Latest news with #JuanitaGoebertus
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Peru's Congress weakens fight against organized crime, watch group says
July 9 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch has warned that Peru's Congress is seriously undermining the judicial system's ability to combat organized crime by passing laws that weaken judges, prosecutors and key institutions. In a 44-page report released Tuesday, the organization said recent legislative actions have obstructed criminal investigations, advanced private interests and reversed progress on environmental protections. The Human Rights Watch report, titled Legislating for Impunity, said President Dina Boluarte's administration enabled the congressional agenda by failing to block the reforms and relying primarily on repeated states of emergency in response to rising crime -- measures that suspend constitutional rights without producing effective results against violence or the expansion of criminal networks. Security conditions in Peru have deteriorated sharply. Between 2018 and 2024, homicides rose 137%, according to the National Police. More than half of the killings recorded in 2024 were carried out by hired killers, and preliminary figures for 2025 point to a new record. The country also has seen a sustained wave of extortion -- particularly in urban areas and the cargo transport sector -- that reached historic levels in 2023 and continues to rise. Between 2023 and 2024, Peru's homicide rate increased 75% -- the highest in Latin America -- according to Juanita Goebertus, director of the Human Rights Watch Americas Division. She said Congress, with backing from the executive branch, has taken steps that weaken the few tools the state has to combat organized crime. The report outlines how Congress has undermined judicial independence and weakened the ability of prosecutors and judges to operate effectively. Among other measures, lawmakers have limited plea agreements -- an essential tool for dismantling criminal networks -- redefined 'organized crime' in the penal code to exclude corruption offenses, obstructed search warrants and promoted the arbitrary removal of judges investigating sensitive cases. Congress also has passed legislation that weakens environmental protections, the report said, including laws that retroactively legalize large-scale illegal deforestation and shield illegal miners from criminal prosecution. Illegal mining -- especially small-scale gold mining -- has surged in recent years and is now the leading offense linked to money laundering. According to government data, 44% of the gold Peru exports comes from illegal mining, an industry estimated to generate $12 billion a year. Freedom of expression and the work of civil society organizations also are under threat. In March 2025, Congress passed a law expanding state oversight of journalists and Non-governmental organizations that receive international funding -- a move Human Rights Watch describes as an attempt to restrict public scrutiny and independent activity. Public trust in institutions continues to erode. According to polls conducted in June, only 4% of Peruvians approve of President Dina Boluarte's performance. Support for Congress is even lower -- just 2% approve of its work, while 95% disapprove. More than half of lawmakers are under investigation for corruption or other crimes. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Human Rights Watch blames Colombia attacks on failed peace policy
A deadly wave of violence rocked the Colombian departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca earlier this month, with 24 coordinated terrorist acts killing seven people — five civilians and two police officers — and injuring 28 others, according to the National Police of Colombia. Human Rights Watch (HRW) blamed the attacks on President Gustavo Petro's controversial 'total peace' policy, arguing that it has failed to curb the power of armed groups. 'The absence of effective security and justice measures has allowed armed groups to expand their control and increase their capacity to inflict harm — even in major cities,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at HRW. Authorities have attributed the attacks to dissident factions of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), led by Iván Mordisco. These groups rejected the 2016 peace agreement and have since intensified violent operations. The wave of explosions rocked southwest Colombia is believed to be targeting the country's police. According to police reports, the attacks included four car bombs, three motorcycle bombs, 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), gunfire, and the discovery of two gas-cylinder bombs planted on public roads. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia also condemned the 'indiscriminate attacks,' citing serious human rights violations. 'We stand in solidarity with the victims, civil authorities, military and police in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, and with Colombian society during this difficult time,' said Scott Campbell, the UN's top human rights official in Colombia. The UN called for thorough investigations and accountability for both the perpetrators and the masterminds behind the attacks. 'Justice is not only a fundamental right of victims,' Campbell added, 'but also an effective means to fight impunity and prevent future violence.' In response, the Colombian government announced the creation of a new elite unit — the Multicrime Search Units — to combat the growing threat from criminal organizations in the region. The unit will be led by a colonel and include experts in intelligence, criminal investigation, and urban operations. It will coordinate with the military and the Attorney General's Office, said General Carlos Fernando Triana Beltrán, director of the National Police.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rights group says Colombian rebels committed abuses against civilians in disputed region
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A prominent human rights group said Wednesday that rebel groups in Colombia committed 'grave abuses' against civilians as they fight for control of the Catatumbo, a resource-rich region along Colombia's border with Venezuela. In a 12-page report, Human Rights Watch accused the rebels of executing unarmed farmers and forcibly recruiting dozens of children into their ranks. The group also called on Colombia's government to speed up investigations into homicides in Catatumbo, where at least 78 people were killed in January and February, after a truce ended between rebel groups in the area. 'Our research points to widespread abuses against ordinary people,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director for HRW. According to the Colombian Human Rights Ombudsman's Office, more than 56,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the Catatumbo region since Jan. 16, when the National Liberation Army, or ELN, launched a violent campaign to strengthen its grip on the area. Human Rights Watch said that in some villages, the rebels dragged people out of their homes and shot those who they accused of being collaborators of a rival group known as the FARC-EMC. Human Rights Watch interviewed 65 people for its investigation, including judicial officials, aid workers and displaced farmers. 'It seems that the ELN is trying to control the border with Venezuela, partly due to the drug trade,' said Juan Pappier, Human Rights Watch deputy director for the Americas. 'And for that they've long benefited from the complicity of Venezuelan security forces.' Some people who fled the Catatumbo region told Human Rights Watch that the ELN executed farmers in front of their families. Others accused the FARC-EMC group of running forced labor camps, where local people who were accused of committing crimes were forced to cut sugar cane for more than 12 hours a day. Human Rights Watch urged Colombia's Attorney General's office to increase the number of prosecutors and investigators in the Catatumbo region, and to provide protection for them, so that these crimes can be further investigated. The Colombian government suspended peace talks with the ELN on Jan. 20, after news emerged of the ELN's attacks on several villages in Catatumbo. President Gustavo Petro, who was a member of a rebel group during his youth, has accused the ELN's leadership of becoming 'greedy' drug traffickers and of abandoning their revolutionary ideals. Violence decreased in Colombia following a 2016 peace deal with the nation's largest rebel group, FARC, in which more than 13,000 fighters laid down their weapons. But some isolated areas, including the Catatumbo region, have seen an uptick in homicides, extorsion and forced displacement, as smaller groups fight for control of territories abandoned by the FARC. The National Liberation Army, has an estimated 6,000 fighters in Venezuela and Colombia, according to Colombia's Ministry of Defense. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Rights group says Colombian rebels committed abuses against civilians in disputed region
A prominent human rights group said Wednesday that rebel groups in Colombia committed 'grave abuses' against civilians as they fight for control of the Catatumbo, a resource-rich region along Colombia's border with Venezuela. In a 12-page report, Human Rights Watch accused the rebels of executing unarmed farmers and forcibly recruiting dozens of children into their ranks. The group also called on Colombia's government to speed up investigations into homicides in Catatumbo, where at least 78 people were killed in January and February, after a truce ended between rebel groups in the area. 'Our research points to widespread abuses against ordinary people,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director for HRW. According to the Colombian Human Rights Ombudsman's Office, more than 56,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the Catatumbo region since Jan. 16, when the National Liberation Army, or ELN, launched a violent campaign to strengthen its grip on the area. Human Rights Watch said that in some villages, the rebels dragged people out of their homes and shot those who they accused of being collaborators of a rival group known as the FARC-EMC. Human Rights Watch interviewed 65 people for its investigation, including judicial officials, aid workers and displaced farmers. 'It seems that the ELN is trying to control the border with Venezuela, partly due to the drug trade,' said Juan Pappier, Human Rights Watch deputy director for the Americas. 'And for that they've long benefited from the complicity of Venezuelan security forces.' Some people who fled the Catatumbo region told Human Rights Watch that the ELN executed farmers in front of their families. Others accused the FARC-EMC group of running forced labor camps, where local people who were accused of committing crimes were forced to cut sugar cane for more than 12 hours a day. Human Rights Watch urged Colombia's Attorney General's office to increase the number of prosecutors and investigators in the Catatumbo region, and to provide protection for them, so that these crimes can be further investigated. The Colombian government suspended peace talks with the ELN on Jan. 20, after news emerged of the ELN's attacks on several villages in Catatumbo. President Gustavo Petro, who was a member of a rebel group during his youth, has accused the ELN's leadership of becoming 'greedy' drug traffickers and of abandoning their revolutionary ideals. Violence decreased in Colombia following a 2016 peace deal with the nation's largest rebel group, FARC, in which more than 13,000 fighters laid down their weapons. But some isolated areas, including the Catatumbo region, have seen an uptick in homicides, extorsion and forced displacement, as smaller groups fight for control of territories abandoned by the FARC. The National Liberation Army, has an estimated 6,000 fighters in Venezuela and Colombia, according to Colombia's Ministry of Defense. ____
Associated Press
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Rights group says Colombian rebels committed abuses against civilians in disputed region
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A prominent human rights group said Wednesday that rebel groups in Colombia committed 'grave abuses' against civilians as they fight for control of the Catatumbo, a resource-rich region along Colombia's border with Venezuela. In a 12-page report, Human Rights Watch accused the rebels of executing unarmed farmers and forcibly recruiting dozens of children into their ranks. The group also called on Colombia's government to speed up investigations into homicides in Catatumbo, where at least 78 people were killed in January and February, after a truce ended between rebel groups in the area. 'Our research points to widespread abuses against ordinary people,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director for HRW. According to the Colombian Human Rights Ombudsman's Office, more than 56,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the Catatumbo region since Jan. 16, when the National Liberation Army, or ELN, launched a violent campaign to strengthen its grip on the area. Human Rights Watch said that in some villages, the rebels dragged people out of their homes and shot those who they accused of being collaborators of a rival group known as the FARC-EMC. Human Rights Watch interviewed 65 people for its investigation, including judicial officials, aid workers and displaced farmers. 'It seems that the ELN is trying to control the border with Venezuela, partly due to the drug trade,' said Juan Pappier, Human Rights Watch deputy director for the Americas. 'And for that they've long benefited from the complicity of Venezuelan security forces.' Some people who fled the Catatumbo region told Human Rights Watch that the ELN executed farmers in front of their families. Others accused the FARC-EMC group of running forced labor camps, where local people who were accused of committing crimes were forced to cut sugar cane for more than 12 hours a day. Human Rights Watch urged Colombia's Attorney General's office to increase the number of prosecutors and investigators in the Catatumbo region, and to provide protection for them, so that these crimes can be further investigated. The Colombian government suspended peace talks with the ELN on Jan. 20, after news emerged of the ELN's attacks on several villages in Catatumbo. President Gustavo Petro, who was a member of a rebel group during his youth, has accused the ELN's leadership of becoming 'greedy' drug traffickers and of abandoning their revolutionary ideals. Violence decreased in Colombia following a 2016 peace deal with the nation's largest rebel group, FARC, in which more than 13,000 fighters laid down their weapons. But some isolated areas, including the Catatumbo region, have seen an uptick in homicides, extorsion and forced displacement, as smaller groups fight for control of territories abandoned by the FARC.
