Women Human Rights Defenders
I saw the bullet hole in Yolanda Oqueli's side
It was too raw to tell you about Yolanda Oqueli before now and though it's very late, and we're leaving at 4am in the morning, I must try now.
Yolanda is a woman human rights defender in San Jose de Gulfo who is a community leader resisting the Exmigua mine. From everything we've heard, from all sides, mining of minerals such as gold and silver, sand and alloys is a huge issue in Guatemala. Generally the community affected is not consulted. No objective information or public proccess of consultation takes place to allay fears about damage to the environment; whether the rivers will be polluted; whether the forests will be felled and thus their water supply compromised; and also, what will happen after the mining licence expires and the environment needs to be repaired and rebuilt.
Yoly (as she wrote her name) has a history of intimidation because of her work. Her lawyer (pro bono) has lodged roughly 10 complaints through the legal process. She has been tear-gassed; graffiti had been written on her walls and threats against her and her children have been significant. Despite this, the Government to date has been mute.
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No easy answers on Afghanistan, but a lot of obligations
This is the beginning of the end of our military engagement in Afghanistan. We started with a legitimate mission to remove the threat of al Qaeda in the aftermath of 9/11. We can argue about whether Bush took his eye off the ball because of Iraq or not, but the reality is that what became an anti-Taliban war strategy has failed. It has failed militarily, they have not been defeated and both NATO and the Afghan Government now want to negotiate a peace with them. It has failed politically because we have invested in an Afghan Government that is weak and corrupt.
It was perhaps over ambitious when, from the 2001 Bonn conference onwards, commitments were made about human rights, particularly women's rights and democracy, as part of the reconstruction of Afghanistan. It was certainly disingenuous to talk the talk but not invest the political and economic resources to walk the walk. A generation of Afghans who believed in trying to build a better future for their country feel betrayed.
The so called “realpolitik” that preferred to invest in warlords rather than the rule of law was a huge strategic mistake from the earliest months of the international presence.
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Mexico: A Litany of deaths in Ciudad Juarez, blog by Mary Lawlor
A litany of deaths : How long will the barbaric mutilations and killings in Ciudad Juarez Mexico go on? When will the Mexican government act to stop these heinous crimes?
It is pure horror that these killings continue year in year out with complete impunity. Whole families are being wiped out one or two at a time. And all are terrified and women human rights defenders are most at risk.
On 25 February 2011, the bodies of Elías Reyes, Malena Reyes, and Luisa Ornelas were discovered at a petrol station, east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. On 7 February 2011, they had been abducted by armed men. Elías and Malena Reyes are the brother and sister of Josefina Reyes, a human rights defender who was killed in January 2010.
Mexico: A Litany of deaths in Ciudad Juarez, blog by Mary Lawlor
A litany of deaths : How long will the barbaric mutilations and killings in Ciudad Juarez Mexico go on? When will the Mexican government act to stop these heinous crimes?
It is pure horror that these killings continue year in year out with complete impunity. Whole families are being wiped out one or two at a time. And all are terrified and women human rights defenders are most at risk.
On 25 February 2011, the bodies of Elías Reyes, Malena Reyes, and Luisa Ornelas were discovered at a petrol station, east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. On 7 February 2011, they had been abducted by armed men. Elías and Malena Reyes are the brother and sister of Josefina Reyes, a human rights defender who was killed in January 2010.
