Judi Lynn
Judi Lynn's JournalMorales's Coup Fits a Long Pattern in Bolivian History
Bolivia's exiled ex-President Evo Morales gestures as he delivers a speech at the Mexican Journalists Club, in Mexico City, on November 27, 2019.
CLAUDIO CRUZ / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
BY
Ted Snider, Truthout
PUBLISHED
December 11, 2019
Bolivia’s democratically elected president, Evo Morales, became the most recent victim of a U.S.-approved Latin American coup when, at the “suggestion” of the chief commander of the Bolivian armed forces, Williams Kaliman, Morales fled for his life to asylum in Mexico.
General Kaliman’s ties to the U.S. are not thin. Though seldom glanced at in the U.S. press, Kaliman was Bolivia’s military attaché to Washington from 2013 to 2016, during which time he may have developed deep ties to both the U.S. military and intelligence communities. And his ties to the U.S. go back even earlier than that: In 2004, Kaliman studied at the infamous School of the Americas (now rebranded as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation), the military school notorious in Latin America for graduating coup leaders and dictators. After that, he attended again and took a course in 2013. Several other key players in the coup were also graduates of the School of the Americas.
As in other Latin American coups and attempted coups, the U.S. was quick to recognize and legitimize the coup government. The Trump White House applauded the coup as “a significant moment in democracy.”
U.S. Involvement in Bolivian Coups
The 2019 Bolivian coup cannot be properly understood ripped from its context. It is not the first Bolivian coup, and it is not the first U.S.-supported Bolivian coup. Since independence from Spain, Bolivia has had approximately 185 changes in government, and most of those changes — according to William Blum’s book, Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II — were coups.
More:
https://truthout.org/articles/moraless-coup-fits-a-long-pattern-in-bolivian-history/
Indigenous Peoples Are Under Attack in Bolivia After Evo Morales' Departure
In this op-ed, a Harvard Medical School student and indigenous activist writes about his deep concern about the violence towards indigenous peoples in Bolivia after president Evo Morales fled the country.BY VICTOR ANTHONY LOPEZ-CARMEN
DECEMBER 11, 2019
I am a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe on my father’s side and am Yaqui on my mother’s. I’ve had a blessed life, but like many Indigenous youth, it was not without hardship. My parents worked hard and fostered a loving family, but we lived paycheck to paycheck. My school and neighborhood struggled with drugs, alcohol, violence, and gang life. Many of my friends ended up in prison or jail.
What kept me strong was intergenerational resilience. It was the stories I heard about my ancestors, and the ceremonies passed down thousands of years. These experiences, among others, inspired me to become a healer and pursue medicine in order to give back to my community.
Now, I am a first-year student at Harvard Medical School and a cochair of the U.N. Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. Through this work, I’ve come to know that our rights are integral to our health, and Indigenous Peoples who work to defend these rights live in persistent danger of rampant resource extraction, politically sanctioned violence, assassination, and criminalization.
That is why I’m so deeply concerned about the recent violence toward Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia.
In October, Evo Morales, an Aymara man and the first Indigenous president of Bolivia, was reelected for a fourth term, sparking accusations of voter fraud and violating constitutional term limits. This led to civil protests and a military-backed ousting of the man better known as Evo. In response to the growing violence, Evo resigned along with his top-ranking cabinet members, and was granted asylum in Mexico.
More:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/indigenous-people-bolivia-evo-morales
This 'starry night' toad was lost to scientists for decades
This 'starry night' toad was lost to scientists for decades
A starry night harlequin toad, or Atelopus aryescue.IMAGE: FUNDACIÓN ATELOPUS
BY MARK KAUFMAN
6 HOURS AGO
There's a magical mountain on the Colombian coast, said Lina Valencia, a biological anthropologist and Colombia conservation officer at Global Wildlife Conservation. The 18,700-foot peak, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is the tallest coastal mountain on Earth. At different elevations, the peak hosts life found nowhere else.
At about 6,500 feet up, a black toad, spotted in white like an impressionist night sky, inhabits the mountainous land. It's the starry night harlequin toad, or Atelopus aryescue, and conservationists hadn't spotted the ornately decorated species since 1991.
But the indigenous Arhuaco people knew the toad was there, all along. "It was never lost to them, it was lost to science," said Valencia.
Recently the Arhuaco banded with local researchers to document the toad's existence, and the pictures were made available on Wednesday by Global Wildlife Conservation.
More:
https://mashable.com/article/starry-night-harlequin-toad/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29
Bogota police embarrassed over assaulting reporters, apparent kidnapping attempt
Bogota police embarrassed over assaulting reporters, apparent kidnapping attempt
by Adriaan Alsema December 11, 2019
Bogota police were embarrassed on Tuesday after assaulting journalists and being caught red-handed allegedly trying to kidnap a woman.
Commander Brigadier General Hoover Penilla denied the woman was kidnapped and asked press “not to question everything our policemen do.”
Penilla and his department have come under tremendous criticism over a slew of human rights violations reportedly committed in attempts to repress mass anti-government protests.
On Tuesday alone, the police found itself embroiled the alleged kidnapping attempt and the assault of reporters of television networks RCN and City TV, who were covering the student protest at the National University.
More:
https://colombiareports.com/bogota-police-embarrassed-over-assaulting-reporters-apparent-kidnapping-attempt/
This is starting to sound like Argentina, Chile, Brazil before their military dictatorships.
Judge Absolves Lula and Dilma in "PT Gang" Case
Decision signed by Brasilia judge, Marcus Vinicius Reis Bastos
Dec.6.2019 1:20PM
Mônica Bergamo
SÃO PAULO
A federal court summarily acquitted former presidents Lula and Dilma, as well as former ministers Antonio Palocci Filho and Guido Mantega, and João Vaccari Neto, in a case concerning the so-called "PT gang."
Judge Marcus Vinicius Reis Bastos of the 12th District Court signed decision. According to him, the complaint was an attempt to criminalize political activity.
The charge was received in 2017 by the Attorney General's Office, at the time headed by Rodrigo Janot. The case initially proceeded to the Federal Supreme Court, since one of the targets was then-Senator Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR).
"The initial accusation attempts to describe numerous autonomous criminal offenses without revealing the existence of a stable, orderly structure and coordinated action of the accused, which are characteristic traits of a criminal organization. Simply put, there is no evidence of any crime," said the judge in the decision.
More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2019/12/judge-absolves-lula-and-dilma-in-pt-gang-case.shtml
Majority of Brazilians Think Lula's Release from Prison Was Fair
For 54% of Brazilians, his release was correct; 42% see it as unjust, according to Datafolha
Dec.10.2019 11:22AM
Felipe Bächtold
SÃO PAULO
A majority of Brazilians consider the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) from prison in November to be fair, according to a survey by Datafolha.
According to the survey, 54% of Brazilians see Lula’s release as fair, and 42% think it was unjustified. Another 5% said they did not know.
Approximately, 2,948 people were interviewed between December 5 and 6, in 176 municipalities across the country. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points.
Lula left prison on November 8 (Foto: Eduardo Anizelli/Folhapress) - Folhapress
Lula left prison on November 8, after serving 19 months for money laundering and money laundering in the case of the Guarujá (SP) triplex.
He obtained his freedom thanks to the Supreme Court ruling that found his arrest unconstitutional, given the appeals pending in higher courts.
More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2019/12/majority-of-brazilians-think-lulas-release-from-prison-was-fair.shtml
Colombia's trial of the century: 'Uribe's fixer to be charged over witness tampering'
by Adriaan Alsema December 10, 2019
The fixer of Colombia’s former President, Alvaro Uribe, will be formally charged for allegedly tampering with witnesses in the case against the political patron of President Ivan Duque, local media reported Monday.
Prosecution sources told multiple media that the Prosecutor General’s Office will formally file bribery charges against self-proclaimed “gangstattorney”, Diego Cadena, on February 18.
Uribe is investigated by the Supreme Court for allegedly ordering Cadena to bribe witnesses in response to allegations that the far-right politician and his brother Santiago formed death squads in the 1990s.
Why Colombia’s former president is accused of forming bloodthirsty death squads
According to newspaper El Tiempo, the prosecution even plans to ask a judge to warrant the arrest of Cadena, who is embroiled in four ongoing criminal investigations.
One alleged crime, three investigations
The criminal charges reportedly pending against Cadena would be a game changer in the cases against the Uribes, particularly the former president.
More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-trial-of-the-century-uribes-fixer-to-be-charged-over-witness-tampering/
Deaths Caused by British Empire Should Be Condemned Just Like Deaths under Stalin
DECEMBER 11 ,2019
BY TOMASZ PIERSCIONEK
Western historians who condemn the USSR for the deaths under Stalin’s dictatorship should shed a spotlight on the millions who died under British rule, including those in engineered famines across the Indian subcontinent.
The UK general election is a week away and a significant chunk of the country’s media, three-quarters of which is reportedly owned by a few billionaires, is hard at work digging up dirt on Jeremy Corbyn to prevent a Labour Party victory at all costs. However, this uphill task is becoming harder as recent polls show the frequently cited Conservative lead over Labour is rapidly decreasing. The possibility that Mr. Corbyn will be Britain’s next prime minister, perhaps at the head of a minority government, is now grudgingly acknowledged.
When Corbyn launched Labour’s manifesto at the end of November, he pledged to conduct a formal enquiry into the legacy of the British Empire “to understand our contribution to the dynamics of violence and insecurity across regions previously under British colonial rule” and set up an organization “to ensure historical injustice, colonialism, and role of the British Empire is taught in the national curriculum.”
The idea of teaching a population about the unsavory aspects of its history, and in Britain’s case revealing how several of today’s geopolitical crises are rooted in the past folly and avarice-fuelled actions of its ruling class, is commendable.
More:
https://ahtribune.com/world/europe/uk/3713-deaths-caused-by-british-empire.html
How the Global North's Left Media Helped Pave the Way for Bolivia's Right-Wing Coup
DECEMBER 10, 2019
LUCAS KOERNER
by Lucas Koerner
In our brave new age of hybrid warfare, corporate media play the role of ideological heavy artillery within the arsenal of Western imperialist powers. Day in and day out, “reputable” establishment outlets bombard progressive and/or anti-imperialist governments in the Global South with endless salvos of smears and libelous misrepresentations (e.g., FAIR.org, 5/23/18, 8/23/18, 4/11/19, 7/25/19).
The cumulative effect is to delegitimize any government that does not abide by Western dictates, justifying coups, murderous economic sanctions, proxy wars and even full-scale invasions. The recent US-sponsored coup d’etat in Bolivia is an instructive case study. In the leadup to Evo Morales’ military ouster, Western media routinely impugned the indigenous president’s democratic credentials, despite his having won re-election by a sizeable margin (FAIR.org, 11/5/19).
But corporate outlets have not been alone in attacking Morales. Progressive and alternative media in the Global North have long portrayed Bolivia’s deposed Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) government as repressive, pro-capitalist and anti-environment—all in the name of “left” critique. Regardless of the stated intention, the net result was to weaken already anemic opposition within Western imperial states to the destruction they inflict abroad.
Equivocating around the coup
In the wake of the November 10 coup, corporate journalists predictably played their part in gaslighting the public, presenting the fascist putsch as a “democratic transition” (FAIR.org, 11/11/19, 11/15/19).
More:
https://fair.org/home/how-the-global-norths-left-media-helped-pave-the-way-for-bolivias-right-wing-coup/
Judge Absolves Lula and Dilma in "PT Gang" Case
Decision signed by Brasilia judge, Marcus Vinicius Reis Bastos
Dec.6.2019 1:20PM
Former presidents Lula and Dilma Rouseff in São Paulo. (Foto: Danilo Verpa/Folhapress) - Folhapress
Mônica Bergamo
SÃO PAULO
A federal court summarily acquitted former presidents Lula and Dilma, as well as former ministers Antonio Palocci Filho and Guido Mantega, and João Vaccari Neto, in a case concerning the so-called "PT gang."
Judge Marcus Vinicius Reis Bastos of the 12th District Court signed decision. According to him, the complaint was an attempt to criminalize political activity.
The charge was received in 2017 by the Attorney General's Office, at the time headed by Rodrigo Janot. The case initially proceeded to the Federal Supreme Court, since one of the targets was then-Senator Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR).
"The initial accusation attempts to describe numerous autonomous criminal offenses without revealing the existence of a stable, orderly structure and coordinated action of the accused, which are characteristic traits of a criminal organization. Simply put, there is no evidence of any crime," said the judge in the decision.
More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2019/12/judge-absolves-lula-and-dilma-in-pt-gang-case.shtml
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