Cuban Five: A press conference held June 2, 2010, revealed new evidence uncovered by the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five that the US Government has covertly paid tens of thousands of dollars to Miami journalists working for major media outlets who, during the federal government's politically-charged Miami prosecution, published often incendiary stories about Cuba and the five Cubans. The men, known as the "Cuban Five," are serving sentences varying from 15 years to double life, after being convicted of charges including espionage conspiracy (www.freethefive.org).
Latin America: On 6/9/10 La Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI) met to consider the increase in assassinations of trade unionists, last year totaling 101 worldwide, 88% in Latin America (including 48% in Colombia, 16% Guatemala, 12% Honduras, 6% Mexico, 4% Brazil, 3% Dominican Republic).
Global Climate Change: In April 35,000 people from 140 countries met in Cochabamba, Bolivia, chaired by President Evo Morales, to express disapproval of the global conference in Copenhagen. Supported by ALBA (Bolivian Alliance of Our Americas) and UNASUR, the People’s Agreement calls for a 50% reduction of domestic greenhouse gases by 2017 for developed countries, the stabilizing of greenhouse gas concentrations at 300 ppm, a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth, spending by developed countries of 5% of GDP to help confront the crisis, recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples, the needs of forced climate migrants, and creation of a Climate and Environmental Justice Tribunal.
Immigration: On 5/24/10 the San Francisco Labor Council adopted a resolution opposing “Arizona’s Apartheid-like laws and supporting the national boycott of Arizona” (www.sflaborcouncil.org. Thanks to David Welch, NALC214 in a 5/26 e-mail).
Peru: On 5/25/10 a Peruvian judge granted “conditional liberty with parole for five years in Peru to US citizen Lori Berenson and her two-year old son Salvador.” She applied for this in 9/09 after serving 75% of her 20 year sentence. Her discharge included a confession of guilt in assisting armed rebels (www.freelori.org, thanks to Les Evanchick).
Venezuela: A new English language newspaper, Correo Orinoco International, has started production, edited by Eva Gollinger. Cindy Sheehan has a weekly column.
Haiti: Brian Concannon, Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, announced that Mario Joseph AV, the managing attorney at their sister organization, The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, was named “Haiti’s most prominent human rights lawyer,” by the NY Times. Both attended the US Social Forum in Detroit 6/22-26.
Latin America: On 2/27/10 the leaders of 32 countries met in Mexico, hosted by President Calderon, and created a regional bloc – excluding Canada, the US, and Honduras and including Cuba – to be separate from the Organization of American States (OAS) and named the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. One issue was condemnation of Britain’s oil exploration around the Falkland Islands. (AP, 2/23/10, info@ap.org; and NACLA - nacla.org/node/6546: “A long time coming,” 5/6/10).
Latin America: On 2/9/10 at a meeting in Quito, Ecuador, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) met to discuss US relations.