By Gonzalo Ortiz Quito, March 22, 2011 (IPS)

Now that the wave of waterprivatization of the 1980s

and 1990s has let up, the mainchallenge facing water utilities inLatin America is expanding cover-age of high-quality water services.

In Mexico, water has alwaysbeen publicly controlled. Each statehas its own water system, in chargeof supplies and billing.

But in other countries, WorldBank and Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank recommenda-tions in the last two decades of the20th century drove the privatizationof water, whose management washanded over in concession to U.S.and European corporations.

However, the poor performance

of these companies and soaringwater rates rapidly triggered discon-tent.

One major turning point wasthe so-called “water war” inCochabamba, Bolivia’s third-largestcity, which broke out in early 2000with protests against the privatemanagement of water services,which were run by the city until afew months earlier.

After receiving the concessionfrom the government of HugoBanzer (a former dictator in the1970s who was elected president in1997), Aguas del Tunari, a consor-tium led by U.S. water giant Bechtel,raised the minimum water rate to20 dollars a month – in a countrywhere the minimum wage is lessthan 100 dollars a month – andthreatened to cut off service to cus-

tomers who did not pay. A state of siege was declared, but

despite the brutal crackdown on theprotests in which one demonstrator

was killed and around 200 wereinjured, the uprising continued andthe government was forced to cancelthe contract.

Another watershed moment was2006, when the government ofNéstor Kirchner in Argentinarevoked the concession granted to aconsortium led by French utilitygroup Suez, which supplied waterand sewage treatment to BuenosAires and the surrounding suburbssince 1993.

Kirchner cancelled the 30-yearcontract “for repeated failure by theconsortium to meet its contractualobligations,” María Laura Lignini,the head of Espacio Aguas, a non-governmental group that advocatesuniversal access to water and sanita-tion as a human right, told IPS.

To replace the consortium, thegovernment set up the Agua ySaneamiento Argentinos (AySA)

Whoever speaksthe truth giveshonest evidence. Proverb 12,17LAENLAEN

I n f o r m a t i o n S e r v i c e o f t h e L a t i n A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l o f C h u r c h e s

LatinAmericanEcumenicalNewsJanuary – April 2011 • No. 1

Continue on page 2

February 26, 2011 (WCC)

A half century of civil con-flict fuelled by drug moneyand corporate hegemonyhas left Colombia with tensof thousands dead and thesecond largest population ofdisplaced people (approxi-mately 4 million) in theworld. It has also left acountry and society achingfor justice and peace.Finding a peaceful alterna-tive to this long-runningconflict was the main moti-vation for the CentralCommittee of the WorldCouncil of Churches (WCC)to approve a statement call-ing for an increase in ecu-menical peace-buildingalready taking place in thecountry.

According to the statement,“indigenous people, Afro-Colombians, farmers, human rightsdefenders, journalists and churchand community leaders seeking landrestitution and justice” become vic-tims of incalculable cases of killings,threats, arbitrary arrests and deten-tions by public officials and non-state actors are some of the mostpainful consequences of the conflictin Colombia.

“It is important to see this docu-ment connected to our focus onpeace and justice, especially as weprepare for the InternationalEcumenical Peace Convocation”that will take place in Kingston,Jamaica in May, said the moderatorof the Central Committee, Rev. DrWalter Altmann from Brazil, reflect-ing on the context of the statement’sapproval in the life of the WCC.

The intention of the statement isto bolster ongoing peace efforts therewhile it expresses “solidarity andprayers for the Colombian people,especially the families of those who

were killed, disappeared or displacedand expresses deep appreciation toall who have already madeColombian peace initiatives a priori-ty”.

Statements from the WCCCentral Committee provide a formalway for the WCC to express itself witha common voice

“Churches are not some kind ofa lobby group advocating for one oranother issue,”said Rev. AaroRytkönen, the director of advocacyfor Finn Church Aid and a CentralCommittee member. “Churches arethe body of Christ speaking togetherfor a common concern.”

“When there is an issue which isbeing felt by one or another churchon the grassroots level, there is aneed for churches together to raisethat issue up also on the global plat-form,” he said.

As an expression of ecumenicalsupport to the Colombian churches,civil society organizations and ecu-menical development agenciesworking in the country, theColombia statement urges theColombian government to continuethe necessary normative and policychanges “to ensure the investiga-tion, prosecution and punishment”of those responsible “for humanrights violations against civilians”.

The document also includes arequest to the government of theUnited States for “an immediate ces-sation of ‘Plan Colombia’” The PlanColombia initiative has funnelledmillions of dollars into Colombiaduring the past decade, most goingto the military and police and drugeradication.

Tegucigalpa, April 11, 2011(FNRP)

The need to clarify humanrights violations during thecoup, break the circle ofimpunity in Honduras aswell as the threat that therupture of constitutionalorder signifies for LatinAmerica and the role of theUnited States in this contextare some of the themesaddressed by the NobelPeace Prize recipient andrepresentative of theCommission of Truth,Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, in aninterview with Sirel duringhis visit to Honduras.

Why did you decide toaccept the proposal to join theCommission of Truth that isinvestigating the crimes com-mitted during the coup?

I am a survivor of a dictator-ship and I know that a coup d’étatalways results in the violation ofhuman rights as a consequence. Iagreed to join this Commissionbecause it is a space that is pro-moted by human rights organiza-tions and society. We cannotaccept one single coup d’état inLatin America and we need towork to strengthen democracy andprotection of human rights asindivisible values.

Bolstering ecumenicalpeace-building in Colombia

Cacarica, Colombia, is a community of returned displaced people (Sean Hawkey

ACT Alliance).

Adolfo Pérez Esquivel.

Indigenous women hauling water in Chiapas, Mexico (Mauricio Ramos  IPS) 

Democracy cannot be builton top of impunity: AdolfoPérez Esquivel interviewed

on Honduras

Wave of water privatization over; Coverage challenge remains in Latin America

Continue on page 9Continue on page 10

By Héctor CarrilloConcepcion, February 25, 2011

(ALC)

The Court of Justice ofCañete absolved the 13indigenous Mapuchesaccused by the Office of theProsecutor of the EighthRegion of Chile, of terroristpractices, in the struggle fortheir rights to their ances-tral lands. Four otherMapuches accused continueunder arrest.

Last year a group of Mapuchescarried out a 72 day hunger

strike, in protest against their beingimprisoned for more than two yearswithout having been sentenced. TheCourt of Justice of Cañete orderedthat 13 of the Mapuches were to befreed immediately. One of thoseplaced in liberty declared that theOffice of the Prosecutor did not havesufficient evidence to condemn

them. The sentence is a hard setback

for the prosecution. All of theMapuches accused of provoking firesin the Lake Lleu Lleu area, burningcottages and trucks, during the peri-od 2005-2008, were released.

They had been placed under pre-ventive detainment for over twoyears, based on statements by “wit-nesses without a face” and confes-sions obtained under police torture.Such practices were possible becauseof the application of the controver-sial Antiterrorist Law, denouncedNorberto Parra, one of thoseabsolved.

The spokesperson for those freed,Natividad Llanquileo, said that thecontinued imprisonment of theremaining four Mapuches accused isa clear manifestation of politicalpersecution. “We will see what canbe done with the situation of the fourconvicted,” she added.

The Coordinator of theIndigenous Pastoral Ministry of theLatin American Council of Churches(CLAI) in Chile, Methodist pastorHugo Marillán, was present for thehanding down of the sentenceabsolving 13 Mapuches and con-demning four others.

Jubilant Mapuches in Chilean courtroom (ALC) 

Four Mapuches are condemned and 13absolved of terrorism charges in Chile

company to serve greater BuenosAires, home to nearly 10 millionpeople.

In Ecuador, with the exceptionof two cities – Guayaquil andMachala – water is in the hands of60 city governments.

Guayaquil, the most populouscity in the country, located in thewest, granted a concession for drink-ing water and sewage services toInteragua, a consortium headed by aSpanish company, Proactiva MedioAmbiente. In Machala, in the south-west, the services are run by TripleOro, made up of the city governmentand the Empresa Sudamericana deAguas Oriolsa.

The 2008 constitution establish-es that water is a national good forpublic use, which can only be man-aged by public or community-runenterprises. The transition of the twocompanies in question to the newlegal framework has not yet beenresolved.

“Since the neoliberal govern-ment of Sixto Durán Ballén elimi-nated the Instituto Ecuatoriano deObras Sanitarias (water and sewageutility) in 1992 as a step previous tothe privatization of the service, thishas been blocked by the resistance ofthe municipalities and the popula-tion itself,” Antonio Gaybor, the headof a civil society water rights move-ment, told IPS.

Since a draft law discussed byCongress in 2010 sparked roadblocksand protests by indigenous peopleand peasant farmers, “the bill hasbasically been shelved,” Gaybor said.

Water, a constitutional right In July 2010, the United Nations

declared access to water and sanita-tion a universal human right.

But several countries in LatinAmerica had already enshrined theright to water in their constitutions.The pioneer was Uruguay which,parallel to the national elections of2004, held a referendum in whichUruguayans voted to reform the con-stitution to make water a nationalasset for the public good.

The constitution now declaresthat “water is a natural resourceessential to life” and that access topiped water and sanitation servicesare “fundamental human rights“. Italso guarantees civil society partici-pation at every level of managementof the country’s water resources.

The referendum was promoted bycivil society groups, trade unions andthe left-wing Broad Front coalition,which won the elections that year andis still governing the country.

In Ecuador, the constitution thatwent into force in 2008 states thatwater is a fundamental human rightand a strategic national asset forpublic use “that is inalienable, per-manent, cannot be embargoed andis essential for life.”

Bolivia’s 2009 constitution alsoenshrines access to safe, sufficient,and affordable water as a basichuman right.

Expanding coverage Today, public water utilities in

the region are making enormousefforts to live up to these provisions.

But the example of Cochabambaillustrates how some victories have

been wasted. In that highlands city,nearly 50 percent of the populationstill has no running water, the poormust purchase water from tankertrucks at abusive prices, and themunicipal water company is heavilyindebted, due to cronyism and cor-ruption.

In Buenos Aires, meanwhile,AySA is working to expand the waterand sanitation grid, with the targetof reaching universal coverage by2020. Currently coverage of pipedwater stands at 87 percent and sani-tation at 64 percent of the 9.7 mil-lion people in the greater BuenosAires area.

Major public works are under-way, like the Juan Manuel de Rosaswater treatment plant, the DelBicentenario sewage treatment plantand the Virrey del Pino reverse osmo-sis plant, in the suburbs of BuenosAires.

In Uruguay, the companiesaffected by the constitutional reformwere the local branches of theSpanish firms Uragua and Aguas dela Costa, which provided water sup-plies in the southeastern province ofMaldonado, and had racked upcomplaints for poor service and highrates.

“Under pressure to enforce theconstitutional reform and becauseUragua had failed to live up to itscontractual obligations, OSE (thestate water company) decided torevoke the contract,” AdrianaPreziosi, a technical consultant tothe utility’s management, told IPS.

Since the Aguas de la Costa con-tract does not expire until 2018, thestate gained control over the serviceby becoming the majority share-holder.

Uruguay has achieved universalcoverage of access to safe drinkingwater and sanitation.

In Ecuador, coverage of potablewater is 96 percent in urban areasand 74 percent in rural areas.

But Ecuador and other countriesin the region have two problems:water supplies are intermittent inmany urban areas, and coverage lev-els and quality vary widely betweenrich and poor sectors.

In Mexico, 10 percent of the pop-ulation has no piped water supplyand 13.6 percent lacks sanitation,according to Conagua, the nationalwater authority.

The biggest challenge facingpublic water companies is bringinghigh-quality water services to slumsand dispersed rural populations.

In addition, water sources areoften polluted, and there is competi-tion for water supplies among differ-ent sectors, such as hydroelectricplants.

Technological achievementshave also been shared in the region:compact water treatment unitsdeveloped by the OSE utility inUruguay have been installed inQuito and other cities in Ecuador.

The treatment units, used ineight other Latin American coun-tries, the United States, theDemocratic Republic of Congo andIndia, “are of excellent quality, andhelped us resolve emerging prob-lems,” Jorge Ribera, former opera-tions manager at the Quito munici-pal water utility, told IPS.

With additional reporting by Raúl Pierri in Montevideo, Marcela Valente inBuenos Aires and Emilio Godoy in Mexico City.Source: Inter Press Service News Agency, IPS

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54935

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Latin American Ecumenical News is a quarterly produced by theCommunication Department of the Latin American Council of Churches

Editor: Christopher Morck

Translation: Geoff Reeson, Patricia Morck

and Christopher Morck.

Layout and Editorial Coordination:

Amparo Salazar Chacón

Press service: ALC, Methodist News

Service, ENI, Presbyterian News Press,

ACNS, Zenit, Factiva, ACPress.

Departamento de Comunicaciones CLAIInglaterra N32-113 y Av. Mariana de JesúsCasilla 17-08-8522, Quito, EcuadorTelepone: (593-2) 255-3996/252-9933Fax: (593-2) 256-8373 E-mail: nilton@claiweb.orgwww.claiweb.org

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Quito, March 23, 2011 (ALC)

Meeting from March 2-5 inQuito, the Executive Secretariat ofCLAI dealt with different mattershaving to do with the ecumenicalorganization’s programs, pastoralministries, and regional secretari-ats. Facing the new triennium theYouth Pastoral Ministry plans toposition itself as a strategic actor inthe Latin American ecumenicalyouth presence, articulating withother ecumenical and social youthorganizations.

The CLAI Youth PastoralMinistry developed two central the-matic axes in the last triennium(2008-2010): the formation ofyouth leadership for a culture ofpeace, and formation in sexualhealth and gender. These central

axes have been crossed by trans-verse axes, such as ecumenical for-mation, articulating with other net-works, and the search for a greatercommitment to transformationwith the society.

Outgoing coordinator NicolásIglesias pointed out that “matters ofhigh relevancy have been workedon in each national and LatinAmerican context, such as thesearch for peace and conflict reso-lution, and a broader knowledge ofsexual health rights and genderequity.”

In November 2010, a continen-tal work was carried out for thedeveloping of a “Guide for YouthWorkshops on the MillenniumDevelopment Goals,” which willshortly be made available to theLatin American public.

The new ContinentalCoordinator of the CLAI YouthPastoral Ministry is NelsonFernando Celis Ángel. Celis wasborn in Bogotá, Colombia, is 32years old, and a member of theEvangelical Lutheran Church ofColombia (IELCO). A Basic Partnerof the ACJ-YMCA, he has specializedin childhood culture and develop-ment, and is a theology graduatewith studies in philosophy. Celis isalso a professor at the NationalUniversity of Colombia. Beforeassuming his new position asContinental Coordinator, he wasresponsible for the coordination ofthe Caribbean and GreaterColombia Region of the CLAI YouthPastoral Ministry.

Latin American Council of ChurchesYouth Pastoral Ministry seeks to

strengthen its work at the continentallevel over the next triennium

Wave of water privatization…From page 1

By Nick Buxton La Paz, April 29, 2011 (Upside

Down World)

Indigenous and campesinomovements in Bolivia are on

the verge of pushing through oneof the most radical environmentalbills in global history. The "MotherEarth" law under debate inBolivia's legislature will almostcertainly be approved, as it hasalready been agreed to by themajority governing party,Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS).The law draws deeply on indige-

nous concepts that view nature as asacred home, the Pachamama(Mother Earth) on which we inti-mately depend. As the law states,“Mother Earth is a living dynamicsystem made up of the undividedcommunity of all living beings,who are all interconnected, inter-dependent and complementary,sharing a common destiny.”

The law would give naturelegal rights, specifically the rightsto life and regeneration, biodiversi-ty, water, clean air, balance, and

The law of Mother Earth:

Behind Bolivia’s historic bill

Continue on page 5

Clai News 3LATINAMERICANECUMENICALNEWS

• JANUARY– APRIL2011

Susana BarreraSan Salvador, February 9, 2011

(ALC)

The youth of the historicalchurches in El Salvador,gathered together inFECLAI, expressed theirsatisfaction in San Salvador,as the national govern-ment, through the Ministryof Justice, validated themethodology “Let Us Lookfor Peace,” presented as analternative for the fosteringof a culture of peace.

“This methodology consistsof a series of workshops. It

is designed for children and youthof the different institutions thatwant to adopt it, and the proposalis based on discussing mattersrelated to peace in the family,peace in the community, peace

with Creation, and peace in diffi-cult moments,” explainedCarmen Díaz, representative ofFECLAI-Youth.

The Central American countryof El Salvador, with 5.7 millioninhabitants, is one of the mostviolent nations in the worldaccording to the United Nations.Police statistics point out thatbetween 11 to 13 murders arecommitted daily. The majority ofthe victims are young men.

“We should recover the valueof life, we should reconstruct ourfabric and this methodology helpsus,” said Bishop Martín Barahonaof the Anglican Church, who waspresent at the showing of themethodology.

“The methodology has its the-ological base in and defines peaceas the seeking of the well-being ofall, promoting health, and theliberation from injustice. In

Hebrew the word peace is‘shalom,’ and this is related to abroad concept of integral well-being that includes all the dimen-sions of the person’s life,” detailedDíaz.

The youth of the historicalchurches, in addition to an atten-tion-calling street activity, insistedthat with this methodology theywant to contribute to the buildingof peace, beginning with reflec-tion and concrete actions thatpromote a true culture in thatway.

Also, the methodology willallow the sharing of tools to makeit possible that boys and girls andyoung people, within their fami-lies, churches, schools and com-munities, know the peace thatJesus gives and contribute alter-natives that favor the preventionof violence.

By José Aurelio PazMatanzas, February 7, 2011

(ALC)

One of the most significantagreements at the recentlyconcluded meeting of theCuba National Table of CLAIheld in Matanzas is that ofstrengthening and support-ing the work being carriedout in the Area of DiaconalService of the Council ofChurches of Cuba (CIC),and so contributing to thepurposes of ACT Alliance.

With the presence of theReverend Nilton Giesebegin_of_the_skype_highlightin-gend_of_the_skype_highlighting,General Secretary of CLAI, the gath-ering held at the EvangelicalTheological Seminary of Matanzas(SET) looked at the work of the dif-ferent organizations and Cuban ecu-menical centers, pointing out thepriorities of both CLAI and the WorldCouncil of Churches (WCC) for thenext triennium, and set out policiesfor cooperation between the CLAICuba National Table and ACTAlliance, as a strategic form of help-ing to bring about a more effectivewitness.

Presided over by María Yi Reina,Coordinator of the Cuba NationalTable, the meeting brought togetherleaders from more than a dozenchurches and representatives of ecu-menical centers, and had as the axis

of its agenda the current analysis ofthe economic and political situationof the island nation, so that thestrategies correspond within the con-text of the new reality, as well as withthe growth of the Cuban churches.

A detailed analysis of the workand respective contributions of theCIC, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Memorial Center, and that of theChristian Center for Reflection andDialogue was done, as well as of theEvangelical Theological Seminary.The Forum of Theological andEcumenical Education was likewiseanalyzed.

For their part, members of theArea of Diaconal Service of theCouncil of Churches of Cuba and itsProgram of Emergency andHumanitarian Aid presented a reporton the achievements made possiblein the country thanks to the supportof ACT since 2001; since becoming afull member in 2004; and, at the pre-

sent time, before the coalition thatgave rise to ACT Alliance, of whichthe Cuban organization has formeda part since its own foundation lastyear.

The General Secretary of CLAIsaid that among the purposes of theorganization he represents is that ofsupporting partner organizationssuch as the Council of Churches ofCuba, and the projects of churches,“when they are new initiatives withan ecumenical opening. Much ofecumenism is made through shar-ing experiences, and for that reasonwe share how it is done in otherplaces and how it is done here aswell. The ecumenism that we aredeveloping in Latin America is, basi-cally, a practical ecumenism; it is abase ecumenism; coming togetheraround very concrete matters.”

Aymara Cepeda contributed to this news story.   

La Paz, January 21, 2011(WCC)

Some 40 theologians, mostof them indigenous and

representing different regions ofthe world, met in La Paz, Bolivia toshare their various experiencesand theological reflections.

This consultation was a fol-low-up to the world indigenousconsultations called by the WorldCouncil of Churches (WCC) inBaguio, the Philippines in 2008and Geneva, Switzerland in 2009.

At the same time this event wasunique in being the first of its kindas a “coming together” ofIndigenous Peoples‘ spiritual andtheological resources with repre-sentatives of two major commis-sions of the WCC, the Commissionof Faith and Order and theCommission on World Missionand Evangelism (CWME). Thegoal was to assert that the integrityof life is pivotal to all ecumenicalendeavours.

“It is a valuable effort for theindigenous processes of re-consti-tution of the indigenous nationsand the reaffirmation of their spir-itual values,” stated AbrahamColque Jimenez, principal of theAndean Ecumenical HigherInstitute of Theology (ISEAT).

“The interaction of these threeprograms of the WCC is a responseto the mandate of the WCCAssembly in Porto Alegre in 2006,which called for the fellowship ofchurches to be informed by indige-nous wisdom and theologies,” saidMaría Chávez Quispe, who coordi-nates the WCC Indigenous Peoplesprogram.

“We expect to open new hori-zons for the theological dialoguewithin the churches,” she said.“But also, we expect to begin aprocess of dialogue which enablesus to respond in a very creative wayto the overlapping crises that thisworld is facing, especially theindigenous communities.”

The consultation facilitated aprocess of listening and learningabout the distinctive indigenousspiritual traditions and resources,

by focusing on peoples’ visions ofand the capacities to affirm andsafeguard life in all its forms.

The group explored ways inwhich they can strengthen dia-logue, contribute to and learnthrough conversations with part-ners from the Commission onFaith and Order and the CWME aspart of ongoing efforts to discernthe content and character of theecumenical movement in the 21stcentury.

The consultation hopes tocontribute to reflections on theFaith and Order document “Calledto be one church” and CWME’swork on “transformative spiritual-ity” towards a new statement onmission to be presented at the nextWCC Assembly in 2013.

The gathering took place inthe context of the millenary cul-tures of La Paz’s surroundingAndes and inspired by the mysticrituals of the Aymara people. Theinternational group reflected onthe similarities and differences oftheir spiritual traditions in order toaffirm the valuable gift of indige-nous spirituality to the church andto enrich the ongoing reflectionsof the WCC commissions.

Another aim of the gatheringwas to explore the indigenous tra-ditions of spiritual expression(narratives, symbolism, songs, rit-uals, textiles etc.) in order tostrengthen theological languagesthat provide an alternative to west-ern civilization’s fundamentallyHellenic rationality which is theusual basis for official and main-stream theological reflections.

The consultation was con-vened by the WCC IndigenousPeoples program, in partnershipwith local ecumenical organiza-tions such as the ISEAT, theIndigenous Peoples pastoral officeof the Latin American Council ofChurches and the EcumenicalCommunity of TheologicalEducation in Latin America andthe Caribbean (CETELA).

Source: World Council of Churches, WCC:http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/arti-

cle/1634/indigenous-theologians-me.html  

A group of the participants at the recently concluded CLAI Cuba National Table

held in Matanzas (ALC) 

At the VI Continental Gathering of Indigenous Theology of Abya Yala,

December 2009 (WCC) 

Cuban National Table of the LatinAmerican Council of Churches com-mits to strengthening the diaconal

work of ACT Alliance

Indigenous theologiansmeeting in La Paz,Bolivia, “affirm

spiritualities of life”

Youth of historical churches in ElSalvador offer a methodology for the

prevention of violence

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Tegucigalpa, March 31, 2011(ELCA)

Dear Friends in Christ,

For the “Iglesia CristianaLuterana en Honduras”(ICLH), our companion

church in Honduras and a churchof the poor, this is a time of crisis.

Prior to the coup on June 28,2009, violence and insecurity hadalready reached alarming levels.Following the coup, the situationworsened and subsequent eventshave exposed injustice and corrup-tion in the current socioeconomicsystem. Everything has been deterio-rating for the church, except theirfaith in God and their love for oneanother.

Violence is a real and presentdanger for the pastors, nationalstaff, local pastoral teams andmembers of every ICLH congrega-tion or mission point, withoutexception. This grim reality is espe-cially true for our brothers and sis-ters of “El Buen Pastor” congrega-tion in San Pedro Sula where theyor their family members have beenthreatened, raped and murdered,bringing overwhelming grief tofamilies and the disintegration ofan entire community.

But the same tragic acts of vio-lence that have terrorized the LaUnion neighborhood in San PedroSula occur on a daily basis in othercommunities where the ICLH is pre-sent. Throughout Honduras, strife isfueled by confrontations betweenarmed groups vying for territorialcontrol, organized drug trafficking,and police and judicial corruption.

Honduras is wracked with sys-temic poverty, high unemploymentand rising prices for food and trans-portation. Rising social discontent isbeing suppressed through new lawsthat perpetuate an unjust economicsystem and criminalize peacefulprotest, combined with repressivepolice actions. Every key sector oflife in Honduras is threatened bythese endemic problems

The ability of the ICLH andother churches to continue theirdiaconal ministry is at risk. In alate-night vote in November 2010,the National Legislative Assemblypassed a new law (Decree 185-2010)that obligates the ICLH, and allchurches other than the RomanCatholic Church, to join and paydues to a government-sanctionedconfederation of churches. The lawis seen as a way of controllingchurches that work for social justiceand could preclude these churchesfrom advocating for human rights.

Sometimes God just calls you togo.

From March 20-24, 2011, a del-egation from the North/West LowerMichigan Synod of the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America(ELCA) visited Honduras. God’s call,we felt, compelled us to be with theICLH and to listen to their anguishin the face of this deepening crisis.Each day we encountered faith anda dogged determination, a convic-

tion to remain steadfast in their wit-ness.

During our visit, public schoolteachers from around the countrycame to the capital city ofTegucigalpa to protest. In part, theywere protesting the unauthorizedwithdrawal of millions of dollarsfrom their pension fund in the daysfollowing the June 2009 coup. Todate, the current government hasshown little political will or interestin following up on these accusa-tions.

Furthermore, the government isworking to pass a new law thatwould fundamentally underminean already beleaguered public edu-cation system. The tension washeightened by the March 18 deathof a protesting teacher who wasknocked unconscious by a tear gascanister and run over by a car.

Public education is one of thefew remaining institutions not com-pletely controlled by a handful ofpowerful men and women, manyrelated to each other, who exertextraordinary influence over thecountry’s economic and politicallife including industry, banking,commerce, the media, the distribu-tion of essential goods and services,and the government itself.

For all of us, it was hard to hearabout what is and about what seemsto be coming.

On more than one occasion, weheard people express concernsabout the re-militarization ofHonduran society and the possibili-ty of civil war. We heard concernthat Honduras is on the verge ofbecoming a “failed state,” becauseof the government’s inability tohonor and protect the human rightsof its citizens. We heard that no oneis safe, and that society in generalno longer trusts the police to guar-antee public safety.

Yet hope is stronger than allthese expressions of evil. The laity ofthe ICLH live out the “priesthood ofall believers.” They articulate andpractice the theology of the cross asthey accompany people in theirdaily life struggles. In the midst ofthese struggles, we witnessed howthey resist evil with their God-givenkindness, laughter and cama-raderie. In the words of the apostlePaul:

“We are afflicted in every way,

but not crushed; perplexed, butnot driven to despair; persecuted,but not forsaken; struck down,but not destroyed; always carry-ing in the body the death of Jesus,so that the life of Jesus may also bemade visible in our bodies.” (2Corinthians 4:8-10)

We traveled to Hondurasbecause we were worried about ourICLH sisters and brothers. We left noless fearful for their physical well-being but inspired by their convic-tion, by the hope within them thatwill not die.

Having witnessed these eventsand heard their testimonies, weissue an urgent call to all who readthis message, especially Lutheransin our own country and members ofLutheran churches elsewhere in theworld, to join with us in the follow-ing actions:

that we, in the spirit of Isaiah58, join with our brothers and sistersof the ICLH in a day of prayer andfasting on Sunday, May 29

that we pray with thanksgivingfor the courageous witness of theICLH, other Honduran churchesand human rights organizationswho proclaim, at significant person-al risk, God´s regard for the poor

that we also pray, in the spirit ofI Timothy 2, for those in power whoare called to protect the rights of themost vulnerable members ofsociety

that we educate ourselves aboutthe crisis in Honduras and its rootcauses, guided by the informationthat we receive from the ICLH andits ecumenical partners

that we express our concernsabout the deteriorating humanrights situation to our respectivegovernmental leaders, in meetingsand in writing, so that they betterunderstand the true magnitude ofthe social conflict in the country

that we continue to accompanythe ICLH in our prayers and withour presence in a spirit of gentle-ness, humility and diligent follow-up

Sometimes God just calls you togo – and to act.

Yours in Christ, Bishop John Schleicher North/West Lower Michigan

Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church

in America (ELCA)

Montevideo, April 11, 2011(ALC)

In the light of the socialdebate on security and aproject to lower the agefor criminal responsibilityas a measure that wouldsupposedly provide asolution to insecurity, theMethodist Church inUruguay (IMU) hasreleased a public state-ment signed by itsPresident, Pastor RaúlSosa.

The statement pointsout that the concern

over security is ever increas-ing in Uruguay, andundoubtedly this demand isnot only legitimate but also,absolutely necessary, so as tobe able to bring about ahealthy social coexistence,But, it warns: “We need to bevery alert so that that desirefor greater security does notturn against us, ending upgenerating a perverse circle ofviolence that leads us to armourselves in self-defense, set-ting us against each otherunder the logic of fear, suspi-cion and prejudice, or thelooking for ‘expiatory goats,’that unfailingly will be foundin the places of the greatestsocial vulnerability, so as todeposit on them the mostnegative loads and feelingspresent in society.”

With regard to the initia-tive of reforming theConstitution and lowering theage for criminal responsibili-ty to 16, the statement asks:“Would we not in that way befalling into a double social

discourse, where at the sametime that we place the chil-dren and adolescent offendersin the focus of our condem-nation, we show ourselvesdefinitely unable to overcomea law that established theexpiration of the punitive pre-tense of the State having to dowith crimes against humani-ty?”

The Methodist statementconsiders the reaffirming ofthe Convention of the Rightsof Children as being funda-mental, and which lays downthat no minor under 18 yearscan be tried under the sameset of laws that apply foradults. It also sets out that it isnecessary to reaffirm the Codeof Children and Adolescents,by virtue of which minors canbe charged and tried for gravecrimes according to the legalprecepts established in thatcode.

It continues with thechallenge: “With regard tothe principle of responsibility,in the same way that the Codeof Children and Adolescentsdemands the responsibility ofthose over 13 years of age fortheir acts and behavior asoffenders, society should alsodemand of itself a greaterresponsibility for childrenand adolescents.”

“At this time, in the con-text of the Bicentennial cele-bration, when we seek tostrengthen the bases of ourfoundation, the challenge ofScripture becomes pressing:the restoring of mistreatedchildren and the giving backto them of their condition ofboys and girls, given that thatis the greatest force of restora-tion of a society that aspires toreach greater justice, greaterintegration and inclusion,and greater security. The sus-taining of our children, espe-cially those that suffer themost, guaranteeing themtheir rights, is the best roadtoward assuring the life of allUruguayans,” says theMethodist Church in Uruguaystatement.

Letter by North West LowerMichigan Lutheran Synod Bishop

following Honduras visit

Iglesia Buen Pastor, ICLH (ELCA)

Pastor Raúl Sosa, President,

Methodist Church in Uruguay (IMU)

Methodist Church inUruguay rejects loweringof age for criminal

responsibility, reaffirmingsocial responsibility

By Gonzalo Ortiz March 27, 2011 (IPS)

The appointment of anultra-conservative priest asapostolic administrator ofthe diocese of Sucumbíos,in northeastern Ecuador,triggered open rebellionamong a large proportion ofthe area’s Catholics, with thesupport of civil societyorganisations and even ofPresident Rafael Correahimself.

The crisis within theCatholic community,which is numerous and

influential in this Amazonianprovince, has stirred up streetdemonstrations by detractors andpartisans of Rafael IbargurenSchindler, a leading member of theHeralds of the Gospel, a papally-approved far-right Catholic order.

The priest, born in Argentina in1952 and ordained in 2005, wasappointed apostolic vicar of SanMiguel de Sucumbíos on October 30,2010, as a temporary replacementfor outgoing bishop Gonzalo LópezMarañón, who was highly respectedfor the social projects he carried outlocally for over 40 years until heresigned at 75, the mandatory retire-ment age under Church rules.

The Vatican’s decision addedfresh controversy to the buzzingprovincial capital, Nueva Loja,which is not only the center of theEcuadorian oil industry but also astrategic crossover point for refugeesand even undercover guerrillas fromcivil war-torn Colombia, as it is only18 kilometers from the Colombianborder.

The city had already drawninternational attention because ofthe historic February 14 verdict byjudge Nicolás Zambrano of theSucumbíos Provincial Court, who

ordered multinational oil giantChevron to pay 9.5 billion dollars forenvironmental damage, the largestfine ever imposed on an oil companyfor pollution. Both sides haveappealed the decision.

The popular reaction againstIbarguren Schindler led PresidentCorrea, a self-declared “leftwingCatholic,” to say he might even vetothe appointment, under a clause ofthe Modus Vivendi, the 1937 treatybetween Ecuador and the Vaticanthat regulates relations between theCatholic Church and the State.

“In the months since theHeralds of the Gospel and the newadministrator took over, they haveshown that they are determined towipe out the whole pastoral ministrythat was built up over 40 years inSucumbíos,” Maritza López, secre-tary of the ISAMIS Assembly, a bodycreated by López Marañón which isbeing ignored by the new authori-ties, told IPS.

The Assembly of the Church ofSan Miguel de Sucumbíos (ISAMIS)is made up of 120 delegates frombase ecclesial communities, pastoralworkers, members of missionaryorders, diocesan clergy and provin-cial social organizations. It operatesas a sort of democratic parliament ofthe region’s Catholic community.

“The founder of the Heralds was

an active member and secretary ofthe ultra-rightwing Tradition,Family and Property, an associationformed (in Brazil) to oppose the leftand defend private property againstthe agrarian reform that was mak-ing headway throughout LatinAmerica in the 1960s,” said MaritzaLópez.

In January, by an 80 percentmajority, the ISAMIS Assembly votedto ask for Ibarguren Schindler’s res-ignation.

Since then, the controversy hasgrown steadily. Members of ISAMIS,who have been holding a vigil sinceJanuary, started a hunger strike onSunday, March 20 to demand theremoval of the apostolic administra-tor. Meanwhile, Ibarguren Schindlerand eight other priests of the Heraldsorder are seeking support from thosewho question the social projects pro-moted by Bishop López Marañóñ.

“One of the things they do is to goout and celebrate open-air massesfor the oil companies, but they won’tagree to carry forward the pastoralplan that has already been approved,nor will they engage in dialoguewith the ISAMIS Assembly,” Felisa deMoncayo told IPS.

In contrast, Bishop LópezMarañón “was one of us, alongsideus, and would subject new initiatives

and appointments to discussion,”she said.

On March 9, Correa stressed thatEcuador is a secular state, whichmeans it respects religious freedom.But he rejected “wiping out the pres-ence of the Discalced Carmelites inSucumbíos, at the stroke of a pen,and handing over the province to theHeralds of the Gospel, against theopinion of the Catholic base com-munities.”

He was speaking at a ceremonyin Quito where he decorated LópezMarañón for his distinguished workon behalf of the poor and his defenceof human rights during his fourdecades as bishop of Sucumbíos, aswell as his work in education, healthand other areas.

The Discalced Carmelites, towhich the former bishop ofSucumbíos belongs, has worked inthe Amazon jungle region fordecades. Among its members aresome of Ecuador’s most distin-guished progressive church leaders,such as Alberto Luna Tobar, whowith others like Leonidas Proaño wasactively committed to the cause ofthe poor in the country.

The president said the mission-ary work of López Marañón was alasting contribution, and that he wasone of those Christians who wouldgive their life for the gospel. “Hefought the oil companies in order todefend life in all its forms,” he said.

“We do not want futile con-frontations or controversies, still lesswith the Bishops’ Conference, but Iwish to tell you that the treaty regu-lating relations between the secularstate of Ecuador and the Vatican per-mits us to veto the nomination ofany bishop,” he said.

“This power has never beenused; let us not be obliged to use itnow. But if an absurd fundamental-ism brings to our Amazonianprovince orders that emphasize ritu-al and moral fundamentalism, andwear medieval robes in the middle ofthe jungle, we will have to use the

power vested in us by the ModusVivendi treaty,” he warned.

The “medieval robes” hereferred to are the habits worn by theHeralds of the Gospel: knee-lengthblack riding boots, a white cassockwith a large brown scapular, bearinga half white, half red cross extendingfrom neck to hem with arms in theshape of fleurs-de-lys. The order, rec-ognized in 2001 by the Pope, lives bya military as well as a religious disci-pline.

The head of Ecuador’s Bishops’Conference, Antonio Arregui,responded to the president’s words,indicating it would be a totallyunheard-of precedent, in this dayand age, for the state to interfere withthe appointment of bishops.

Arregui, the archbishop ofGuayaquil, said the Modus Vivendiexpressly recognized that theappointment of bishops is the Pope’sprerogative.

In what was seen as a conciliato-ry move, the Vatican announced onMarch 19 the appointment of theEcuadorian Bishop of Guaranda,Ángel Polibio Sánchez, as apostolicdelegate in Sucumbíos, to representthe Vatican in legal matters and gov-ernment relations.

“We are pleased by this develop-ment, but we would like to see theprecise scope of this appointment,”said the interim Foreign Minister,Kintto Lucas.

He was well advised to be cau-tious, as it was later clarified thatIbarguren Schindler would not bewithdrawn from his apostolicadministrator position, andSánchez’s appointment merelysought to place an Ecuadorian asrepresentative to the Justice Ministry,which also deals with religion andhas refused to formally register theappointment of IbargurenSchindler.

Source: Inter Press Service News Agency, IPShttp://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55008

Church and Society LATINAMERICANECUMENICALNEWS• JANUARY– APRIL2011

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March 30, 2011 (ALC)

According to his will, theBelgian born priest whodied at age 88 in Salvador,Bahía, on March 27, wasburied in the Santuário Pé,Ibiapina, in Santa Fé,Municipal District ofSolânea, in north easternrural Paraibano.

“There his body will lay at rest,in the same North Eastern

soil that received Father Ibiapina,Father Cícero, Margarida MariaAlves, Bishop Hélder Câmara,” wrotethe President of the Conference ofthe Religious of Brazil, FatherEdegard Silva Júnior.

Comblin, who had developedheart problems and used a pacemak-er, was found dead sitting in his

room after not appearing in chapelfor the morning service.

José Comblin arrived in Brazil in1958, in response to Pope XII’s callfor voluntary priests to serve inregions with a shortage of clergy. Hededicated his life to the poor and tothe peoples’ church, especially inPernambuco, in Paraíba and inBahía.

He worked with Bishop HélderCâmara in Olinda and Recife, andwas pursued by the military régime,detained and deported, in 1972,when returning from a trip toEurope.

José Comblin was part of the firstgroup of the Theology of Liberation,and of the beginnings of the teamsfor the formation of seminarians inrural Pernambuco and Paraíba(1969), of the rural seminary ofTalca, Chile (1978), and later inParaíba, in Sierra Redonda (1981).Those initiatives gave rise to the so

called Theology of the Hoe. He wrote dozens of books,

among them “The Ideology ofNational Security: Military Power inLatin America“ (Río de Janeiro:Civilização Brasileira, 1978).

José Comblin (ALC)

Former Bishop of Sucumbíos, Ecuador,  Gonzalo López Marañon (ISAMIS)

Catholics in Nueva Loja, Sucumbios, Ecuador demand removal of far-right bishop

Peoples’ Church priest and theologian JoséComblin buried in North Eastern Paraibano

restoration. Bolivia's law mandatesa fundamental ecological reorien-tation of Bolivia's economy andsociety, requiring all existing andfuture laws to adapt to the MotherEarth law and accept the ecologicallimits set by nature. It calls forpublic policy to be guided bySumaj Kawsay (an indigenousconcept meaning “living well,” orliving in harmony with nature andpeople), rather than the currentfocus on producing more goodsand stimulating consumption.

In practical terms, the lawrequires the government to transi-tion from non-renewable to renew-able energy; to develop new eco-nomic indicators that will assessthe ecological impact of all eco-nomic activity; to carry out ecolog-ical audits of all private and statecompanies; to regulate and reducegreenhouse gas emissions; to

develop policies of food and renew-able energy sovereignty; to researchand invest resources in energy effi-ciency, ecological practices, andorganic agriculture; and to requireall companies and individuals tobe accountable for environmentalcontamination with a duty torestore damaged environments.

The law will be backed up by anew Ministry of Mother Earth, aninter-Ministry Advisory Council,and an Ombudsman. UndaricoPinto, leader of the 3.5 million-strong campesino movementCSUTCB, which helped draft thelaw, believes this legislation repre-sents a turning point in Bolivianlaw: "Existing laws are not strongenough. This will make industrymore transparent. It will allow peo-ple to regulate industry at national,regional, and local levels."

Source: Upside Down Worldhttp://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/3013-the-law-of-

mother-earth-behind-bolivias-historic-bill-

From page 1

The law of Mother Earth…

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6 Church and Society

By Julio A. CarlesPanama City, January 27, 2011

(ALC)

At its annual ordinary plenaryassembly, the Panamanian

Episcopal Conference (CEP) dis-cussed the matter of mining, anissue that, along with deforestation,is the greatest threat to the environ-mental sustainability of the country.

The members of the conferencecoincided in that there are very weaklaws controlling foreign investmentand a slack regulation that does notguarantee that polluting substances,such as cyanide, are safely managedfor the benefit of the health of thepopulation.

Alida Spadafora, President of theNational Association for theConservation of Nature, pointed outthat the draft bill which seeks toreform the Mineral Resources Code

is a cause of concern to different sec-tors.

Spadafora coincided with theCEP when pointing out that themechanisms for legitimate consulta-tion that would allow the communi-ties to know of the effects caused bymining have not yet been developed.Meanwhile, the Vice-President ofPanama, Juan Carlos Varela, saidthat the concessions for new extrac-tive mining should be suspended,and that he has told this to PresidentRicardo Martinelli.

Varela added that the moratori-um should last until such time asthe benefits of the mining operationsalready in progress can be demon-strated to the population.

Varela’s statements follow theintroduction of a legislative bill byPresident Martinelli in the NationalAssembly that would reform theMining Code so as to foster mining

in the country. Despite his position, Varela

believes that the proposed reformsapproved by the Cabinet Council arebeneficial for the nation, becausethey will generate employment.

The bill has already been sent tothe Trade Commission of theAssembly which is to set the agendafor consultations prior to formal dis-cussion.

The text of the proposal estab-lishes an increase in the terms ofrent, bonuses and fines that the min-ing companies are to pay, and elimi-nates the current prohibition ofother countries from exploitingthose resources that are Panama’s.

In regard to the latter, Varelaspoke of the interest on the part offinancial agencies from Korea andSingapore in the mineral wealth ofthe isthmus.

Sao Bernardo do Campo, April6, 2011 (ALC)

Participants in the 4th Afro-Christian Gathering have

suggested that churches includethemes of black and indigenous cul-tures in Sunday Schools and in theirtheological formation programs,including the developing of liturgies

that reflect the corporal, identity andcultural experiences of blacks andthe indigenous, and the guarantee-ing of spaces of visible participationfor youth, gender equity, and ethnic-ity.

Participants from differentChristian churches and experiencesin the struggle for the defense of lifeand rights gathered together in the

Methodist University of São Paulo(UMESP) from April 1-3. Their pur-pose was to renew leaderships for thestruggles and hopes of black people,to reflect on black youth as subjectsof rights, and to assume public com-mitments.

The discussions and plenary ses-sion agreements were the basis forthe preparation of a document,

through which the group commits tobuilding strategies of dialogues andinterventions with the intention ofstrengthening the actions in the areaof human rights. It is a pro-activeresponse to the declaration of theInternational Year of Youth and theInternational Year for People ofAfrican Descent.

The group has suggested that

biblical studies be offered that dealwith the theme of diversity and theovercoming of intolerance, the orga-nizing of open conferences, the send-ing of proposals to the II NationalConference of Youth, and thestrengthening of the campaignsagainst youth deaths.

Brasilia, January 26, 2011 (ALC)

In spite of the great transfor-mations that humanity has

brought about, it has not been ableto overcome prejudices and intoler-ance, present in the globalized worldunder the guise of the combating ofterrorism. In Brazil, the nation car-ries an enormous social and histori-cal debt that generates class preju-dice and racial discrimination.

The public statement by theNational Council of ChristianChurches of Brazil (CONIC) calledon society and religions to celebratethe National Day of the Fight AgainstReligious Intolerance, held onJanuary 21 in Brazil. “We are calledto put into practice Jesus’ command-ment of loving one’s neighbor asoneself,” says the statement, signedby the General Secretary of thenational ecumenical organization,Rev. Luiz Alberto Barbosa. Respect ofdifferences is fundamental, the state-ment emphasizes.

Human migration and thecamps of refugees dispersedthroughout the world reveal the cri-sis of the capitalist model, “whichincreases social inequality and ten-sion between different cultures,”bringing about more prejudices and

intolerance. CONIC recalls that according to

data of the Brazilian Institute ofGeography and Statistics (IBGE),Brazilians practice more than 30 dif-ferent religions. “Diversity is one ofour greatest riches and we need tofoster within society the peacefulcoexistence of religiousdifferences.”

The statement by the Councilalso recalls, however, that with colo-nization blacks were brought byforce to Brazil as slave labor, wherethey had their values, culture andreligion torn away from them. Jews,

fleeing the Inquisition in Europe,were forced to convert to Christianityand they adopted Brazil as their newhomeland. Ever since “we have livedtogether with religious intolerancein our country.”

CONIC’s public call emphasizesthat in the parable of the GoodSamaritan, Jesus demonstrated thatcharity, the salvation of the soul,does not depend on the religiouscreed professed. “What is importantis helping the neighbor, indepen-dently of whether or not he or sheprofesses our religion.”

By Mariel Pérez April 26, 2011 (LAWG)

Last year, 280,041Colombian civilians wereforced to leave their

homes, fleeing from the extremeviolence of Colombia’s decades-long conflict. This statistic is thecenterpiece of a February Spanish-language report published by theColombian human rights NGOCODHES, a group that has workedtirelessly for nearly two decades toshed light on the human rightscrisis in Colombia. As CODHES’report highlights, almost 33 per-cent of displaced civilians areforced to flee from zones that are afocus of “territorial consolida-tion,” the signature program ofthe Uribe administration thataimed to set up military control ofareas of the countryside whilealso, at least in theory, expandingcivilian government institutions.

Massacres, kidnappings, tar-geted assassinations, and deaththreats against civilians andhuman rights defenders continueto be the norm in these zones ofterritorial consolidation, forcingcivilians to leave their homes andtheir livelihoods behind. From1980 through July of 2010,6,638,195 hectares of land werestolen from their rightful ownersas a consequence of acts of vio-lence committed by illegal armedactors. CODHES is quick to notethat the provinces in which thisland dispossession occurred coin-cide with the zones of “territorialconsolidation.” These zones alsocoincide with national and inter-national resource-extraction pro-jects, including mining, oil palm

cultivation, and the cultivation ofillicit crops.

The 280,041 people who weredisplaced in 2010 are part thelargest group of internally dis-placed persons in the world, some5,195,620 people who have beenforced off their land in Colombiasince 1985. To put that into per-spective, that number is 11.42 per-cent of the total population ofColombia. These numbers aremuch higher than the official sta-tistics of a government that refus-es to recognize some of the worstmassacres and mass displace-ments that have occurred in thecountry. CODHES notes the partic-ular vulnerability of indigenousand Afro Colombian communi-ties, which have been consistentlyvictimized by armed groups.Alongside the millions of internal-ly displaced people, 389,753Colombians living outside thecountry are considered refugees.In other words, nearly 12 percentof the Colombians living in theexterior were forced to flee theirhome country due to threatsagainst their lives or well-being.

Making matters worse is thefact that paramilitary groups con-tinue to threaten to silence anyonebrave enough to struggle for jus-tice and land restitution. CODHEScalls on the government to protectthose who are fighting for landrights, criticizes the impunityagainst victimizers, and calls onthe government to strengthen therule of law and punish thoseresponsible for the massive dis-placement crisis in Colombia.

Source: Latin America Working Group, LAWG http://www.lawg.org/action-center/lawg-blog/69-general/861-sobering-

facts-colombias-displacement-crisis-in-2010 

Sobering facts:Colombia’s displacement

crisis in 2010

Displaced Awa Indians, Colombia (ACNUR  CODHES)

People kill in the name of religion (ALC)

What is important is the neighbor, not thecreed, says the National Council of

Christian Churches of Brazil (CONIC), onthe occasion of the Day of the FightAgainst Religious Intolerance

Panamanian Catholic Bishops Conferencediscusses issue of mining

Afro-descendants in Brazil ask that the churches include themes of black andindigenous cultures in Sunday Schools

LATINAMERICANECUMENICALNEWS• JANUARY– APRIL2011

Church and Society 7

Porto Alegre, March 31, 2011(ALC)

Religions in Brazil have afundamental role to play

in the recuperation of values thatare essential for society, oneswhich have been lost along thewayside, says Evangelical Churchof Lutheran Confession in BrazilSynod Pastor Altemir Labes, of theNortheast Gaúcho Synod, based inEstância Velha, 43 km from PortoAlegre.

“There can be no Christiancommitment on our part withoutthe determination to fight forpeace, justice and the overcomingof violence,” said Labes in aninterview with Marcelo Schneider,advisor to the World Council ofChurches (WCC).

Peace, recalled Labes, is notjust the absence of war. It includesall areas of human life, such as theovercoming of food shortage andrelations between people. “Thecommitment that we have aschurches, of working for a fair dis-tribution of wealth, is one of thetools that can guarantee adecrease of violence,” he said.

Since 1985, Pastor Labes hasbeen part of the Peace and JusticeService (SERPAJ) and is involvedin processes for the building ofpeace and the affirming of non-

violence in Brazil. The congrega-tion of Estância Velha has adheredto the theme of the EvangelicalChurch of Lutheran Confession inBrazil (IECLB) for 2011: “Peace inGod’s Creation.”

The discussion of the themeled to the practice of the recyclingof garbage, involving 15 commu-nities in that undertaking. Thecollected material is sold to recy-cling plants in the area and thefinancial resources obtained inthis way are used to subsidizesocial projects. “The great contri-bution that the church has tomake is that of awareness raising,prompting discussions on theseissues,” Labes pointed out.

Brasilia, April 11, 2011 (ENS)

Bishop Mauricio Andrade,primate of the EpiscopalAnglican Church of Brazil,and the Rev. Canon KennethKearon, secretary-generalof the Anglican Commu -nion, have expressed theirshock and sadness at thedeath of 12 students andthe wounding of some 12more by a gunmanat a school near Rio de

Janeiro on April 7.

Their statements wereissued in separate releases

April 8 by the AnglicanCommunion News Service.

A 23-year-old former student,armed with two revolvers, openedfire on students at Tasso daSilveira municipal school inRealengo, a neighborhood on theoutskirts of Rio de Janeiro, at thebeginning of the school day onApril 7, according to news

reports. The gunman killed him-self after he was wounded bypolice.

“With great sadness we havebeen witnessing a day of tragedyin a school environment,” wroteAndrade, adding that it was “timefor us to discuss our security sys-tem, especially the security in ourpublic schools.”

“In this tragedy, people closeand people far away are sorry andare united in pain with the parentsof the 12 murdered children,” thebishop wrote. “We too, from theEpiscopal Anglican Church ofBrazil, are sorry and praying toGod that he may comfort thesefamilies, wipe their tears andrenew their hope in the resurrec-tion.”

Kearon, who is visiting Brazil,wrote to Bishop Filadelfo Neto ofthe Rio de Janeiro diocese, “This isa shocking tragedy and myprayers are with the families of theyoung victims and all who areinjured.”

Source: Episcopal News Service, ENShttp://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_127916_ENG_HTM.htm 

April 1, 2011 (ALC)

As one of the results of theIV Forum of Sexual, Familyand Religious Diversity heldin the Diocese of Saltillo thisweek, the community of SanElredo will shortly be ableto have an organization inCoahuila, integrating fami-lies that have daughters orsons with sexual prefer-ences different from thoserecognized by the civil soci-ety of the country.

The association, alreadycreated in other cities ofMexico, seeks to seri-

ously involve the family and theChurch as an institution, in thecommitment to work for theeliminating of this cause of dis-crimination that has frequentlyled even to crime as a conse-quence of that phobia.

This week at the IV Forum ofSexual, Family and ReligiousDiversity held in the Diocese ofSaltillo, a group of conferencesand activities dedicated toinforming and sensitizing the

Mexican society on the issue wereheld. According to its organizer,Noé Leonardo Ruiz, it was thefirst of its kind in the country hav-ing the backing of a diocese, inthis case that of Saltillo, led byBishop Raúl Vera López, and is aspace open to the public in gener-al to break the discriminatorymyths surrounding the Lesbianand Gay, Bisexual andTranssexual community.

Ruiz also explained that theevent also sought to create aware-ness of the promoting of a culture

of acceptance of that community,through the invited guests presentfrom other states like Nuevo León,Durango and Chihuahua.

In addition, he pointed outthat the forum is sustainedthrough its own resources, despitethe lack of institutional and pub-lic agencies support, because ofthe homophobia in an eminentlytraditionalist country, that needsto evolve toward a culture ofequality, justice and respect forthe rights of persons.

Shooting tragedy at Tasso da Silveira municipal school, Realengo, Rio de

Janeiro (ALC)

Bishop Raúl Vera López celebrating mass with the LGBT community, Cohahuila,

Mexico (El Diario de Coahuila)

Pastor Altemir Labes, IECLB

(IECLB)

Parents supporting sexual diversityform association in Coahuila,

Mexico as a result of the IV Forumof Sexual, Family and Religious

Diversity

Churches are to be com-mitted to the overcomingof violence, says Brazilian

Lutheran pastor

Episcopal Anglican Church officials expressshock, sadness after school shooting in Brazil

Buenos Aires, March 24, 2011(ALC)

MEDH invited all who sharethe commitment to the pre-sent and future of theArgentinean people, to com-memorate March 24 in aSpace of Gathering, Memoryand Reaffirmation of themilitancy for Dignity andRights.

The convocation was held inthe historical and symbolic

May Square; with the churches car-rying photographs of those persecut-ed and disappeared in the past andthe present, along with the bannersand flags of the faithcommunities.

The National Day of Memory forTruth and Justice commemoratedthe day in Argentina of remem-brance of the deaths of civilians thatoccurred during the last military dic-tatorship that governed the country,self-proclaimed as being a Process ofNational Reorganization. It is com-memorated annually, on the same

day that - in 1976 - the coup d’etatoverthrowing the constitutional gov-ernment of María Estela Martínez dePerón took place, and which markedthe beginning of the most aberrantmilitary and genocidal dictatorshipin Argentinean history.

MEDH was created in Februaryof 1976, on the eve of the militarydictatorship, and since then is one ofthe organizations for human rightstraditionally recognized inArgentina. Its first liturgy for humanrights was held in the Cathedral ofQuilmes in 1976, and it is the entityof the churches expressly dedicatedto human rights.

The churches that are membersof MEDH are: the ArgentineanEvangelical Methodist Church, theEvangelical Church of Río de laPlata, the Evangelical Church of theDisciples of Christ, the WaldensianEvangelical Church of Río de laPlata, the Association of The Churchof God, the Argentinean ReformedChurch, The United EvangelicalLutheran Church, and the Diocese ofQuilmes, Viedma, Neuquén andPuerto Iguazú of the CatholicChurch.

The Ecumenical Movement forHuman Rights (MEDH) in

Argentina summons the church-es to commemorate the Day of

Memory

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Rio de Janeiro, April 27, 2011(Tierramérica)

On lands settled by smallfarmers as part of theagrarian reform process,

a change of mentality is alreadyunderway towards food productionin harmony with the environment,Stédile told Tierramérica.

For the last three consecutiveyears, Brazil, an agricultural giant,has occupied first place worldwidein the consumption of agriculturalherbicides, fungicides and insecti-cides. It had risen to second placebehind the United States in 2006,but took over the top spot in 2008after a record soybean harvest.

A study by the German marketresearch firm Kleffmann Group,commissioned by the NationalAssociation for Plant Protection,which represents agrochemicalmanufacturers, confirmed thatBrazil is the world’s leading marketfor agrochemicals.

Over seven billion dollars werespent on these products in 2008,while the area of cultivated landdecreased by two percent.

Nevertheless, the amount ofchemical products used per farmerin Brazil is relatively small com-pared to other countries. In 2007,an average of 87.8 dollars perhectare were spent on agrochemi-cals in Brazil, compared to 196.7dollars in France and 851 dollarsin Japan.

The five biggest transnationalsin this sector - BASF, Bayer,Syngenta, DuPont and Monsanto -all have manufacturing plants inBrazil.

This situation has led the MSTto broaden its focus beyond its orig-inal purpose of pushing for theeffective implementation of agrari-an reform. The organization cur-rently represents some 20,000members throughout Brazil, andworks alongside 60,000 rural fam-ilies in pressuring the governmentto distribute idle farmland andimprove the conditions on thoseareas already settled by small fam-ily farmers. Stédile spoke withTierramérica about the move-ment’s current concerns.

TIERRAMÉRICA: It seems theMST is no longer just a protestmovement and has moved on toaddress other areas, like protectingthe environment and opposing theuse of toxic agrochemicals.

JOÃO PEDRO STÉDILE: Wehave learned in the last 10 yearsthat having land and producingfood is not enough. It is importantto produce healthy food. There hasbeen a process of growing aware-ness within the movement itself.

We have begun to work on pro-moting the adoption of agro-eco-logical techniques to produce foodin harmony with the environment.

Agronomists are trained underthe model of the Green Revolutionand the intensive use of poisons.We have had to start from zero andwork in cooperation with universi-ties to create agronomy coursesthat adopt an agro-ecologicalapproach.

Over the last few years therehas been growing alarm aroundthe world regarding the effects oftoxic agrochemicals, and this waswhen Brazil became the countrythat uses the most agricultural poi-sons. Aside from the global alert,the National Cancer Instituteannounced that there are morethan 40,000 new cases of stomachcancer every year, and in half ofthose cases it is fatal. The cause iscontaminated food.

TIERRAMÉRICA: Are the ruralworkers’ settlements establishedthrough agrarian reform a meansto reduce the use of agrochemicals?

JPS: There may be small farm-ers in some regions of the countrywho still use these chemicals.However, the number of farmers inagrarian reform settlements usingpoisons would be insignificant.

It is entirely possible to main-tain the same output of food pro-duced for consumption in Brazilwithout using a single kilogram ofpoison.

There is enough scientificknowledge to stop using these poi-sons, and there is plenty of landand labor to grow food in Brazil.This is one of the great contradic-tions of agribusiness. It is preciselyon these large landholdings that ithas been impossible to producecrops without poisons, becausethey have replaced human laborwith machines, while family farmsand agrarian reform settlementsenjoy this advantage.

TIERRAMÉRICA: Can agrari-an reform settlements and smallfarmers help counteract the newrise in food prices?

JPS: Yes, because prices haverisen in the supermarkets due tothe monopoly held by companiesthat control the world agriculturalmarket.

In Brazil, our agricultural pro-duction increases every year, andyet prices continue to rise.According to free-market logic,when production rises, prices fall.But this is not happening, becausethe oligopolies that control theworld market manipulate prices,and the Brazilian economy is heldhostage by them.

Small farmers who producefood for the local market are ableto escape this control.

TIERRAMÉRICA: The MSThas been accused by some of beingco-opted by the government of LuizInácio Lula da Silva (2003-2011),and criticized by others for beingoverly combative and violent. Whatis the MST’s profile today?

JPS: It is a dynamic socialmovement and within it there aremany contradictions and problemsregarding the ways in which it actsin each state of the country.

Everyone in society sees theMST through their own lens. Weare engaged in an ongoing strug-gle, and a lot depends on each par-ticular state in Brazil. We organizemarches, and occupations of largelandholdings and public buildings,but in different states one aspect issometimes emphasized more thananother.

We have never lost control dur-ing any of our occupations, noteven when we occupied theNational Institute for Colonizationand Agrarian Reform (INCRA) orthe headquarters of the BrazilianDevelopment Bank (BNDES).

Today the MST needs to offeranswers and organize the popula-tion around other problems, andthat is why we are now involved inagro-ecology and education.

Source: Tierraméricahttp://www.tierramerica.info/nota.php?lang=eng&idnews=3662 

By José EloseguiMontevideo, February 21,

2011 (Latinamerican Press)

The diplomatic disputebetween Uruguay and itsneighbor Argentina over alarge paper pulping plantalong the shared bordernot only did not derail thebusiness, but Uruguay istaking steps to expand thecontroversial celluloseindustry, a move that couldput in jeopardy one of thecountry´s main resources:land.

On January 18, Montes delPlata de Uruguay, a con-

sortium of forestry companiesArauco of Chile and the Swedish-Finnish Stora Enso, signed aUS$1.9 billion — the largest sin-gle private investment inUruguay´s history — contract tobuild a pulping complex inConchillas in the southeasternColonia department.

The project, which includes apulping mill and a port for cellu-lose exports, would produce 1.3million metric tons a year from itsestimated start date in 2013.

According to the consortium,the complex´s construction willcreate an estimated 3,200 jobs. Butonce in operation, the companysays it will provide direct employ-ment to only 500 people.

Past conflict:Uruguay´s cellulose industry

was thrust into the internationalspotlight when its other plant thatstraddles the Uruguay-Argentinaborder began to operate in late2007. The plant, owned by Finnishcompany UPM-Kymmene, whichpurchased it from anotherFinland-based company, Botnia,in 2009, sits on the Uruguay Riverin the town of Fray Bentos. An out-cry from environmentalists andthe government of Argentinasparked a diplomatic disputebetween both countries and mas-sive protests over the pollution theplant poised to cause.

The Argentine governmentlodged a case against its neighborin the International Court ofJustice, which gave Uruguay a

moral conviction for not respect-ing the treaty on the river the twocountries share, but did not orderthe plant to close.

The $1 billion-plant in FrayBentos was also touted by the gov-ernment as a job creator, but itcurrently employs just severalhundred people. The Rio Negrodepartment has one of the highestunemployment rates in the coun-try.

Monoculture:Uruguay has around a million

hectares of eucalyptus and pineforests, most of it destined for thecellulose industry and largely inthe hands of multinational com-panies. The Montes del Plata con-sortium is the single-largest ownerof the land with almost 240,000hectares, and UPM-Kymmeneholds around 225,000 hectares. UScompany Weyerhaeuser ownsmore than 140,000 hectares.

Most of Uruguay´s farmland isdedicated to transgenic soy culti-vation. The industry, mainly con-trolled by large Argentine farmingcompanies, takes up around 1 mil-lion hectares, meaning that theforestry and soy industries togetherhold one-eighth of Uruguay´sarable land.

These industries are exhaust-ing key water sources for manyrural communities, and leading tosoil degradation, displacement ofsmall-scale farmers, the loss offood sovereignty and safety and theloss of control of land to foreigncompanies.

Critics raise their voices:Some criticism of this system

has emerged from the governmentitself. President José Mujica hasexpressed his worry for theincreased concentration ofUruguayan lands in foreignhands. He has called on lawmak-ers from the ruling Broad Frontparty to evaluate possible alterna-tives. Lawmakers from his partyconcurred, and following theMontes del Plata announcement,said this type of industry is notideal.

Sen. Eduardo Lorier, of theCommunist Party, one of themember parties of the Broad Front,was quoted in a Jan. 20 article in

Brazil does not need poisons tomaintain food production: LandlessWorkers Movement in Brazil leader

João Pedro Stédile

MST flag present from the north to the

south of Brazil (ALC) 

UPM (formerly Botnia) pulping plant on the Río Uruguay (Uruguay al Día) 

Controversial pulpingindustry expands in

Uruguay

Continue on page 9

Brazil could give up its dubious rank as the world’s num-ber one consumer of agrochemicals without decreasingthe amount of food it produces for its own people,according to João Pedro Stédile, leader of the LandlessWorkers Movement (MST).

LATINAMERICANECUMENICALNEWS• JANUARY– APRIL2011

latin america and Environment 9

April 20, 2011 (EcumenicalWater Network)

In many countries, rural com-munities, in particular

indigenous peoples, rural womenand peasant communities, arestruggling to protect the integrity ofCreation and their rights to water,land and territory. In Guatemala,the Lutheran church (ILUGUA)accompanies communities who aretrying to safeguard the forests, water,and biodiversity of the LasGranadillas Mountain which arethreatened by excessive logging car-ried out by big landholders.

As they challenge the interests ofpowerful landowners, those defend-ing the environment and the rightsof the communities in LasGranadillas have been harassed,threatened, and branded as crimi-nals.

Biblical reflection: Wedecide to do your will 

José Pilar Álvarez from theLutheran Church of Guatemalawrites about the role of faith forcommunities who defend the landand water they depend on.

“7Then I said, ‘Here I am;in the scroll of the book it is writtenof me.

8I delight to do your will, O myGod; your law is within my heart.’

9I have told the glad news ofdeliverance in the great congrega-tion; see, I have not restrained mylips, as you know, O Lord.

10I have not hidden your savinghelp within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulnessand your salvation;I have not concealed your steadfastlove and your faithfulnessfrom the great congregation.

11Do not, O Lord, withholdyour mercy from me;let your steadfast love and yourfaithfulness keep me safe for ever.”Psalm 40,7-11, NRSV

Introduction Psalm 40 has a concentric struc-

ture that can be represented in thefollowing way:

A:vv.1-3B: vv.4-6

C: vv.7-11 B’: vv.12-15

A’: vv.16-17

Although I do not claim in thismeditation to give an in-depthexamination of the psalm, the abovestructure will help us to have a clear-

er understanding of the message ofthe text for us today in the defense ofLas Granadillas mountain that weare daily engaged in.

When our situation pre-sents us with unexpecteddangers (vv. 1-3 and 16-17)   

In these verses the psalmistdescribes a situation of danger thatleads him to cry out to God for God’sprotection and salvation.

What is being described is not apassing situation. It has been hap-pening for some time, and thus thecry to God as well. Hence God’sactions have resulted in joy, thanks-giving and praise.

The Guatemalan LutheranChurch (ILUGUA) has committeditself to protect nature and in partic-ular the Las Granadillas mountain,initially because it contains thesources of the water supply for wherewe are living, and more recentlybecause we have come to know andappreciate the biodiversity to befound on the mountain.

In the course of the years, we inthe ILUGUA have seen how this com-mitment has exposed many of ourchurch members to serious dangersas they have challenged the interestsof powerful individuals. We havebeen threatened, insulted, abusedand branded as criminals, and overmany years we have been subjectedto harassment by those who wish todestroy the forests and the watersources.

In this situation, we have criedout to God and we have seen howGod has protected us, how God hasenabled us to meet people who help,encourage and strengthen us. Thathas led us to give thanks daily, torecognize God’s greatness and power,but, above all, to continue to cry outto God in face of the actions of thosewho oppose the protection ofnature.

When dangers strengthenus (vv. 4-6 and 12-15)  

In the course of all these years ofour struggle to defend the LasGranadillas mountain, we havebeen subjected to many, many lieson the part of those who are attempt-ing to destroy the forests and thewater sources. However, those of uswho are part of the GuatemalanLutheran Church can say with thepsalmist, ‘we do not look to thosewho turn aside to falsehood’ (v.4b).

On the contrary, on that moun-tain we have witnessed the creative

hand of God, whose greatness is tobe seen in the trees, the animals andthe water sources.

Moreover, in our daily strugglewe have discovered how God hasbrought us to get to know oneanother better, and give greater sup-port to one another. We have learnedto protect one another, to appreciateone another and above all to realizemore and more that we are brothersand sisters. Those are some of thewonders and purposes of God.

However, it is also certainly thecase that we continue to need divinehelp and protection. When ouropponents see how God is active inour church and in the individualswho are defending God’s creation,they do not give up, but find differentways of harming us. So we continueto cry out to God, acknowledging inadvance that our crying out to God isalso a declaration of our confidencethat God’s promises will be fulfilled.

Those whose aim it is to destroythe created world have attemptedover many years to put us to shameand to humiliate us. They have triedvarious ways, in the words of thepsalmist ‘to seek to take our life’(v.14). However, God has provedfaithful, and we have never been putto shame, humiliated or captured.On the contrary, we have come out ofeach encounter strengthened to con-tinue the fight, in the knowledgethat the Las Granadillas mountain isa gift from God that we have to pro-tect because in many respects oursurvival depends on it.

When our faith encouragesus (vv. 7-11)  

In the course of this long jour-ney we have discovered that we shallonly be able to continue our struggleto protect creation if we strengthenour faith. Day by day we find in theBible words that encourage,strengthen and guide us, and thuswe can say with the psalmist, ‘Wedesire to do your will, O my God;your law is within our heart’ (v.8).

The struggle in which we areengaged and the choice that we havemade are acknowledged day by dayboth by our supporters and by ouropponents. However, in doing this wehave total confidence that God’smercy and love will always be withus, until all will come to the truth, or(what is the same) until the LasGranadillas mountain becomes pro-tected and is finally designated as awater protection area.

The Rev. José Pilar Álvarez Cabrera is a pastor of the Guatemalan LutheranChurch (ILUGUA), and collaborator in the Association for the Defence and

Protection of Las Granadillas Mountain. 

What did you think whenyou heard about the coup inHonduras?

That the domination mecha-nism continues and that this newblow to democracy affects theentire Latin American conti-nent. Changes in our countriesshould be chosen by the people,not by force with the support of theUnited States.

What is your opinionregarding the participation ofthe United States in the coup inHonduras?

History demonstrates that theUnited States has always backedcoup d’états to control countriesand to defend its interests. In LatinAmerica, a coup d’état is not pos-sible without the backing of theUnited States government.

Look at what happened withthe coup attempts in Venezuela,Bolivia and Ecuador. We ask our-selves, why is the United Statesinstalling military bases through-out Latin America? Why does itcontinue to impose dictatorshipswhen what we need are resourcesfor development for people - notfor projects of death and subjuga-tion.

What is the perception ofHonduras in the rest of the con-tinent?

I have worked throughoutLatin America for over 40 yearsand what is happening today inHonduras, affects all of us; desta-bilizing our lives and the rights ofpeople. This is nothing new. Wehave seen it throughout the conti-nent and the result is alwaysrepression, pain, lack of freedoms,death and the subjugation of theresources of the people to powerelites. We cannot permit it.

What mechanisms shouldwe adopt so that history doesnot repeat itself?

The unity of the nations andthe people is the true solution. Wehave the recent example ofEcuador. The unity of UNASURand the reaction of the peoplecontributed to making sure thatthe coup did not take place.

We do not want more govern-ments that are imposed on us. Wewant to elect. This is why we arehere, accompanying theCommission of Truth; seeing howthe issue of Honduras is beingaddressed at the internationallevel and demanding that theUnited States respect the right ofthe people to self determination.

What is your opinion on theNobel Peace Prize to Obama?

I wrote a letter to Obama andI told him I was surprised by thisaward, but now he should becoherent and work forpeace. Definitively, he has notdone it.

Your country, Argentina,suffered a brutal dictatorshipand your people waited almost30 years to see the perpetratorsin prison. What advice wouldyou give to the people ofHonduras who demand justice?

You must not permit judicialimpunity because a democracycannot be built on top of impuni-ty. You must continue to work andinsist that those who committedcrimes are tried. This is a right ofthe people.

The Honduan regime haspromoted a Commission ofTruth and Reconciliation. Howcredible is this for you?

Reconciliation is not some-thing that is empty. There can beno reconciliation if it is not basedon truth, justice, reparation forthe victims and if there is notrepentance on the part of thosewho committed the crimes. Forthe governments’ Commission,this is not the case.

Porfirio Lobo and BarackObama coincide in saying thatwe should not look to the past,but to the future in order tomove forward.

That is immoral because itjustifies the crimes committed.What happens to the victims, tothe families? Are we supposed tojust forget them, bury them?Memory is important. Not toremain in the past, but to illu-mine our present, to generate andcreate life. Societies that say thatwe should not look to the pastrepeat the same barbarities, thesame situation of injustice.

Why is a Commission ofTruth that wants to investigatethe structural causes of thecoup and identify those respon-sible important for Honduras?

You cannot hide the truth norwhitewash the image of the gov-ernment. The Commission ofTruth wants to reach this truth,identifying those who are respon-sible in order to bring them to jus-tice at the national and interna-tional levels. This is the only wayto make sure that it never happensagain.

Source: Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular, FNRPhttp://www.resistenciahonduras.net/index.php?option=com_content&

view=article&id=2594:honduras-democracy-cannot-be-built-on-top-of-impunity&catid=98:opinions&Itemid=347.

Ecumenical Water Network: Water for Guatemala’s landless

La Diaria as saying that the two cel-lulose plants “create very fewresources for the country” becausethey operate — or will operate in thecase of Montes del Plata — in duty-free zones.

Lorier added that the forestryand soy industries are a step back-ward for Uruguay, since it means itsimply exports more raw materials,and more of its land is concentratedin the hands of a few, foreign com-

panies.For its part, Grupo Guayubira de

Uruguay, an umbrella group of envi-ronmental organizations, hasharshly criticized the Montes delPlata project. The group has longwarned against the social, culturaland political implications of mono-culture.

One of the group´s members,activist Elizabeth Díaz, toldLatinamerica Press that the entire“global model” should be reconsid-ered.

“We´re talking about a factoryand a number of hectares destinedfor plantations, instead of talkingabout using them for food produc-tion or other types of traditionalproducts,” she said. “Montes delPlata holds some 250,000 hectares ofland, five times the area of theMontevideo department. That´sridiculous for Uruguay and I thinkany other country on Earth.”

Source: Latinamerican Presshttp://www.lapress.org/articles.asp?art=6305

Controversial pulping industry…From page 8

Democracy cannot be builton top of impunity…

From page 1

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10 latin america News

By Susan AbadMarch 23, 2011 (Latinamerica

Press)

Colombia holds LatinAmerica´s largest coalreserves and has signifi-

cant amounts of gold, silver, plat-inum, nickel, copper, iron, magne-sium, lead, zinc and titanium, aswell as deposits of emeralds.

Forty-percent of the country iscurrently concessioned off for min-ing projects because of lax laws,according to Mario Valencia of thenon governmental ColombianNetwork Against Large ScaleTransnational Mining, an umbrellagroup of 50 rights and environmen-tal organizations in the country.Government figures show that themining and hydrocarbon industriescomprise 85 percent of Colombia´sforeign investment. From 2002 to2009, investment from these indus-tries has increased from US$466 mil-lion to $3 billion, and exports from$2.8 billion to $8.1 billion.

“The law prioritizes only theeconomic aspects,” says Juana Díaz,a spokeswoman for the NationalIndigenous Organization ofColombia´s Territory andBiodiversity arm.

Díaz pointed to a 2001 reform tothe Mining Code that loosened envi-ronmental regulations by scrappingapproval for exploration, andchanged land ownership require-ments, in favor of large companies,with requirements such as large-scale infrastructure and heavymachinery “that only multinationalcompanies could fulfill,” cutting outmany small-scale miners.

Heavy metals, heavy impactMining may generate billions in

profits, but that “does not make upfor the environmental and socialand many other costs that are diffi-cult to calculate,” said Juan Mayr,Colombia´s former environmentminister and a current advisor forthe United Nations DevelopmentProgram. “They are extracting nonrenewable natural resources, caus-ing a great impact on Colombians´collective patrimony. They grantmining titles without any kind ofoversight, any kind of qualification.It´s a system plagued with a lack ofvision and [with] irregularities.”

Transnational mining compa-nies have 43,000 square kilometersof concessions.

South African miner Anglo GoldAshanti has a concession of 6,900square kilometers in its gold projectsGramalote in Antioquia and LaColosa in Tolima with important

political and economic impact thatexplains the numerous social con-flicts, says Sen. Jorge Robledo, of theopposition Alternative DemocraticPole.

“The population is paying andwill continue to pay a high price,”said indigenous Sen. Marco Avirama.“In the process of mining explo-ration and exploitation, because ofthe machinery, vehicles and technol-ogy used, the soil stability and thefauna, flora and water is stronglyaffected, wiping out the local ecosys-tem with no possibility of its recov-ery.”

Avirama pointed to the largeamounts of water needed to extractgold and the use of cyanide and mer-cury that eventually contaminateslocal rivers.

According to the United NationsIndustrial DevelopmentOrganization, Colombia´s gold min-ing industry has made the countryhome to the largest mercury conta-mination on Earth. Measurementstaken by the agency last year inSegovia, in the northwesternAntioquia department, a mineralrich zone, found 10 to 20 timesgreater the 10,000 nanograms percubic meter considered safe by theWorld Health Organization.

Opponents to the industrynote its cultural impact

Campesinos, indigenous andAfro-Colombians are already beingdeprived of water and land by thosewho are working in informal miningor those who have “sold out” to thebig companies,” said Avirama. “Also,the investment that companies bringin and the investment that they gen-erate are accompanied by practicesthat are not in accordance with theancestral forms of life of the popula-tion.”

Eviction and displacementThis influx of wealth attracts

illegal armed groups, which positionthemselves near the projects to extortor sometimes to place themselves atthe service of the transnational com-panies.

“A dispossession of land is beingconsolidated, as well as foreigninvestment, especially in miningand palm oil, which is tied to forceddisplacement,” said Jorge Rojas,director of the non governmentalHuman Rights and DisplacementConsultancy.

He said that nearly one-third of

the 280,000 people displaced inColombia in 2010 came from areaswhere these two industries were pre-sent.

The government has started tocrack down on informal mining bymaking surprise visits to the mines,cancelling permits for a lack of secu-rity and instating higher fines forviolations. Santos´ government alsosaid it would create the NationalMinerals Agency to regulate small-scale mining, which it says is highlycontaminating and has become asource of financing for the armedgroups.

But Valencia says that that it isreally a way to favor large-scale min-ing companies.

“There are more than 2 millionartisanal miners in Colombia thathave long lived off of this activity,”he said. “The government is trying totake this way of life away from themand give it to the large mining com-panies. It has been grouping arti-sanal mining with illegal mining, sonow it has the authorization to per-secute both of them … and clear theway for the transnationals.”

Source: Latinamerica Presshttp://www.lapress.org/articles.asp?art=6332

Local residents protest influx of mining projects in Colombia (Susan Abad

Latinamerica Press) 

Deepening dependency on mining in ColombiaIn his inaugural speech last August, President JuanManuel Santos said mining would be one of the fivemotors for Colombia´s progress. But critics complain thatpromoting this industry would endanger the country´schance at environmental and cultural sustainability.

Some local residents in thenortheastern Santander depart-ment have urged the governmentto deny an environmental permitfor Canadian mining companyGrey Star that plans to extract morethan 500,000 ounces of gold peryear from deposits in theSanturbán high-altitude wetland, avaluable ecosystem that is protectedunder the constitution. The area ishome to more than 40 lagoons,hundreds of streams and abundantvegetation that regulates the watercycle.

Drilling here would put thewater supplies for 1.6 million peo-ple in the cities of Cucuta andBucaramanga in jeopardy, Robledosaid.

“They are going to use 40 met-ric tons of cyanide and 230 metrictons of ammonium nitrate-fuel aday,” he added. They are going todynamite 1,075 million metric tonsof soil in the first phase [of the pro-ject] and … do so in an area ofhigh-altitude wetlands and naturalreserve, which is prohibited.”

Water resources are also at severe risk

By Daniela PastranaMexico City, February 9, 2011

(IPS)

The town of Temacapulín,which lies in the middle offour hills, is putting up thefiercest fight. The federalgovernment’s aqueduct pro-ject would involve not onlymoving them to new homes,

but relocating their ceme-tery and their church, whichin 2009 turned 250 yearsold, and which forms part ofthe rich cultural and histor-ical heritage that is to disap-pear under the waters.

The people of three towns thatwould be flooded by the El

Zapotillo dam to be built in the

western Mexican state of Jaliscohave refused to be relocated and arefighting to save their homes.

“We have shown them, with thesupport of academics and scientistsfrom the University of Guadalajara,that it is feasible to build the damelsewhere, where it would not affectthe town, but they don’t want to dothat,” said Emma Juárez with the“Save Temacapulín, Acasico andPalmarejo” movement, which helda non-binding community vote onJan. 7-8 in Temacapulín, a town of500 people.

The vote, in which people fromthe town who are living in theUnited States and the city ofGuadalajara also participated, wasbacked by Patricia Vergara, an offi-cial at the Citizen Participation andElectoral Institute of Jalisco, andwas observed by three local lawmak-

“They Don’t Want Their Town to Vanish” –Underwater, flooded by the El Zapotillo dam

in Mexico

El Zapotillo Dam will flood Temacapulín (adaptingtoscarcity) Continue on page 12

In order to increase the supportto ecumenical peace-building initia-tives already taking place in thatcountry, the Central Committeeencouraged the organization of anInternational Consultation onColombia together with the LatinAmerican Council of Churches(CLAI) “in order to explore the pos-sibility for an accompaniment pro-gram and/or an Ecumenical Forumto support the churches and peoplein Colombia in their peace work”.

When outlining the issue forCentral Committee members, refer-ence was made to the 2010 report ofthe United Nations’ HighCommissioner for Human Rights(UNHCHR) in which defenders ofhuman rights in Colombia expresseddeep concern over “the increasedthreats and stigmatization of severalcategories of human rights defend-ers”.

The UNHCHR report presentscases of killings, threats, arbitrary

arrests and detentions, sexualoffences, break-ins into homes andoffices, illegal surveillance by stateintelligence services and informa-tion theft attributed to “members ofillegal armed groups that emergedfrom the paramilitary demobiliza-tion and guerrilla groups, in partic-ular the Revolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) as well as, in some cases, mem-bers of security forces”.

Addressing the internationalcommunity, the statement appeals togovernments “to assess the impact oftrade provisions on human rightsbefore they enter into a free tradeagreement (FTA) with Colombia andto adopt sustainable policies thatgive particular attention to the pro-tection of farmers, indigenous peo-ple, Afro-Colombians and trade-unionists, as their rights are beinghighly impacted by the presence oftransnational corporations in thecountry”.

Source: World Council of Churches

Bolstering ecumenical…From page 1

LATINAMERICANECUMENICALNEWS• JANUARY– APRIL2011

Honduras and Human Rights 11

By Alejandro F. Ludeña Tegucigalpa, April 15, 2011

(Latinamerica Press)

Marta Moncada´s husbandkilled her in a hotel andchopped up her body in

2003. While her tragic end is notuncommon in Honduras, it sparkedan outcry among the country´swomen who started to speak outagainst gender-motivated crime.

That same year, the Women forLife Forum was founded, a group of11 grassroots organizations alongthe northern Honduran coast, theregion with the country´s highestrate of femicide. They aim to helpbring about profound change in thecountry´s patriarchal society to com-bat violence, especially againstwomen.

According to Carolina Sierra, thegroup´s executive coordinator, themembers´ most notable achievementwas to put this issue on the radar ofthe media and on the agenda ofnongovernmental organizations.

Also helping to give this epidem-ic of violence more visibility was theObservatory on Violence, a projectstarted in 2005 and backed by theUnited Nations DevelopmentProgram and the AutonomousUniversity of Honduras.

“The Observatory allows us toconduct a better analysis aboutwomen killings, to have access toinformation that NGOs don´t have,”said its executive director, ReinaRivera. “This way, we can give thisproblem more visibility, differentiat-ing between those deaths caused byfemicide from those that don´t havea tie to gender inequality.”

Cases on the riseAccording to figures of the

Women for Life Forum, more than

2,000 women have been killed in thecountry since Marta Moncada´smurder in 2003, making Hondurasthe second-most violent countryagainst women in Central Americaafter Guatemala.

But these figures clearly shot upin the year following Honduras´ June2009 coup that ousted then-President Manuel Zelaya, who hadgoverned since 2006. 337 womenhave been killed. Killings reportedlyoccurred against many women fortheir political beliefs, including

opposing the coup that was carriedout by the military.

But in 2010, the first year thatthe Observatory made a completecount, there were 438 women killedin the country that could be consid-ered femicides, or those murders thatoccurred because of inequality inpower between men and women.

While human rights organiza-tions accuse current PresidentPorfirio Lobo of siding with theaggressors, authorities have admit-ted that women are especially vul-nerable to these crimes.

Human Rights Minister AnaPineda said during the UnitedNation´s Universal Periodic Reviewon Human Rights that weakness instate institutions is hindering inves-tigations of human rights violations.

Three months later, a specialpolice unit was created to investigatethese crimes, with an aim to “protectthe vulnerable groups of Honduras,including women, young people,members of the gay and lesbiancommunities and journalists,” saidSecurity Minister Oscar Álvarez.

No political willNelly del Cid of feminist organi-

zation Tejedoras de Sueños, orDreamweavers, says there is no polit-ical will to address the issues at the

root of femicide.“The political will is measured

in terms of budget, and this is worth-less,” del Cid told LatinamericaPress.

Even though some womenbelieve Lobo´s government has donenext to nothing to combat this prob-lem, some say some dialogue withthe current administration is neces-sary.

Sierra says she´s worried the sit-uation will only get worse becauseactivists have lost arenas to discussthe issue.

Maritza Paredes, a longtimehuman rights lawyer, said “femicidelimits development, democracy andpeace. This is not an issue just aboutfamilies or women. It´s the country´sissue; the state must act on this.”

Meanwhile, hope lies withwomen´s organization and resis-tance to the trend, which have beenstrengthening in recent years.

Slowly, people are speaking outmore and more against violence.

“Leave the individual problemsby the wayside and advance in thesearch for justice” is the goal, Sierrasaid.

Source: Latinamerica Presshttp://www.lapress.org/articles.asp?art=6357

By Sergio FerrariApril 2, 2011 (Latin America in

Movement)

In spite of the fact that theHonduran governmentclaims to have brought insensible improvements,“human rights continue tobe violated systematically”in Honduras. An accusationpresented in the third weekof March in Geneva byeleven representatives ofHonduran civil society, andresumed by Carolina Sierra,of the Foro de las Mujerespor la Vida (Forum ofWomen for Life), a networkthat works mainly in thenorth of her country.

Sierra came to Geneva toobserve the Periodic

Universal Examination (PUE) onHonduras in the Council for HumanRights of the United Nations.

At that time she presented a longlist of recommendations to correctviolations of fundamental humanrights.

On March 17 she evaluated thepresent situation. Her report was pre-sented by three official reporters des-ignated by the Council, representa-tives of Thailand, the UnitedKingdom, and the RussianFederation.

There will be another voluntaryappearance of Honduras before theCouncil in two years.

Ana Piñeda, Minister of Justiceand Human Rights in Honduras,was the official voice of herGovernment. She insisted that effec-

tive improvements were made on the129 recommendations formulated inthe Council for Honduras, notingthat “a certain number of measuresare under application.”

Each representative ofHonduran civil society present inGeneva was able to present his/hercritical view, in reports of two min-utes each.

Three official representativesand speakers from internationalorganizations spoke during the sub-sequent debates. Some of them rec-ognized partial formal improve-ments. The majority repeated sub-stantial criticisms.

The most critical presentationscame from the World Organizationagainst Torture, pointing out thatthe perpetrators of 92% of violationsremained unpunished; theInternational Federation of Leaguesof the Rights of Man reported 200

homicides in 2010 with completeimpunity; the Center for Justice andInternational Law affirmed thatHonduras “had not respected a sin-gle recommendation to improve theinstitutional and judicial system.”

The “Lobo” (Wolf) continuesto kill

The latest case that severelymoved Honduran public opinionwas the murder, during demonstra-tions of the third week of March, ofprofessor Ilse Velásquez.

The Committee of Families of theImprisoned and Disappeared(COFADEH) lamented the death ofthis social militant and defender ofhuman rights. The sister ofManfredo Velásquez, disappeared inthe 1980s and the first case of thiskind in this country recognized bythe Corte Interamericana de

Derechos Humanos (InteramericanCourt of Human Rights), a case forwhich Honduras was condemned atthe time.

These dramatic examples “donot allow us to forget other funda-mental incidents that have alreadybecome dramas, as in the murder ofwomen. We registered 64 cases in thefirst two months of 2011, an averageof one murder every day.

To make matters worse, Sierrainsists, “for these crimes as for viola-tions of every kind of human rights,there is no juridical action, every-thing falls into the most completeimpunity. Only 13% of the murdersof women result in investigations orjuridical processes”, said Sierra.

“The organizations of civil soci-ety should take advantage of theperiodic examination done by theCouncil on Human Rights. This is anew mechanism that could allow us

to contest the official claims of sub-stantial majorities that in fact do notexist”, noted Sierra.

We are aware that fromHonduras itself “we must maintainin our collective imagination all thecompatriots of the world, and ofinternational civil society, an appealthat will not be forgotten.”

Even though, in such a complexsituation, “Honduras is not high onthe international agenda...it is fun-damental that Governments, NGOsand human rights movements con-tinue to exert pressure so that peoplecan see what is happening to us inHonduras”, Sierra insists.

We remember that after theCoup d’etat of June 2009, there wererigged elections that made possiblethe formation of a government inJanuary 2010 under the present pres-ident Porfirio Lobo Sosa.

“He represents the continuity ofthis democratic breakdown, andbecause of this he is not recognizedby an important part of the interna-tional community, particularly LatinAmerican countries”, she concludes.

Source: Latin America in Movementhttp://alainet.org/active/45493 

Women organize to fight femicide in Honduras

Women blame government for scant investigation of femicides in Honduras

(Yadira Rodríguez  Latinamerica Press)

Carolina Sierra (La Tribuna,

Honduras)  

Honduras: A so called democracy with much of a dictatorship

“The government of PorfirioLobo has implemented an intensecampaign to convince the interna-tional community, outlining a mes-sage of respect for human rights”,explained Carolina Sierra, a youngjournalist and social communica-tor.

Nevertheless, “those of us whosuffer violations and repression, weknow perfectly well what is true”,she insisted. “It is paradoxical, forexample, that on the same 17th ofMarch that Honduras passed itsexamination in the Council inGeneva, a severe repression tookplace against a strike convoked bythe Frente Nacional de ResistenciaPopular (National Front forPopular Resistance), FNRP.

Because of this theInternational Organization ofHuman Rights for the Right to Eat(FIAN) published a communica-tion in Tegucigalpa denouncing“beastly [actions] against demon-strators”, and asking the interna-tional community to continue to“pressure to end repression. . . thatis suffered by large social sectors ofthe Honduran population.”

In parallel, the AsociaciónMundial de Radios Comunitarias(AMRC: World Community RadioAssociation) released a critical doc-ument alleging that “freedom ofexpression continues to get worse inspite of engagements assumed bythe Government (of Porfirio Lobos)before the United Nations.”

This organization noted tencases of violent deaths of journalistsin 2010, one of the highest numbersin the Latin American continent.

“In addition to the aforesaidmurders one has to note the perse-cution against community radiostations and alternative media”,Carolina Sierra said. Sierra present-ed a list of examples: “almost everyday social leaders of the Resistenceare threatened; all demonstrationsagainst the regime are suppressed;it is a question of a policy of perma-nent exclusion, through violence,of the administration of naturalstrategic resources, against the willof local communities.”

“Permanent violations”

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11

ers, a city councillor, and a repre-sentative of the community’s elders.

The result was overwhelming:643 of the 648 people who voted said“no” to the dam and to the reloca-tion of the town 500 metres away, asrequired by the aqueduct project,which is to divert the course of theVerde river and carry water to thecities of León, in the neighboringstate of Guanajuato, andGuadalajara.

“They don’t want their town tovanish, it’s that simple,” saidGuadalupe Espinoza, a lawyer whohas filed a number of injunctionsknown as “amparo” — an actionfor the protection of constitutionalrights or guarantees in the face ofarbitrary action by the authorities— to block the project.

“We have brought 14 lawsuits,which are ongoing,” he said. “Anddespite that, 15 houses have beenbuilt (in the relocation zone),which is illegal because there is acourt order for the temporary sus-pension of the work.”

In a telephone interview withIPS, Raúl Antonio Iglesias, regionaldirector of the national waterauthority (CONAGUA) in theCuenca Lerma Santiago PacíficoBasin, said those opposed to the pro-ject are a very small group.

“It’s a tiny group of people, sixto eight at the most,” he saidemphatically. “The results of thevote were because they brought inpeople who don’t live there.”

The El Zapotillo dam is part of amega-project to supply drinkingwater to the people in the Los Altosregion in Jalisco. The authorities saythe project will benefit 2.5 millionpeople in 14 towns in Los Altos andin the cities of Guadalajara andLeón.

According to Iglesias, the over-all project will cost 835 million dol-lars, 208 million of which are forthe dam itself and reparations tolocal residents. However, no concreteoffer of indemnification has beenmade, merely a plan to relocate thetowns.

The project, to be completed bylate 2012, also involves the con-struction of a 140-km aqueductfrom the dam, pumping plants, adisinfection plant, a storage tankand a macro-circuit for drinkingwater distribution.

“But there will also be indirectbenefits, because the project willgenerate 12,000 jobs operating theentire system,” he said.

In response to Iglesias’ claims,Juárez said “neither the state northe federal authorities have evershown up in Temacapulín. And theclaim about work is false.

“The people working in con-struction are earning 80 pesos(seven dollars) for 12-hour work-days, and they’re not even from thisregion: what kind of benefit is that?”the activist added.

The central problem is that theoriginal project was illegally modi-fied, according to opponents.

In 2006, the Secretariat (min-istry) of the Environment andNatural Resources, in charge of the

environmental impact report,approved a plan that involved an80-meter high dam, with a reservoirthat would hold 411 million cubicmeters of water.

But the call for bids issued in2007 involved a 105-meter highwall, which would imply the flood-ing of Temacapulín, Acasico andPalmarejo, including buildings des-ignated as cultural heritage sitesand the surrounding farmland, andthe forced displacement of the localpopulation.

In September 2009, after a pub-lic tender process challenged bycompanies that were disqualified,the federal government decided infavor of the Peninsular CompañíaConstructora firm in associationwith another Mexican company,Grupo Hermes, and FFCConstrucción, a Spanish firm, andthe state government launched acampaign to buy the homes of thelocal residents.

The city council of Cañadas deObregón, the district where two ofthe three towns are located, rejectedthe change in land use implied bythe 105-meter high dam. And thetowns launched a legal and politicalbattle to block the project, whichover the last two years has gainedthe support of national and interna-tional non-governmental organiza-tions.

In November 2009, Catholicpriest Gabriel Espinoza brought thecase before the Washington-basedInter-American Commission onHuman Rights (IACHR). In January2010, representatives of the Office ofthe United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rightsvisited Temacapulín, the epicenterof the resistance movement.

And in the first week of October2010, the Third InternationalMeeting of Dam-Affected People andTheir Allies met in Temacapulín,bringing together 330 activists from60 different countries.

The governor of Jalisco, EmilioGonzález of the conservativeNational Action Party (PAN) — towhich Mexican President FelipeCalderón also belongs — rejected arecommendation against the pro-ject by the state Human RightsCommission, which argued thatconstruction of the dam is theresponsibility of the federal govern-ment.

Local residents say the dam vio-lates their right to property, legalsecurity, housing, food, develop-ment, information, consultationprior to projects that affect them,and a clean environment.

In the January 7-8 vote, 90 per-cent of the people of Temacapulínsaid they planned to continue thebattle.

But the authorities insist thatthe dam will go ahead. “I haveinstructions to negotiate until thelast minute with each one of theowners, but expropriation is beingstudied, because we have to consid-er the benefits to the majority,”Iglesias said.

Source: Inter Press Service News Agency, IPShttp://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54392 

“They Don’t Want Their Town…From page 10

Tegucigalpa, February 22, 2011(ALC)

Areport by police authoritiesin the capital city of

Tegucigalpa informed of the mur-der of Evangelical pastor CarlosRoberto Marroquín, founder of theLatin American Network ofChristian Lawyers, when leaving hishouse in San Pedro Sula.

The 41 year old pastor was shotby unknown gunmen who fledfrom the scene, when walking hisdogs at dusk outside his home aswas his custom.

According to a news story in theHonduran newspaper El Universal,Pastor Marroquín began his

preaching ministry in the poor sec-tors of San Pedro Sula when he wasonly 12, and later became a lawyerby profession and an expert in the-ology. In January 2002, he foundedthe Pentecostal Church of God, afterhaving carried out similar activitiesin Central America, Mexico, Peru,the United States, Colombia,Ecuador, Uruguay, Panama,Holland, Turkey, and theDominican Republic.

Marroquín was the President ofthe Christian Judicial Fraternity.

The police are searching for themurderers, and the motive of thecrime is not yet known, while anintense investigation is underway.

Pastor Carlos Roberto Marroquín

Ortega.robertomarroquin.blogspot.com)

Violence In San Pedro Sula, Honduras:Evangelical Pastor Carlos Roberto

Marroquín murdered

February 10, 2011 (UnitedChurch of Canada)

The Santa Marta Associationfor Economic and SocialDevelopment (ADES), anon-governmental organiza-tion that is a partner of TheUnited Church of Canada, isvery concerned about a newand recent wave of deaththreats against members ofcommunity-based organiza-tions who have opposed theestablishment of a goldmine by a Canadian compa-ny in the province ofCabañas.

In 2009 similar crimes wentuninvestigated, includingrobberies, kidnappings, and

death threats against members ofADES and other community andenvironmental organizations withwhom ADES works closely.Eventually three activists, MarceloRivera, Ramiro Rivera, and DoraAlicia Sorto Recinos, were brutallymurdered.

During a recent visit to ElSalvador, General Council staff JimHodgson and Christie Neufeldt metwith those who have been recentlythreatened: Elvis Zavala, PabloAyala, and Manuel Navarrete ofRadio Victoria, and lawyer HectorBarrios of the National Roundtableagainst Metallic Mining. They allstated that the ongoing refusal toinvestigate the crimes committed in2009 not only encourages the recentthreats and crimes but could alsolead to more violence and murdersin the near future.

While those who actually com-mitted the crimes have been foundguilty and sentenced in the murdercases, there have been no investiga-

tions into who planned the murdersor how the murders are related to thevictims’ involvement in the anti-mining movement. Those who arethreatened now believe the negli-gence of El Salvador’s Office of theAttorney General, particularly thelack of investigation into who isordering the attacks, has created aclimate of impunity that enablesthose carrying out this systematiccampaign against the social move-ment to continue with threats, vio-lence, and potentially murders.

Miguel Rivera, brother of one ofthose murdered in 2009, explainsthat the community’s opposition tothe development of the gold mine islargely due to the threat it representsto the community’s already depletedwater sources: “People don’t needgold. They need water.”

In the middle of the night onJanuary 11, a written death threatwas pushed under the front door ofcommunity radio station RadioVictoria, despite supposed 24-hourpolice security. The authors claim tobe an “extermination group” and

offered large sums of money to theradio if they “stop making trouble,”including ending reports on mining.If they don’t, the group says they willmurder the radio’s three “loudestmouths,” Elvis Zavala, Pablo Ayala,and Manuel Navarrete.

On January 23, a member of theNational Roundtable, Hector Berríos,received phone calls to his home andhis cell phone from an unidentifiedperson who claimed to have beenhired to kill Hector or a member ofhis family.

Two young people in Cabañaswho were connected to the June 2009murder of Marcelo Rivera have beenkilled. Darwin Serrano, who partici-pated in the murder but was releasedfrom prison as a minor, was attackedand killed on December 20. GerardoAbrego León, who testified in the trialthat convicted and sentenced theexecutors of Marcelo Rivera’s mur-der, was killed on January 2.

Source: United Church of Canadahttp://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/takeaction/110203

Jim Hodgson, Miguel Rivera, brother of an ecological activist murdered in June

2009, Héctor Berrios, a lawyer who has been threatened for his human rights

work, Christie Neufeldt 

United Church of Canada call to support threatened anti-mining

activists in El Salvador