(BBN Editors: In light of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s return to Haiti after 25 years in exile, we collected information from various sources on the history and politics of the country. In 1915 the United States invaded Haiti and maintained fiscal control until 1947.
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Today is Sunday, February 05, 2012 12:59AM
(Watch Video) Haiti: Timeline and Reminder of Historical, Political Facts
January 19, 2011 by BBN Editors,
(Watch Trailer) Haiti: One Year Later – ‘Nou Bouke’…We’re Tired.
January 09, 2011 by BBN Editors,
(BBN Editors: On January 12, 2010 a 7. 0 magnitude earthquake struck the nation of Haiti.
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US Medical Tests in Guatemala 'Crime Against Humanity'
October 02, 2010 by BBC,
President Barack Obama has apologised for the medical tests, in which mentally ill patients and prisoners were infected without their consent. Mr.
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(MUST WATCH) US Policy in Haiti Over Decades: ‘Troubled For Years’
January 14, 2010 by BBN Editors,
. Democracy Now discusses the situation in Haiti following the massive earthquake, as well as the history of Haiti, with two guests who have spent a lot of time there: Bill Quigley, the legal director at the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Brian Concannon, director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti.
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(Mexicanos Negros) Blacks in Mexico: A Forgotten Minority
September 23, 2009 by Alexis Okeowo, Time
. (Time) The first town of freed African slaves in the Americas is not exactly where you would expect to find it — and it isn't exactly what you'd expect to find either.
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WE ARE DOMINICANS: Dominican by Birth, Haitian in Name Only
September 13, 2009 by Open Society Institute , Report
(OSI) For an upstanding, native-born citizen of the Dominican Republic, renewing a passport should be a simple task. Bring an official copy of a birth certificate, the current passport, photos, and any other required identification documents.
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UN Experts Find ‘Profound and Entrenched’ Racial Bias in Dominican Republic
November 12, 2007 by BBN Editors,
Experts on racism and minority issues from the United Nations call for steps to combat the reality of racial discrimination in the Dominican Republic. ‘There is a profound and entrenched problem of racism and discrimination against such groups as Haitians, Dominicans of Haitian descent, and more generally against blacks within Dominican society.
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Ritmos Unidos
December 28, 2011 by bleugargoyle (View Source)
by Melisa Rivière. . . . . More...
5 Dominicans break record for continuous reading
July 20, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(ap) SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Five students set a world record Wednesday after reading aloud for 300 straight hours to raise awareness about books in the Dominican Republic. And they kept going.
Guinness World Records recognized the university students for breaking the previous record of 240 hours set in 2009 by a group of women from Miami Dade College.
"This is a very important case because it deals with reading and promotes intellectualism," said Michael Janela, a Guinness official who certified the record.
He called it a tremendous sacrifice. More...
Brazil: Indigenous tribes protest against Amazon dam
February 08, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) Hundreds of indigenous Brazilians are protesting in the capital, Brasilia, against the construction of what will be the world's third biggest hydro-electric dam.
An indigenous leader delivered a petition opposing the project signed by more than half a million people.
Environmentalists say the dam in the Amazon river basin will harm the world's biggest tropical rainforest.
Brazilian Energy Minister Edison Lobao said construction would begin soon.
Mr Lobao said the population which would be affected by the Belo Monte dam would be compensated and resettled. More...
Why 'Baby Doc' Jean-Claude Duvalier returned to Haiti: 5 theories.
January 20, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(csm) Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s surprise return to Haiti after nearly 25 years has baffled observers and spurred dueling theories over why the former dictator returned now.
What could have motivated Mr. Duvalier to walk into a hornet’s nest? While no one outside Duvalier and his circle know for sure, observers speculate that it could be anything from his ailing finances to health problems or that he is a pawn being used to divert attention from Haiti’s protracted political situation.
“At this stage, we don’t know why he would have come back. Maybe he was testing the waters, planning to come for a few days and leave. More...
A last generation cries, laughs, laments over Cuba. "I was not meant for these times."
January 19, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(usat) They hold court in the back of the Versailles restaurant in Miami's Little Havana, a group of old Cuban men whose raspy, impassioned voices fill the room.
Presidents and political candidates have passed through, hoping to lure the Cuban-American vote. Journalists come with cameras and microphones, looking for an aging exile to comment on the latest news about the island's communist government. Legendary singers and artists stop in for Cuban coffee.
Miami is the de facto capital of Cuban exiles, and Versailles is their prime meeting spot. More...
Would-be Haitian contractors miss out on aid. Out of every $100 of U.S. contracts now paid out to rebuild Haiti, Haitian firms have successfully won $1.60, a review finds.
December 12, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) Out of every $100 of U. S. contracts now paid out to rebuild Haiti, Haitian firms have successfully won $1. 60, The Associated Press has found in a review of contracts since the earthquake on Jan. 12. More...
Health officials in Haiti say nearly 300 people are now known to have died in a cholera outbreak in the country. Dom. Republic Seals border and reopens.
October 26, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) Health officials in Haiti say nearly 300 people are now known to have died in a cholera outbreak in the country.
Although the number of new cases has slowed, hundreds more infections were reported on Tuesday.
The UN and aid agencies are boosting prevention efforts in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince, with a public information campaign on hygiene.
Experts say that after a long absence from Haiti, cholera could now "settle" and become endemic.
Continue reading the main story
The UN said 25 more people had died of the disease on Tuesday, bringing the total to 284. More...
Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson Dies at 48 After a Battle with Cancer.
October 24, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(Jamaica Observer) The passing yesterday of Prime Minister David Thompson marked the third time in 25 years that a Barbados leader has died in office, and the ninth Caricom Head of Government since 1967.
The other two of his countrymen were Tom Adams, in 1985, and Errol Barrow, in 1987. Thompson, a 23-year lawyer-parliamentarian, died at his private residence surrounded by his St Lucia-born wife, Mara, and their three children around 2:20 am yesterday.
He was born on Christmas Day and would have been 49 years old this December.
The statesman had been seriously ill for the past three-and-a-half months and was officially diagnosed in September with pancreatic cancer. More...
State of emergency grips Ecuador. President accuses the opposition of an attempted coup after being hospitalised as police protested over benefit cuts.
September 30, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Ecuador's army chief has demanded that a group of renegade police officers end an uprising against the government, which has already shut down the country's main airport and sent the president to the hospital.
A state of emergency was declared on Thursday after officers stormed the runway at Quito's international airport, while others burned tyres outside of bases across the capital.
The military is now in charge of public order, with civil liberties suspended and soldiers authorised to carry out searches without a warrant.
Rafael Correa, the president, was attacked with tear gas when he tried to speak to officers at a police barracks in Quito. The officers are angry about a law that has cut their benefits. More...
Independence Fighter Juan Mari Brás Dies at 82.
September 15, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(El Nuevo Día and translated by Latinopolicy. org) The independence fighter Juan Mari Brás died today due to health complications related to lung cancer and a serious fall.
At the time of his death, the Puerto Rican Socialist Party founder and co-founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party was 82. He is survived by his wife Marta and their children, Bras Vilella Rosa Mercedes, Mari, Maria Teresa, Mariana and Juan Raul.
The independence leader gave his last breath while the authorities had yet to discover the murderer of his son, Santiago Mari Pesquera, in 1979. More...
Bed Bugs in America
September 10, 2010 by Pauline
Was bitten by bedbugs during my stay in Super 8 Motel, Watertown, Massachusettes.
Found eleven of them. . My whole body was bitten and now the red rashes is fading but the marks will take a long time to heal. Was frustrated with the hotel not allowing me to cancel the rooms immediately and was told that it was pre-paid and will not allow refund. More...
Mexican drug cartels bring violence with them in move to Central America
July 27, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) Drug cartel violence in Mexico is quickly spilling south into Central America and is threatening to destabilize fragile countries already rife with crime and corruption, according to the United Nations, U. S. officials and regional law enforcement agents. The Northern Triangle of Central America -- Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras -- has long been a major smuggling corridor for contraband heading to the United States. But as Mexican President Felipe Calderón fights a U. More...
IMF Cancels Haiti’s Debt and Approves New Three-Year Program to Support Reconstruction
July 22, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(financial) The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on July 21 approved the full cancellation of Haiti’s outstanding liabilities to the Fund, of about SDR 178 million (equivalent to US$268 million).
Board also approved a new three-year arrangement for Haiti under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) requested by the authorities to support the country’s reconstruction and growth program.
Both decisions form part of a broad strategy to support Haiti’s longer term reconstruction plans, following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. The cancellation of existing debt was advocated by IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the days following the disaster as part of a concerted international effort to launch a “Marshall Plan” for the reconstruction of the country. The new program provides a strong and forward-looking framework to support economic stability and reconstruction in the country, and will also help catalyze donors’ contributions. More...
No blacks, no gays, Dominican Republic bar sticks by its ways
July 12, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(dominicantoday) Rua's Bar, a disco located in the heart of Dominican Republic’s capital on Thursday defended its decision to bar homosexuals or blacks, stating that it serves “a demanding” and “elite” public which “decides whom to rub elbows with and whom not,” news source clavedigital. com reports.
On facebook Rua's manager Manuel Tomas Diaz apologized to the black people and homosexuals who were kept from entering the disco last week. “We, as all businesses and families, only have our own rules. ”
“Rua's reserves the right to admission, it’s a right which bars have to decide who can and who cannot enter, our public is demanding and elite and decides whom to rub elbows with and whom not,” he said. More...
More than 150 sought in Puerto Rico drug operation.
July 09, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc/ap)Hundreds of U. S. drug agents and Puerto Rican police swept through public housing projects at dawn Friday on the island's west coast in what officials described as the largest operation of its kind in the American territory.
Authorities planned to arrest about 170 people and seize more than $1 million in property in an attempt to dismantle drug trafficking gangs and reduce crime in Mayaguez during the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games, said Special Agent Waldo Santiago, a U. S. More...
Abortions in Brazil, Though Illegal, Are Common. Studay: 1 in 5 Brazilian women of child-bearing age has terminated a pregnancy.
June 03, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(time) It should not be too surprising that in Brazil, the country with the largest number of Roman Catholics (73% of the populace, or about 140 million), abortion is illegal except in cases of rape, when the mother's life is in danger or when the fetus has severe genetic abnormalities. Indeed, the ban on abortion is an immovable plank in the campaign platforms of the two main candidates in Brazil's upcoming presidential election. Yet a recent study revealed that 1 in 5 Brazilian women of child-bearing age has terminated a pregnancy, and statistics by the Health Ministry show that 200,000 women each year are hospitalized because of complications arising from unsafe abortions.
The study has shocked doctors, who were surprised at just how common the illegal procedures are. "I think the big conclusion we draw from this is that the woman who has an abortion is a typical Brazilian woman," says Marcelo Medeiros, the economist and sociologist who coordinated the government-funded study. More...
Haiti's Long-Missing Independence Declaration Found
April 01, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(npr) While researching the early independence of Haiti in February, Julia Gaffield found the document, an eight-page pamphlet dated Jan. 1, 1804, in the British National Archives in London. It is only the second declaration of its kind in the world, the first being the U. S. Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson and others. More...
Minor Drug Offenses Qualify Legal Residents for Deportation
March 31, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) When a police officer in this Long Island suburb found a marijuana cigarette in Jerry Lemaine’s pocket one night in January 2007, a Legal Aid lawyer counseled him to plead guilty. Under state statutes, the penalty was only a $100 fine, and though Mr. Lemaine had been caught with a small amount of marijuana years earlier as a teenager, that case had been dismissed.
But Mr. Lemaine, a legal permanent resident, soon discovered that his quick guilty plea had dire consequences. More...
On July 1st, 2010 Puerto Rican Birth Certificates Will Be Null And Void
March 28, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(npr) On July 1, all Puerto Rican birth certificates will become invalid. U. S. officials say a big percentage of fraudulent applications for U. S. More...
Richer, more prepared Chile to escape Haiti's earthquake and tsunami toll
February 28, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(heraldsun)
Saturday's 8. 8-magnitude quake, the seventh most powerful on record, struck central Chile some 325km south of the capital Santiago and 115km north-northeast of the second largest city of Concepcion.
So far the death toll is over 700 and rising, although President Michelle Bachelet, in announcing the newest figures, warned the toll would climb with hundreds of people still missing.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, was struck January 12 with a 7. 0-magnitude quake - hundreds of times weaker than the one in Chile - but the epicentre was just 24km from the overflowing capital Port-au-Prince. More...
Haiti judge frees 8 of 10 American missionaries after being charged with kidnapping for trying to take a group of children out of the country.
February 17, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Eight American missionaries were freed from a Haitian jail Wednesday, nearly three weeks after being charged with kidnapping for trying to take a group of children out of the quake-stricken country.
The eight — looking bedraggled and sweaty — walked out of the Haitian jail escorted by U. S. diplomats just after dusk. They waited until they were safely inside a white van before flashing smiles, waving and giving a thumbs up to reporters. More...
Rush To Get New Puerto Rico Birth Certificate. Transition period will be in effect until July 1.
February 12, 2010 by editor (View Source)
Puerto Rican-born citizens living in the United States will now have to request a new copy of their birth certificates.
The country’s Gov. Luis Fortuño signed a law making all old birth certificates processed prior to December 2009 not valid in any federal agency.
(CentralFlNews) A transition period will be in effect until July 1. The new law is an effort to reduce all fraud cases reported by U. More...
(MUST READ) Haiti: A Creditor, Not a Debtor. It is we in the West who owe it reparations.
February 12, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nation) If we are to believe the G-7 finance ministers, Haiti is on its way to getting something it has deserved for a very long time: full "forgiveness" of its foreign debt. In Port-au-Prince, Haitian economist Camille Chalmers has been watching these developments with cautious optimism. Debt cancellation is a good start, he told Al Jazeera English, but "It's time to go much further. We have to talk about reparations and restitution for the devastating consequences of debt. " In this telling, the whole idea that Haiti is a debtor needs to be abandoned. More...
Ten U.S. Baptists were being held in the Haitian capital Sunday after trying to take 33 children out of Haiti at a time of growing fears over possible child trafficking.
January 31, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(miamiherald) Ten U. S. Baptists were being held in the Haitian capital Sunday after trying to take 33 children out of Haiti at a time of growing fears over possible child trafficking.
The church members, most from Idaho, said they were trying to rescue abandoned and traumatized children. But officials said they lacked the proper documents when they were arrested Friday night in a bus along with earthquake survivors aged from 2 months to 12 years. More...
Paul Shirley, Ex-NBA Player Compares Haiti to 'homeless men'.
January 27, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(BBN) Former NBA Player, Paul Shirley, wrote on his column criticism of Haiti and the Haitian people, and said he won't donate to relief efforts. "I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don't give money to homeless men on the street. " Hoop-Scribe-angry Man Shirley wrote, "Based on past experiences, I don't think the guy with the sign that reads 'Need You're Help' is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don't think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either. " In his on-line rage, and some would say ignorance, Shirley continued with a letter that reads, "Dear Haitians, First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. More...
PETITION to Help Haiti - Drop the debt. Take action for the immediate cancellation of Haiti's debt and to ensure new aid is provided in the form of grants.
January 27, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(one) As Haiti rebuilds from this disaster, please work to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s $1 billion debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans. (view source for the petition) . . . . More...
President Chavez cancels Haiti debt with Venezuela
January 27, 2010 by editor (View Source)
9caracus-ABN) The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Hugo Chavez announced this Monday that the Venezuelan Government will relieve Haiti from its debt with Venezuela.
During a meeting of the Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alba), the Venezuelan President said that in the face of the tragedy suffered by the Caribbean nation, its debt will be relieved and the Venezuelan fuel supply will continue.
“Mr. Foreign Affairs Minister, I order you to begin with the proceedings to relieve the brother nation of Haiti from its debt with our country,” Chavez said. . More...
Haiti: Race, Colonialism, and Univision. "When the media isn’t infantilizing the Haitian people, we return to Univision who resorts to 'mammy'ing Hatians"
January 26, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(Maegan la Mamita Mala/vivirlatino) I watched pedazos of the Unidos Por Haiti telethon on Univision on Saturday night. While stars like Thalia, Alejandro Sanz, and Ricky Martin sang their hearts out, images of the aftermath of the earthquake played on a screen behind them. That screen was where most of the black faces were seen as Univision couldn’t find one Afro-Latino to perform. While a lack of black faces is nothing new for Univision or for Spanish language television in general, the use of Haiti’s faces and “races” if you will, demonstrates the huge issues that Latin America and Latinos still have with race.
Black and Latino are seen as mutually exclusive and are presented in one of two ways. More...
Some Frank Talk About Haiti. Just because a country has been poor doesn't mean it will always be.
January 24, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Haiti isn’t impoverished because the devil got his due; it’s impoverished partly because of debts due. France imposed a huge debt that strangled Haiti. And when foreigners weren’t looting Haiti, its own rulers were.
The greatest predation was the deforestation of Haiti, so that only 2 percent of the country is forested today. Some trees have been — and continue to be — cut by local peasants, but many were destroyed either by foreigners or to pay off debts to foreigners. More...
Newsweek: Why Haiti Matters. What America must do now—and why. By President Barack Obama
January 20, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(By President Barack Obama for Newsweek): In the tragic aftermath of Haiti's 7. 0 earthquake, images of the disaster break our hearts and remind us of the fragility of life. What America must do now—and why.
. . More...
As Haitians flee, the dead go uncounted. Earthquake robs victims and mourners of even the most basic funeral rites.
January 19, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) A few miles north of the busted-down buildings in Port-au-Prince, up a hillside where cows graze, an empty hole awaits the dead. Rectangular, 20 feet deep and wide, 100 feet long, it is one of the newest mass graves, but there are many more.
A truck dumped rubble Saturday into a mass grave in Titanyen, a village on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
"Without the ability to find, grieve, and bury the bodies of those you love, I'm not sure how a human being can be expected to find their way back to life. "
The government’s dump trucks have been dropping off bodies here since Friday. More...
UPDATE: Wyclef Jean defends his charity: made mistakes, but did not use money for personal benefit.
January 19, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(reuters) Haitian-born hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean, who is leading fundraising for his earthquake-devastated homeland, rejected on Monday accusations that he had profited from his foundation but admitted mistakes were made.
The Grammy Award-winner dismissed accusations raised by The Smoking Gun website that he had made money from Yele Haiti, a charity he founded in 2005 to raise awareness of Haiti and run education, sports, arts and environment programs.
”As a young N. G. O. More...
Luxury liners are still docking at private beaches near Haiti's devastated earthquake zone for holidaymakers to enjoy the water.
January 18, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(guardian) Sixty miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jetski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks. The 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, disembarked at the heavily guarded resort of Labadee on the north coast on Friday; a second cruise ship, the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas is due to dock.
The Florida cruise company leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to "cut loose" with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk. Safety is guaranteed by armed guards at the gate. The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. More...
T. Kidder: Haiti, Country Without a Net. While earthquakes are acts of nature, extreme vulnerability to earthquakes is manmade.
January 14, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(T. Kidder/NYT) Those who know a little of Haiti’s history might have watched the news last night and thought, as I did for a moment: “An earthquake? What next? Poor Haiti is cursed. ”
But while earthquakes are acts of nature, extreme vulnerability to earthquakes is manmade. And the history of Haiti’s vulnerability to natural disasters — to floods and famine and disease as well as to this terrible earthquake — is long and complex, but the essence of it seems clear enough.
Haiti is a country created by former slaves, kidnapped West Africans, who, in 1804, when slavery still flourished in the United States and the Caribbean, threw off their cruel French masters and created their own republic. More...
B. Tucker: The Haiti quake must not be dismissed as an 'act of God'. This was foreseeable. We now owe it to Haitians to spend one tenth of aid on preparing for future earthquakes.
January 14, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(B. Tucker/guardian) The disaster that struck Haiti, in the form of an earthquake measuring 7. 0 on the Richter scale, has delivered death and devastation, ruin and suffering, on a deeply tragic scale. But this was not an "act of God", in that it was not an event that could not have been foreseen. While earthquakes are not as frequent as hurricanes in the Caribbean, they are common. More...
President Obama Promised $100 Million for the Relief Effort in Haiti
January 14, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) President Obama promised $100 million for the relief effort in Haiti on Thursday morning, vowing that the United States would stand with the impoverished nation as it counted what could be tens of thousands of dead and grappled with the devastation of the Tuesday earthquake.
In an emotional address from the White House Diplomatic Reception room, Mr. Obama promised that amount was only a first installment and that financial assistance would increase over the coming year. “I want to speak directly to the people of Haiti,” Mr. Obama said. More...
Haitian activists want Obama to address immigration goals. Want President to address the issue of Temporary Protected Status
October 25, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(miamiherald) Haitian-American and immigrant activists who greeted President Barack Obama's election with high hopes are growing frustrated with the administration's failure to deliver one of their top goals.
Obama said in July he was ``very sympathetic'' to the community's request to allow Haitian immigrants now illegally in the country to stay temporarily, but no decision has been announced. Some activists say their patience is wearing thin.
``I feel they are stringing us along, and we are in an awkward position,'' said Randolph McGrorty, head of Catholic Charities Legal Services, who brought the subject to a head with a stinging e-mail sent to House, Senate and administration staffers last week. ``Do we allow them to string us along because they are our allies or do we start calling them on the carpet for it?''
The unrest comes as Obama plans a trip to Miami on Monday to raise money for House and Senate Democrats. More...
Manifestations of the Spirit - BRASIL
August 26, 2009 by Onegod360 (View Source)
Manifestations of the Spirit
Jocenaide Andrade Barbosa as Oxóssi, lord of forests, Salvador, 1987.
Afro-Brazilian religion has its roots in Africa. During the Atlantic Slave Trade (16th-19th centuries), enslaved Africans carried their traditions to Brazil, where they created new African-based religions-including Candomblé. This dynamic religion, represented in the 16 photographs here, worships the spirits of nature, called orixás. In rituals, people dress as spirits and invite them to inhabit their bodies so others can experience the deep forces of nature. More...
Venezuela Still Aids Colombia Rebels, New Material Shows
August 02, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Despite repeated denials by President Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan officials have continued to assist commanders of Colombia’s largest rebel group, helping them arrange weapons deals in Venezuela and even obtain identity cards to move with ease on Venezuelan soil, according to computer material captured from the rebels in recent months and under review by Western intelligence agencies. The materials point to detailed collaborations between the guerrillas and high-ranking military and intelligence officials in Mr. Chávez’s government as recently as several weeks ago, countering the president’s frequent statements that his administration does not assist the rebels. “We do not protect them,” he said in late July.
The new evidence — drawn from computer material captured from the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC — comes at a low point for ties between Venezuela and Colombia. More...
At least 9 Haitian migrants dead, 79 missing off Turks and Caicos
July 28, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(mherald) The death toll in the waters off the Turks and Caicos Islands continues to rise as the bodies of seven more Haitian migrants have been recovered as U. S. Coast Guard officials continue to scour the ocean for survivors.
Up to 79 Haitian migrants remain missing off the Turks and Caicos Islands, about 100 miles north of Haiti, officials said in their latest update, bringing the number of confirmed dead from two to nine.
So far, a total of 113 survivors had been counted, according to Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Third Class Barry Bena. More...
Hundreds Protest Canadian Company Mining Activities in the Guatemalan Highlands.
July 05, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(mimundo) Canadian mining giant Goldcorp held its annual shareholder’s meeting on Friday, May 22nd, in Vancouver’s financial district. Simultaneously, hundreds of community members from San Miguel Ixtahuacan, where Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine operates, marched through the streets of Guatemala City so as to protest the corporation’s activities in the Guatemalan highlands. . . . More...
Leaders from Obama to Chavez blast Honduras coup
June 29, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(ap) olice and soldiers clashed with thousands of protesters outside Honduras' national palace Monday, leaving at least 15 people injured, as world leaders from Barack Obama to Hugo Chavez demanded the return of a president ousted in a military coup.
Leftist leaders pulled their ambassadors from Honduras and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala would cut trade with neighboring Honduras for at least 48 hours. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for Hondurans to rise up against those who toppled his ally, Manuel Zelaya.
"We're ready to support the rebellion of the Honduran people," Chavez said. He did not say what kind of support he was offering. More...
Bill Clinton Named New UN Envoy to 'Stabilize' Haiti, a Country He Helped Destabilize.
May 25, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(haitiaction) Former US President Bill Clinton has beennamed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as his special UN envoy to Haiti. Clinton will reportedly travel to the country at least four times a year.
“[It’s] an opportunity to bring in resources to address the economic insecurity that plagues Haiti,” says Brian Concannon, a human rights lawyer who works extensively in Haiti. “But if the nomination is to be more than a publicity stunt, the UN needs to honestly shed a spotlight on the international community’s role in creating that instability, including unfair trade and debt policies, and the undermining and overthrowing of Haiti’s constitutional government. ”
Shining such a spotlight on those who created the instability, as Concannon suggests, would mean examining Clinton’s own role as president of the US during one of Haiti’s most horrifyingly dark periods. More...
Miami's Haitians rally around unclaimed bodies. A smuggler's boat capsized two weeks ago, killing 9 migrants, some of whom remain unidentified.
May 25, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(miamiherald) Nearly two weeks after a smuggler's boat capsized and the bodies of nine Haitian migrants were found floating off the coast of Florida, three remain unidentified. But the local Haitian community says they will not go unclaimed.
Fritz Gerald Duvigneaud and others want to see to it that all the victims have funerals, where people can remember their struggle.
"These people have been through so much," said Duvigneaud, who owns a funeral home. "They deserve a proper burial. More...
Obama administration lifts restrictions on Cuban Americans' travel to Cuba.
April 13, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(miami herald) Calling it ''extending a hand to the Cuban people,'' the Obama administration on Monday announced it is lifting travel and gift restrictions for Cuban Americans, allowing them to travel freely to the island and send additional financial help to family members.
''This is a reaching out to the Cuban people,'' said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who made the announcement along with special assistant to the president, Dan Restrepo, who spoke in Spanish.
President Barack Obama did not take part in the press conference.
''These much needed changes will benefit the people; this policy extends a hand to the Cuban people,'' Restrepo said.
He added the move means the U. More...
President Obama Seeks New Relationship with Latin America
April 12, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(reuters) President Barack Obama will try to establish a cooperative new relationship with Latin America this week, but U. S. resistance to change on highly symbolic issues like Cuba and immigration could undercut the effort, analysts said.
Obama travels to Mexico on Thursday for his first visit to the region as president and heads to Trinidad and Tobago on Friday for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. As he did at the G20 summit of major economic powers in London this month, the president plans to emphasize listening to regional leaders and working on shared goals. More...
While Black Caucus Meet with Cuban Leaders..."CUBA: Racism - Taboo, Complicated and Thorny Issue"
April 07, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(isp) The persistence of racism in Cuba is disturbing to some of the island's thinkers, who are calling for a debate on the problem in this country, where equal rights have not guaranteed equal opportunities for all social groups.
The first documentary on racial discrimination in this Caribbean island nation was filmed here in 2008, incorporating opinions from well-known artists and intellectuals that go to the heart of the controversy. "Raza" (Race), by young filmmaker Eric Corvalán, could serve as a starting-point to launch the long-delayed debate.
"So far, racism has only been talked about in academia, among intellectuals. I think there should be an open, public discussion, even in parliament," the 36-year-old Corvalán told IPS. More...
Plea for normal US-Cuban relations.
April 05, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) The US and Cuba should normalise diplomatic relations, then sort out their differences, according to the head of a group of US politicians visiting the island.
Barbara Lee is leading the first congressional delegation to Cuba since Barack Obama became president in January.
The seven-member group of Democrats, made up mostly of African-American congress members, met Ricardo Alarcon, the parliament president, and Bruno Rodriguez, the foreign minister, on Saturday.
"Most of the members of our delegation believe we need to actually normalise relations and then the details of what that means would follow," Barbara Lee, a House member who is also chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said at a news conference in Havana on Sunday.
. More...
Secretary Hillary Clinton admits US blame on drugs: 'Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade.'
March 25, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(BBC) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US must take part of the blame for drug-related violence in Mexico.
Speaking as she arrived in Mexico, she said America's appetite for drugs and its inability to stop arms crossing the border were helping fuel the violence.
Her two-day visit comes a day after the Obama administration announced new measures to boost border security.
Some 8,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico over the past two years.
On Tuesday, the White House unveiled a $700m (£475m) strategy that includes boosting security on the border, moves to stem the flow of illegal guns and drug profits from the US into Mexico, and steps to cut domestic drug consumption. More...
A Mexican abduction: Cop apathy, few answers. Parents beg for details on missing daughter; unsolved crimes plague city.
March 13, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) Manuel Ramirez carries a tattered briefcase with wrinkled court documents and photos of his daughter, now missing for four long years. He no longer wants revenge. He just wants to know what happened.
His wife, Adela Alvarado, spends her days praying. She no longer uses mascara because she is frequently on the verge of tears. More...
Obama's Win Inspires Latin American Blacks. “Obama's election likely will cause soul searching in the region.”
January 07, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(Oscar Avila/CT) Dean Barrow doesn't look like the faces on his country's dollar bills. Nor does he resemble its previous leaders -- he is this Central American nation's first black prime minister. By winning the post in February, Barrow broke through a glass ceiling that has existed in the Americas since the slave trade first brought people from Africa five centuries ago.
The sad reality in countries with large black populations, such as Brazil, and those with tiny communities, such as Mexico, is that Afro-Latinos have typically been relegated to the sidelines of politics and high finance.
But when it comes to race relations, the U. More...
Cuba's Blogger Crackdown: Yoani Sanchez and her blogging comrades are the targets of Castro regime's censors—and police.
December 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(motherjones) Havana-based writer Yoani Sanchez was recently named by Time magazine as one the 100 most influential people in the world, and she won the 2008 Ortega y Gasset award for digital journalism. But that didn't stop Cuban authorities from directly threatening her with jail last week.
Or maybe that's precisely why the dictatorial Cuban regime finds the 33-year-old Sanchez so intolerable. Her lyrically and masterfully written blog, Generacion Y, is the most prominent online site in Cuba—if such a thing even exists. Access to the Internet is severely restricted there, and the Havana government shows no hesitation in censoring a long list of sites, including Sanchez's. More...
Mexico's Senate has approved a right-to-die bill that would allow terminally ill patients to refuse further treatment.
November 30, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Mexico's Senate has approved a right-to-die bill that would allow terminally ill patients to refuse further treatment.
The senate voted on Tuesday for the bill that had already been approved by the lower house of parliament.
The bill must now be signed into law by Felipe Calderon, the country's president.
The measure was unanimously approved by the senate with one abstention.
The approved bill could change an existing law from 2007, which enables patients suffering incurable diseases and a life expectancy of under six months to sign a document before witnesses suspending treatment if medicines cannot provide a cure. More...
Second Haiti school collapses.
November 12, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Nine people have been injured after parts of a school in Haiti caved-in, less than a week after a school collapse in the same region killed at least 89 people.
At least two students were rushed to hospital with severe injuries after parts of the Grace Divine school came crashing down during classes on Wednesday, Edouard Ernseau, a building inspector, said.
Hundreds of panicked parents rushed to the scene in the Canape Vert section of Port-au-Prince, the country's capital.
Seven other students and one adult were also hurt in the collapse but all those in the school escaped being trapped under falling debris.
Police said most of the students were out in the institution's recreation area when the collapse occurred. More...
Haiti School Collapse Search Ended. Preacher Who Built School Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter.
November 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Rescuers working to save survivors from the ruins of a collapsed school in Haiti where at least 88 people died are calling off their search.
"We have inspected the rubble with cameras and dogs. We have unfortunately found no sign of life," Daniel Vigier, a French health worker said.
Nadia Lochard, the civil protection director for Haiti's west department, said: "We will recover all the bodies and destroy the building.
"Experts are making the last check to be certain there is nobody alive under the debris. More...
Bolivia's president has suspended the work of US DEA agents, accusing them of spying inside Bolivia.
November 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Bolivia's president has suspended the work of agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), accusing them of spying inside Bolivia.
Speaking in the coca-producing region of Chimore in central Chapare province on Saturday, Evo Morales said the US agency had supported the opposition and encouraged political violence that left 19 people dead.
"From today all the activities of the US DEA are suspended indefinitely," Morales said.
"There were DEA agents that were doing political espionage . . More...
Chile's 9/11 -- and the legacy of Gen. Pinochet. Should he be remembered as a tyrant or as an economic reformer who turned Chile into a global success.
September 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(lat) Thirty-five years ago today on a different 9/11, army Gen. Augusto Pinochet overthrew the democratically elected government of Socialist President Salvador Allende in Chile. Since that day, two issues have continued to generate contention: Should Pinochet be remembered merely as a tyrant who became an international symbol of repression, or as an economic reformer who turned Chile into a global success; and to what extent did the U. S. government bring about his dictatorship?
Many of those who backed the 1973 coup had wanted the armed forces to simply restore order and then call for elections. More...
Mexicans rally nationwide against crime. Activists plan marches in every state, testing Calderon's presidency.
August 31, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap/msnbc) Hundreds of thousands of frustrated Mexicans, many carrying pictures of kidnapped loved ones, marched across the country Saturday to demand government action against a relentless tide of killings, abductions and shootouts.
The mass candlelight protests were a challenge to the government of President Felipe Calderon, who has made fighting crime a priority and deployed more than 25,000 soldiers and federal police to wrest territory from powerful drug cartels.
Cries of "enough" and "long live Mexico" rose up from sea of white-clad demonstrators filling Mexico City's enormous Zocalo square. The protesters held candles twinkling in the darkness as they sang the national anthem before dispersing.
"I've had enough. More...
“Immigrants Facing Deportation by U.S. Hospitals.” The cause-effect of two deeply flawed American systems, immigration and health care.
August 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) High in the hills of Guatemala, shut inside the one-room house where he spends day and night on a twin bed beneath a seriously outdated calendar, Luis Alberto Jiménez has no idea of the legal battle that swirls around him in the lowlands of Florida.
Shooing away flies and beaming at the tiny, toothless elderly mother who is his sole caregiver, Mr. Jiménez, a knit cap pulled tightly on his head, remains cheerily oblivious that he has come to represent the collision of two deeply flawed American systems, immigration and health care.
Eight years ago, Mr. Jiménez, 35, an illegal immigrant working as a gardener in Stuart, Fla. More...
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages held by rebels in Colombia have been rescued by government troops.
July 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages held by rebels in Colombia have been rescued by government troops.
Ms Betancourt had been held for more than six years by the rebel Farc group and was their highest-profile captive.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had made her rescue a priority, said he was very happy. Her children, who spoke of their joy, are to fly to meet her.
The Farc has been fighting to overthrow the Colombian government for 40 years. More...
“Dominican Crackdown Leaves Children of Haitian Immigrants in Legal Limbo.” Dominican Government Does Not Recognize Haitians Born on Dominican Soil As Citizens.
May 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS, Dominican Republic — Two obsessions define this country: baseball and Haiti. Ángel Luis Joseph, a teenage outfielder with a hot bat, is caught between Dominicans’ devotion to the one and disdain for the other.
So many major leaguers have emerged from this sugar town that agents keep an eye on even pint-size players with potential. Ángel, 17, was only a lanky grade school boy when his coach noticed he showed all the signs of becoming a standout. Before long, the San Francisco Giants came calling with a $350,000 offer, he said. More...
Brazil will press ahead with plans to create quotas for blacks in universities and public sector jobs to redress longstanding inequalities despite opposition.
May 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(reuters) Brazil will press ahead with plans to create quotas for blacks in universities and public sector jobs to redress longstanding inequalities despite opposition, a government minister said on Tuesday.
On the 120th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Brazil, Minister for Racial Equality Edson Santos said the reforms were essential to tackle huge disadvantages blacks still face in the job market, education and society at large.
"The abolition of slavery in Brazil was incomplete and blacks continue at the very bottom of the social pyramid," Santos told reporters.
Brazil, which was one of the last major countries to abolish slavery, claims to have the world's second-largest black population after Nigeria. Nearly half of the around 185 million population considers itself black or dark-skinned. More...
Letting Down Afro-Colombians. The Shameful Failure of the U.S. Black Congressional Caucus.
May 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Counterpunch) As the debate over the U. S. -Colombian free trade deal heats up in Washington, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has grown concerned. On the Hill, the deal faces an uncertain future. Many Democrats have opposed the initiative because Colombia’s labor and human rights record continues to remain atrocious. More...
DeWayne Wickham: Position Haiti at the epicenter of a U.S. war on hunger.
May 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(usat) Before Emira Woods arrived in Haiti last week, she had heard the stories about people there making a meal out of dirt. But as dire as the food crisis is in that impoverished Caribbean nation, she wondered whether such accounts were overblown.
"I wanted to see to what extend it was sensationalized, and to what extent it was real," Woods said Sunday, as she recounted to me her visit to Cité Soleil, a notorious slum on the western edge of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.
(Photo - Food aid: St. Clare’s church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, feeds 1,000 people a day / Eric Thayer, Getty Images)
"The first thing we heard was that … for many people without access to food this was a way to survive," said Woods, a senior official of the Institute for Policy Studies. More...
Raul Castro named Cuban president
February 24, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Raul Castro has been named the new president of Cuba by the country's national assembly, succeeding Fidel Castro, his ailing brother.
Raul, 76, who has led a caretaker administration since Fidel suffered ill health 19 months ago, was selected in a meeting of the 614-member assembly on Sunday.
"Fidel is irreplaceable; the people will continue his work when he is no longer with us physically, though his ideas always will be here," Castro said in his acceptance speech.
"I accept the responsibility I have been given with the conviction I have repeated often - there is only one Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel is Fidel and we all know it well. "
The national assembly gave Raul permission to consult Fidel on major state matters. More...
At 81 Years Old Cuba’s President Fidel Castro Steps Aside. But He’s Not Dead.
February 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(miamiherald) Saying he is no longer healthy enough to hold office, Cuban leader Fidel Castro has announced he will not seek reelection after 49 years in power and nearly 19 months sidelined by illness, marking the first official step in a long-awaited succession in the island's leadership.
''It would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer,'' the 81-year-old Castro wrote in a letter published in Tuesday's editions of Cuban newspapers. ``This I say devoid of all drama. ''
Castro's not-unexpected announcement came just days before the Cuban National Assembly meets Sunday to select members and president of its Council of State. The president of the council is the official ruler of Cuba -- and that's been Castro since the council was established in 1976. More...
Castro's last stand? Cuban elections set the scene for Fidel's future as leader
January 21, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) No-one will be staying up watching television late into the night after Sunday's Cuban polls to see if there are any major upsets.
There are 614 candidates contesting 614 seats for the new National Assembly or Parliament.
There has been no campaigning, political rallies are not allowed and the most famous candidate, Fidel Castro, has not been seen in public for almost a year-and-a-half.
The only real indications that an election is taking place are the sheets of paper posted on shop and office windows, with a photograph and short biography of each candidate.
Yet more than 90% of voters are expected to turn out on Sunday for what is a key step in determining whether 81-year-old Mr Castro remains as head of state. More...
Hell No Say Voters! Venezuelan Pres. Hugo Chavez loses constitution vote.
December 03, 2007 by editor (View Source)
Venezuelans have rejected constitutional changes proposed by Hugo Chavez, the president, in a close-run referendum, according to the National Electoral Council.
Chavez conceded defeat in a live broadcast on Monday, having narrowly lost the vote on proposed changes to the constitution that included the removal of presidential term limits.
The electoral authority announced early on Monday the "No" camp had won 51 per cent of the vote compared to the pro-Chavez "Yes" camp's 49 per cent.
It said the result could not be reversed with the number of uncounted votes remaining and declared Chavez the loser.
It was the first victory for an emboldened opposition against Chavez after nine years of electoral defeats. More...
Hugo Chavez urges reform for Venezuela. Sunday's vote outcome could be problematic for United States.
December 01, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has urged voters to approve constitutional changes in a referendum on Sunday.
Addressing tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in Caracas, he also threatened to stop oil supplies to the US if it tried to disrupt the vote.
The reforms include allowing abolishing presidential term limits and ending the autonomy of the Central Bank.
Mr Chavez said the proposed changes would return power to the people, but critics accuse him of a power grab.
Mr Chavez said that his opponents could try to sabotage the vote, with backing from Washington, through violent protests. More...
Police In Puerto Rico Probe Pepper-Spray Dousing Of Beauty Contestant's Evening Gowns. Is it a hoax?
November 27, 2007 by editor (View Source)
Police in Puerto Rico are probing the incident at the Ms. Puerto Rico competition over the weekend when Ingrid Marie Rivera's gown and make-up were spiked with what is suspected to be pepper spray. Police have the gown and other items at a crime lab. But on NBC Today, reporter Kerry Sanders, said police are investigating, but they can't figure out how Ms. Puerto Rico was able to control her tears from the pepper spray when she had to go on stage. More...
Spain's King tells Hugo Chavez to "shut up" at Summit. Chavez hits back, "Fascists are not human. A snake is more human."
November 12, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Venezuela's president has struck back at Spain's king, who told him to "shut up" at a leader's summit in Chile over the weekend.
Hugo Chavez suggested on Sunday that King Juan Carlos knew beforehand that a coup was going to be staged against Chavez in 2002. Chavez said Spain's ambassador had appeared at Venezuela's presidential palace during the two-day coup to support Pedro Carmona, the interim president, with the king's blessing. "Mr King, did you know about the coup d'etat against Venezuela, against the democratic, legitimate government of Venezuela in 2002?" Chavez said to reporters in Chile. "It's very hard to imagine the Spanish ambassador would have been at the presidential palace supporting the coup-plotters without authorisation from his majesty. More...
Mexico floods leave many homeless. The floods have affected more than one million residents, half of Tabasco's population.
November 04, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless as severe floods continue to rage through Mexico's southern state of Tabasco, in the country's worst natural disaster for decades.
Rescue workers and police were out in force on Saturday helping flood victims, as fears grew of a looming health crisis.
The floods have affected more than one million residents, half of Tabasco's population, but only one death has been reported.
In the southern state of Chiapas at least four people died after rain-swollen rivers burst their banks, damaging 5,000 homes and 16 bridges.
Flood waters looked ready to recede on Saturday, but forecasters said that with a cold front due to move into the area there could be more rain in store. More...
Up to 21 dead, 33 missing after storm in Dominican Republic
October 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(dominican today) In a bulletin issued last night the Emergencies Operations Center (COE) reported 11 deaths and 13 missing, while other sources say up to 21 fatalities and 33 missing in different zones of the country, from Tropical Storm Noel’s heavy rains.
The COE says the 11 fatalities occurred in the country’s southern region although the newspaper Diario Libre says it confirmed the deaths of three more in the cities La Vega and four in Bonao, in the country’s central area. Radio reports also cite four deaths in Villa Altagracia.
COE president Luis Luna Paulino said the red alert continues for most provinces and reported 3,295 people evacuated, 1,010 of those taken to shelters.
The Education Ministry and most universities suspended classes until tomorrow Wednesday. More...
Colombia Political Candidates Murdered. "At least 21 Candidates Killed So Far in This Campaign"
October 24, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) Two candidates in Sunday's regional elections in Colombia have been killed, bringing the total of candidates killed during the campaign to at least 21.
Gratiniano Murcia and Liliana Polania from the Citizen Convergence party were shot as they campaigned in the south-western province of Caqueta.
The government has blamed most of the deaths on guerrillas from the far-left Farc movement.
Some parties have withdrawn candidates due to the increasing violence.
The two murdered candidates were visiting the town of El Diamante on Tuesday when they were shot. More...
Not Everyone in Venezuela Believes Hugo Should Rule Forever and Ever...."Protest Turns Violent"
October 24, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ajz) Thousands of students have clashed with police in Venezuela during a protest against proposed constitutional changes that will allow Hugo Chavez, the president, to run for re-elections indefinitely.
Demonstrators pushed through police lines in central Caracas on Tuesday, as police fired tear gas to disperse the protest.
Protesters marching to the congress building, also exchanged a volley of rocks and bottles with small groups of pro-Chavez demonstrators.
Several people were slightly injured during the clashes, witnesses said.
"With this reform, the president is going to control everything. More...
Dominican Republic: A Rights Advocate’s Work Divides Dominicans.
September 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Ms. Pierre is the Dominican Republic’s most polarizing human rights advocate, a dark-skinned woman who says she can only dream of a country in which her color — and the skin tone of hundreds of thousands of other Dominicans like her who are of Haitian descent — is a non-issue.
Carlos Morales Troncoso, the Dominican foreign minister, was among those who were infuriated at the honor Ms. Pierre received from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. More...
