(Even more here)

July 16, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Zolan Kanno-Youngs, “Asylum Officers Condemn What They Call ‘Draconian’ Plans by Trump” (The New York Times, July 16, 2020).

In its public comment on the proposed regulation, the union representing federal asylum officers said it would effectively deny most migrants pursuing protection the right to have their claims of fear or persecution assessed

• Priscilla Alvarez, Geneva Sands, “Immigrant Families in Detention Have Until Friday to Make a Difficult Decision” (CNN, July 16, 2020).

Hundreds of immigrant families in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody may have to decide by the end of this week whether they’ll separate from their children or stay in detention together

Bolivia

• Jesus Reynaldo Alanoca Paco, “Gobierno Emite un Decreto para el Ascenso Directo en las Ffaa, Sin el Legislativo” (El Deber (Bolivia), July 16, 2020).

El ministro de Defensa comunicó la aprobación de la disposición para que los uniformados castrenses suban de rango de forma inmediata. Se denuncia que la Asamblea castiga a esa institución

Colombia

• “Colombia Relocates Village of Ex-Rebels as Killings Surge” (Associated Press, The New York Times, July 16, 2020).

The village’s entire population of 94 people loaded their belongings onto trucks and boarded double-decker buses to move to the banana-growing region of Uraba

• Sara Lopera, “En Ituango los Excombatientes se Van, Pero la Guerra Queda” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), July 16, 2020).

Este es el primero de los 24 Etcr del país que se traslada con la coordinación del Gobierno Nacional y el partido Farc; y la razón principal es el riesgo que corren

• “Informe Sobre el Homicidio de Lideres y Defensores de Derechos Humanos en Colombia” (INDEPAZ (Colombia), July 16, 2020).

En lo corrido del 2020 al día de hoy han sido asesinados 166 líderes sociales y/o defensores de DD.HH. y 36 excombatientes de Farc-Ep firmantes del Acuerdo de Paz

• Olga Patricia Rendon M., “Gobierno Pasa al Tablero por Asesinato de Lideres” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), July 16, 2020).

En el primer semestre de 2020 el Gobierno Nacional tiene confirmados el asesinato de 37 líderes sociales en el país, un 33 % menos de los que se confirmaron en el primer semestre del año anterior, sin embargo, la Oficina de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos sigue verificando otros 49 hechos

• “La Violencia Sexual Que Ejercieron los Hombres del Exjefe Paramilitar “Juancho Prada”” (El Espectador (Colombia), July 16, 2020).

El Espectador conoció las 1.800 páginas de la condena a exintegrantes del frente Héctor Julio Peinado, en la cual se detalla de qué manera los paramilitares se ensañaron contra las mujeres y la población LGBTI

• Joshua Collins, “Is a New Plan Colombia Putting a Fragile Peace at Risk?” (The New Humanitarian, July 16, 2020).

The bombing in Bolivar was part of a larger plan by the Colombian government to militarise five conflict regions dubbed “future zones”

Ecuador

• “U.S. 4th Fleet and Ecuador Navy Plan Unitas 2020” (U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet, U.S. Southern Command, July 16, 2020).

The U.S. and Ecuadorian navies set the stage for a successful IPC and future engagements with a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Ecuadorian Navy designed to strengthen maritime partnerships, July 11

Guatemala

• Sonia Perez D., “Signs That Guatemala’s Justice System Is Under Attack” (Associated Press, Associated Press, July 16, 2020).

Death threats have driven two anti-corruption prosecutors from the country in the past year, and their unit’s leader has a protective order from a regional human rights commission

Mexico

• Julia Love, “Special Report: Drug Cartel ‘Narco-Antennas’ Make Life Dangerous for Mexico’s Cell Tower Repairmen” (Reuters, Reuters, July 16, 2020).

Traffickers often erect their own radio antennas in rural areas. They also install so-called parasite antennas on existing cell towers

• ““Tambien Nos Puede Escuchar”: Familiares de Desaparecidos en Guanajuato Piden Hablar Con Amlo” (Animal Politico (Mexico), July 16, 2020).

Familiares dicen que si en la agenda de trabajo está asistir a un cuartel de la Guardia Nacional, también puede escuchar a las madres de las víctimas

Nicaragua

• Juan Carlos Bow, “Daniel Ortega Impone Record de 35 Dias de Ausencia Sin Rendir Cuentas” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), July 16, 2020).

La última aparición pública de Ortega fue el pasado 10 de junio, cuando participó en una conferencia virtual del grupo ALBA sobre la economía tras la pandemia

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Julia Ainsley, “Doctor: Migrant Children Who Died in U.S. Custody Could’ve Been Saved” (NBC News, July 16, 2020).

Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, and Jakelin Caal, 7, both from Guatemala, died from the flu and sepsis respectively while in U.S. Border Patrol custody shortly after crossing into the U.S. with their fathers in December 2018

• Rene Kladzyk, “A Woman Was Found Dying at the Base of the Border Wall. No One Appears to Be Investigating Her Death.” (El Paso Matters, July 16, 2020).

Our Jane Doe had apparently fallen from the border wall, which stretches to a height of 18 feet at that point along the U.S.-Mexico border, just west of El Paso where Anapra, Mexico, and Sunland Park, New Mexico, meet

• “Southwest Border: Cbp Needs to Increase Oversight of Funds, Medical Care, and Reporting of Deaths” (U.S. Government Accountability Office, July 16, 2020).

CBP developed health screening policies and received emergency funds to enhance detainees’ medical care. But CBP hasn’t consistently overseen these policies, so some children were not given health screenings as intended

Venezuela

• Sofia Nederr, “Maduro Lleno Tablero de las Redi Con Militares Leales y ‘Resteaos’” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), July 16, 2020).

El gobernante Nicolás Maduro llenó el tablero de las ocho Regiones Estratégicas de Defensa Integral (REDI) con militares resteados y leales. Varios de los estos oficiales están alineados con el ministro de la Defensa

• Ibis Leon, “Hay un Discurso de Odio Contra Venezolanos Retornados” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), July 16, 2020).

Defensores de derechos humanos alertan que estas expresiones forman parte de una campaña de odio contra los venezolanos retornados a quienes se les responsabiliza por el aumento del número de contagios de COVID-19

• “Uss Pinckney Freedom-of-Navigation Operation Challenges Venezuela’s Excessive Maritime Claim” (U.S. Southern Command, July 16, 2020).

The U.S. Navy previously contested Venezuela’s excessive claim June 23, when the USS Nitze (DDG 94) lawfully and peacefully completed a similar operation in international waters outside of Venezuela’s 12 nautical-mile territorial sea