(Even more here)

September 30, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “La Cidh Llama a los Estados de la Region a Implementar Politicas de Seguridad Ciudadana Democraticas y Participativas Centradas en la Proteccion de la Persona” (Inter-American Human Rights Commission, PROVEA (Venezuela), September 30, 2020).

La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) observa con preocupación ciertas tendencias que apuntan a restricciones ilegítimas y actos arbitrarios en materia de seguridad ciudadana

• Monique O. Madan, “Ice Reverses Covid-19 Measure, Says It Will Resume Arresting Non-Criminal Migrants” (The Miami Herald, September 30, 2020).

The announcement — which was not sent out to media outlets, a break in the usual protocol — replaced an agency statement that ICE publicly announced in March, when it said it would “adjust its enforcement posture.”

• Caitlin Dickerson, Seth Freed Wessler, Miriam Jordan, “Immigrants Say They Were Pressured Into Unneeded Surgeries” (The New York Times, September 30, 2020).

Immigrants detained at an ICE-contracted center in Georgia said they had invasive gynecology procedures that they later learned might have been unnecessary

Chile, Mexico, Peru

• Roberto Simon, “What Went Right (and Wrong) in Latin America’s Anti-Corruption Fight” (Americas Quarterly, September 30, 2020).

A series of three case studies by AS/COA’s Anti-Corruption Working Group provides critical insights

Colombia

• “Leyner Palacios, Nuevo Comisionado de la Verdad” (El Espectador (Colombia), September 30, 2020).

El líder, que perdió a 28 familiares en medio de la masacre de de Bojayá (2002), asumirá el cargo de María Ángela Salazar

• Catalina Oquendo, “La Tragedia de los Abortos Involuntarios por el Glifosato Llega a la Comision de la Verdad de Colombia” (El Pais (Spain), September 30, 2020).

Dos estudios científicos señalan el impacto del herbicida en la salud reproductiva de las mujeres

• “Ice Cartagena Opens Forensic Lab to Combat Transnational Cyber Crime” (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, September 30, 2020).

HSI Cartagena and the National Police of Colombia marked an important milestone in Cartagena’s fight against the cybercrimes that have impacted the community with the opening of TC2IL Sept. 28

El Salvador

• “Carta Abierta y Urgente al Relator Especial para la Libertad de Expresion” (Fundación Gabo (Colombia), September 30, 2020).

Asunto: Rechazo al ataque del presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, contra El Faro y otros medios de prensa de ese país – Solicitud de monitoreo especial y pronunciamiento público

• Carlos Salinas Maldonado, “Bukele Arremete Contra el Periodismo de el Salvador” (El Pais (Spain), September 30, 2020).

El mandatario desata una persecución institucional contra medios como ‘El Faro’, donde se ha denunciado su deriva autoritaria

Honduras

• “Motorcycle Gunmen Kill Journalist in Honduras” (Agence France Presse, Yahoo!, September 30, 2020).

Almendares, a freelancer who used social media to criticize the government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, had repeatedly complained to police and the country’s National Protection System over receiving death threats

Mexico

• Gloria Leticia DÍaz, “#Seguridadsinguerra Pide Estudiar a Fondo la Constitucionalidad del #Acuerdomilitarista” (Proceso (Mexico), September 30, 2020).

SeguridadSinGuerra agregó: “el uso extraordinario y acotado de las fuerzas armadas hasta 2024 es un elemento fundamental de la reforma y una obligación internacional del Estado, fijado por la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos e inscrito en nuestra Constitución”

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Nick Miroff, “Trump Administration in an All-Out Push to Build Border Wall Before Election” (The Washington Post, September 30, 2020).

At Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, border agents have forcefully broken up protests by members of the O’odham Nation attempting to block the bulldozers near ancestral burial sites and a fragile desert oasis

• David J. Bier, “Officials Misled Congress to Ignore Asylum Law & Set Up Family Separations” (The Cato Institute, September 30, 2020).

DHS both had more agents than ever at the southwest border and had double the detention capacity than it was using in December 2018. It simply chose to ignore the law

Venezuela

• Deisy Martinez, “Oea Rechaza Violaciones de Ddhh y Elecciones Sin Garantias en Venezuela” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), September 30, 2020).

El Consejo Permanente de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) realizó una sesión extraordinaria en línea para tratar el tema de las violaciones de derechos humanos en Venezuela

• Joe Parkin Daniels, Clavel Rangel, “Venezuela Shortages Prompt Wave of Protests Across Country” (The Guardian, September 30, 2020).

Since Sunday, more than 100 protests have broken out in at least 17 of the country’s 23 states, sometimes resulting in skirmishes with riot police

• Lautaro Grinspan, “Accused of Socialism and Communism, Venezuelan-Americans Say Supporting Biden Carries Stigma” (The Miami Herald, September 30, 2020).

“Why don’t they go back to Venezuela to enjoy their beloved socialism?” asked a Twitter user. “Trump should deport them,” said another

• Paul J. Angelo, “Synchronizing With Europe on the Venezuela Crisis” (Council on Foreign Relations, September 30, 2020).

The task too great to undertake alone, the Donald J. Trump administration should instead work multilaterally, redoubling its efforts to harmonize policy with the European Union and to develop a carrot-and-stick approach