or purchase ferry tickets here before they sell out (Tickets are $15).

Giving thanks for all our relations,

Shannon Biggs and Pennie Opal Plant, Movement Rights’ Co-founders
(Pictured on Alcatraz Island, Indigenous Sunrise Ceremony)

P.S.Give thanks by making a donation to Movement Rights or other Indigenous organizations you love this week.

Is Peace Still Possible? Yes, but we must change the course we are on.

Last October 7th, Hamas operatives surprised Israeli border defenders who, despite vastly superior military capacities, were caught off guard and unable to contain a ghastly and vindictive wave of mass murder, kidnappings, and other gruesome atrocities. These heinous acts produced a wave of revulsion that swept the world. And that wave was accompanied by the sickening realization that the “total war” plan immediately declared by discredited Israeli strongman – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was guaranteed to bring more – vastly and disproportionately more – suffering to the millions of children, elders, and non-combatants locked in, unable to escape the densely populated confines of the Gaza Strip.

Global Exchange joined millions around the world who have urged restraint. We organized appeals to President Biden and our U.S. Representatives, pleading with them to use wisdom with their immense power and influence to stay the hand of Israeli vengeance and to keep the road of reconciliation open.                 

But despite broad public support for an urgent ceasefire to spare the lives of innocent civilians and hostages, President Biden instead boosted U.S. naval air support in the region, embraced Netanyahu, and gave the Israeli government a green light to escalate their attack. Biden’s mild requests to “minimize civilian casualties” were not enough to avoid the perception of American complicity with the war crimes implicit in the siege: starvation, bombing of civilians, and invasion of Gaza…a territory just smaller than Las Vegas, Nevada, but far more densely packed, with three times its population. 

Another wave of revulsion and protest is now sweeping the world – provoked, this time, by the Israeli government’s disproportionate and sickening response and the U.S. failure to restrain its close ally.

I write on Day of the Dead, knowing this article will be published sometime later this month. I pray that by then, the killing will have stopped, that the deadly fire will have ceased, that mass starvation is averted, that hostages are safe at home, and that saner voices have prevailed. That is a lot to hope for, and I also fear that by the time you are reading this, conditions could be far worse – if the politics of vengeance, dehumanization, and unchecked retribution are allowed to prevail.

Around 2000 years ago when troops moved in to arrest Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem, his disciple Peter (the guy who later founded Christianity) drew his sword and sliced off the ear of one of their assailants. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Over the millennia, we’ve boiled that down to: “Live by the sword, and you’ll die by it too.” The core truth of that saying could not be more relevant today. 

When violence appears to be the only option and the emotional logic of “protection” or “resistance” leads us to plan and carry out inhumane, soul-distorting actions we must pause, reconsider, and seek higher wisdom.  

We live in a time when fires are breaking out planet-wide – literally from the equator to the polar circles. Our survival requires concerted global action. We cannot afford to double down on ancient hatreds or the unresolved post-colonial disputes of the 1900s.  Yet that is exactly what is happening in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and elsewhere.

But peace isn’t easy. It is more than just the mere absence of deadly conflict. Even if things “calm down,” real peace and reconciliation must be based on justice and a fundamental recasting of the assumptions and interests underlying the conflict. 

But for right now, we need to build a coalition for peace among the majority of people across the political spectrum who believe that killing is wrong, that the killing of innocents is worse, and that justice is never served by more indiscriminate killing. 

It is easy to feel disempowered in the face of seemingly implacable hatreds and events that seem to be spinning out of control. But, knowing that we are by no means alone in our revulsion to brutality helps.  And it gives us a place to start conversations with our neighbors, friends, and our political representatives that go beyond the biased narratives of mainstream media and the shouting matches that dominate on social media. 

To bring you a fresh and in-depth perspective from the conflict zone, Global Exchange is working closely with our longtime partner, Ernesto Ledesma of Rompeviento.TV who has started reporting from the occupied West Bank. This reporting is costly and risky, but we do it in the spirit of reaching out and building “people-to-people ties” and human solidarity even in the most dangerous and stressful times.  

One observation Ernesto shared in his first days of reporting from the West Bank is that when he asked Palestinians – intellectuals, construction workers, doctors, aid workers and others across the West Bank the question, “Can anyone lead the way to stop this war?”. To my surprise, they all had the same answer: “Joe Biden”. 

As American President, Biden could be a force for peace. No one has more power to halt the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, to feed those who are starving, to treat those who are wounded, and to free those who are held hostage. He has the most power to compel the Israelis to halt the ongoing settlement and annexation of Palestinian lands that Israeli anti-peace extremists have cynically used for generations to sabotage Camp David, Oslo, and every other effort for peace. 

But Biden’s positions and actions to date confirm that he has chosen war; and worse, has not even publically insisted that Israel –  the largest recipient of American military aid in the region – adhere to the rules of war.  

The American people, and his Democratic base of voters, are historically supportive of Israel but polls show sharply rising concerns about escalation and overwhelming support for an immediate CEASEFIRE. 

President Biden must wake up to this new reality and show true leadership for peace. The course he has set for our country is morally, politically and strategically unsustainable. We must change it, now! 

Do Elections Matter?

We hope you answer, “YES!” to this question, but not everyone feels the same. 

Government dysfunction, civic polarization, war, dis-information, and anger are dispiriting. Yes, civic engagement is a vital tool for non-violent, democratic struggles and change, but it is no wonder so many people are disheartened.

That’s why during 2024 – a huge electoral year that features presidential races in both Mexico and the United States – we’re going to connect you with leaders from around the world whose fascinating lives and choices affirm and can give new depth to our own struggles on •climate, •racial justice, •gun safety,•peace and the •defense of our basic democratic rights.

In early 2024 Alí Bantu Ashanti, the leader of Colombia’s Racial Justice Collective (CJR) will travel to cities across Mexico and the United States promoting the creation of an international network against police violence in Black communities. 

The CJR is a collective of more than 100 black lawyers in Colombia who initially came together to defend (mostly young and black) demonstration leaders who were both physically abused and judicially targeted during the anti-police violence uprisings that shook Colombia during the pandemic years. CJR later played a high profile role in generating an unprecedented turnout of Afro-Colombian voters in Colombia’s watershed 2022 elections.

Alî plans to travel to Mexico City; Los Angeles, SF Bay Area, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, NYC, and Washington, DC.

We’ll have more information about his tour and other events to follow in 2024. And rest assured, no matter where you are you’ll be invited to  on-line events, PLUS, members like you can also request virtual visits by our speakers to community meetings, classrooms, faith gatherings or other local events you set up and organize. We will respond to as many requests as possible.

YES! There are many good and inspiring reasons to get involved. People.  We’ll be talking to as many of them as possible, all year long.

Israel’s collective punishment of the 2.3 million people of Gaza – half of whom are children – who are unable to escape the violence and who are starving as supplies of food and water run out must stop now. 

Global Exchange joined millions around the world to urge restraint. You, our members, signed thousands of appeals to President Biden and our U.S. Representatives, pleading with them to use wisdom with their immense power and influence to stay the hand of Israeli vengeance and to keep the road of reconciliation open.

They did not listen but we must insist:  All life is sacred and civilians deserve protection. To get to peace we eventually have to end Israeli occupation, reverse their settlement policies and establish security for everyone, but at this critical moment we call for:

Immediate ceasefire!

To bring you a fresh and in depth perspective from the conflict zone, Global Exchange is working closely with our longtime partner, Ernesto Ledesma of Rompeviento.TV who has started reporting from the occupied West Bank. This reporting is costly and risky, but we do it in the spirit of reaching out and building “people-to-people ties” and human solidarity even in the most dangerous and stressful times.  

Learn more and take action here. 

Join us in supporting Cuba through travel, building meaningful connections across borders, and voicing our dissent to the inhumane blockade!

We are excited to invite you on our incredible New Year’s trip to Cuba to celebrate and learn about community, culture, and revolution. We still have a few spots available. Learn more and RSVP here.

Celebrate New Year’s and the 65th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution with us on this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  We’ll spend our days exploring and enjoying people-to-people exchanges with Cubans, visiting  community projects, meeting small business owners, exploring urban gardens, touring the fine arts museum, and celebrating the New Year and the Anniversary of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution with a lovely dinner and music!

On New Year’s Day, we’ll go to the Spanish Colonial town of Trinidad, a designated UNESCO Heritage Site. While in Trinidad, we’ll stroll the cobblestone streets and learn more about the island’s history, including its Afro-Cuban culture. We will then head to  Santa Clara and visit the site of the memorial to Che Guevara. We’ll also have a unique opportunity to visit a community gathering where we will meet with Cubans in their neighborhood to learn about how they organize at the local level to support one another.

Now is the time to travel to Cuba! Between the inhumane US blockade and the pandemic, the economic conditions have worsened exponentially, and travel to the island not only supports the local economy but also builds meaningful people-to-people connections. 

To view the itinerary for complete details, e-mail us at realitytours@globalexchange.org or call us at 415-575-5527.Register Today

P.S. If you can’t make it on this Cuba trip, plenty more will be added to our 2024 calendar in the next 2 weeks! Including this incredible Cuba Jazz Festival trip.

We will never give up demanding justice for the disappeared. 

Right now, the family of Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and representatives of Antonio Díaz Valencia are in Washington DC, meeting with policy makers and the international diplomatic community to push for answers and to demand accountability.

Ricardo Lagunes Gasca, a human rights and Indigenous territories lawyer, and Professor Antonio Díaz Valencia, the leader of the Nahua Indigenous community of San Miguel de Aquila, Michoacán, Mexico, were victims of enforced disappearance on January 15, 2023 for successfully defending Indigenous rights in courts.

They violently disappeared after participating in a community assembly discussing the next steps after winning the case. There are allegations that both received threats from Ternium, the company operating the Aquila mine – a company that has received scrutiny for its blatant disregard of Indigenous rights in the region.

Unfortunately, the plight of Ricardo and Antonio is far from unusual in the region. Between 2002 and 2023, 96 environmental defenders and 62 Indigenous Rights activists have disappeared.

Since their disappearance, Ricardo’s relatives have been demanding a full investigation from the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances and Inter-American Commission.

Ana Lucía and Antoine Lagunes Gasca, Ricardo’s siblings, are visiting Washington D.C. this week, from November 8 to 11, for a meeting with the U.S. State Department’s Task Force of Environmental defenders, a private hearing with the Inter-American Commission, the Office of the High Commissioner and the Mexican Government, and with several allies.

They are seeking support from the international community and international organizations to advocate for the return of both defenders and achieve international technical assistance in the search and investigation in order to seek their humanitarian recovery, find the truth and seek justice in the case.

Watch a video (in Spanish) featuring the families of Ricardo and Antonio below:

One of the key demands of the People’s Movement for Peace and Justice is accountability and justice for the disappeared. Further, Global Exchange has been an ally of human right defenders in Mexico for over 30 years. Our Mexico Human Rights Senior Fellow, Alberto Solis, was contacted by the families and the lawyers of Ricardo and Antonio to support them in their visit to DC. We will be with them to make sure the US State Department follows up on their commitments with the case and the victims. The People’s Movement for Peace and Justice stands with these families, and with all the families of the disappeared.

Will you stand with us, and sign our petition calling for justice for the disappeared, as well as a set of demands to bring peace and accountability to the region?

Press Statement: Families of Disappeared Mexican environmental and Indigenous land defender visit Washington to Seek Justice.

The family of Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and representatives of Antonio Díaz Valencia will be in Washington from November 8 to 11 to meeting with policy makers and the international diplomatic community to discuss their enforced disappearance for defending the environment and Indigenous land from mining development in Aquila Michoacán, Mexico.

Ricardo Lagunes Gasca, a human rights and Indigenous territories lawyer, and Professor Antonio Díaz Valencia, the leader of the Nahua Indigenous community of San Miguel de Aquila, Michoacán, Mexico, were victims of enforced disappearance on January 15, 2023 for successfully defending Indigenous rights in courts. They violently disappeared after participating in a community assembly discussing the next steps after winning the case. There are allegations that both received threats from Ternium, the company operating the Aquila mine disregarding Indigenous rights.

Since their disappearance, Ricardo’s relatives have been demanding a full investigation with Mexican and international organizations and an humanitarian recovery. They also obtained recommendations from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Committee against Enforced Disappearance, several UN Special Procedures and the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights.

Ana Lucía and Antoine Lagunes Gasca, Ricardo’s siblings, will be visiting Washington D.C. from November 8 to 11, for a meeting with the U.S. State Department’s Task Force of Environmental defenders, a private hearing with the Inter-American Commission, the Office of the High Commissioner and the Mexican Government, and with several allies. They are seeking support from the international community and international organizations to advocate for the return of both defenders and achieve international technical assistance in the search and investigation in order to seek their humanitarian recovery, find the truth and seek justice in the case.

For more information and to interview the Lagunes, please contact:

Alejandra Gonza, Director Global Rights Advocacy at:
alejandragonza@globalrightsadvocacy.org
Cel. 2063054919

Alberto Solis Castro, Senior Fellow on Mexico, Global Exchange at:
asolis@globalexchange.org
Cel. 7736684593