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Remembering Oscar Romero in a Time of War

March 23, 2011
Remembering Oscar Romero in a Time of War

By Scott Wright On March 24, we commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero. One day before, President Barack Obama will visit Romero’s tomb in the cathedral of San Salvador, to conclude his first visit to Latin America and El Salvador. It is an occasion that lends itself to reflection – and action – as Christians, human rights organizations, and people committed to peace and justice – and to remember the legacy of the prophet-martyr of Latin America, Archbishop Oscar Romero. It is, as well, a moment to imagine what Archbishop Romero might say to President Obama on this occasion. We recall Romero’s words to President Carter, in 1980, pleading with...
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Bishop Samuel Ruiz García, Defender of Mexico’s Mayans, Dies

January 27, 2011
Bishop Samuel Ruiz García, Defender of Mexico’s Mayans, Dies

By JULIA PRESTON New York Times, January 26, 2011 Bishop Samuel Ruiz García, an impassioned defender of the Mayans in southern Mexico and a mediator in peace talks between Indian rebels and the government, died on Monday in Mexico City. He was 86. Pascual Gorriz/Associated Press Bishop Samuel Ruiz García on his way to Mass in late 1997.
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Featured Website – Oscar Romero Faith and Solidarity Network in the Americas

January 26, 2011

The Oscar Romero Faith and Solidarity Network in the Americas (SICSAL-USA) is the U.S. representative of SICSAL (Servicio Internacional Cristiano en Solidaridad con los Pueblos de America Latina): http://www.cathnewsusa.com/article.aspx?aeid=16953
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Witness against Torture Fast to Close Guantanamo

January 19, 2011
Witness against Torture Fast to Close Guantanamo

            Dear Friends, Greetings from Washington, DC and Day Seven of the Fast for Justice. We are 40 or so in Washington, DC and over 100 throughout the country. In this brief note, we hope to share with you some sense of what our...
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TASSC International Hosts U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture

January 13, 2011
TASSC International Hosts U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture

  UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez with TASSC Executive Director Demissie Abebe   It was TASSC International’s honor to host the newly elected United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture on Thursday, January 13, 2011. Dr. Juan Mendez was welcomed with a luncheon followed by an opportunity to address survivors...
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Haiti: One Year After the Earthquake Killed Over 250,000

January 12, 2011

    January 9, 2011. By Roger Annis. Of all the commentaries and interviews coinciding with the anniversary of Haiti’s earthquake, none are likely to exceed in significance the interview granted by OAS Representative to Haiti, Ricardo Seitenfus, to the Swiss daily Le Temps on December 20. The critique...
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Ninth Anniversary of Guantanamo Shames United States

January 10, 2011

Press releases 11-01-2011 Today, nine years on from the opening of the United States detention facility at Guantanamo, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) condemned US authorities for their failure to close the camp and to bring to account those who designed and carried out torture there....
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Argentine Military Dictator Jorge Videla Jailed for Life

December 22, 2010
Argentine Military Dictator Jorge Videla Jailed for Life

22 December 2010 Last updated at 18:43 ET Argentine military dictator Jorge Videla jailed for life The judges ruled that Videla would serve his life sentence in a civilian prison Former Argentine military ruler Jorge Videla has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity. A court in the...
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New UN Convention against Enforced Disappearances

December 22, 2010
New UN Convention against Enforced Disappearances

SICSAL-USA remembers, in a special way, Patrick Rice - survivor of torture and involuntary disappearance in Argentina – whose entire life was devoted to organizing family members and survivors to strengthen international protections against torture and enforced disappearance. Patrick led TASSC International’s first Human Rights Training in June 2010 before his tragic and...
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Global News

RSS News from Latin America & the Caribbean

  • Insects, from Delicacy to Tool against Hunger May 22, 2013
    The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s recommendation to consider using edible insects as a food source to combat hunger may have particular repercussions in Colombia and Mexico, two Latin American countries that have a tradition of eating insects and a high degree of biodiversity. Mexico has 300 edible insect species, according to a study published in [... […]
    Emilio Godoy
  • Cuban Agriculture Needs Young People May 22, 2013
    When Gabriela Blanco tells other Cubans that she works in an organic vegetable cooperative and is getting ready to study agronomy at the university, she gets surprised looks. She is not sure where her vocation came from, but she does know that this is what she wants to do. In Cuba, which is seeking to […]
    Patricia Grogg
  • Chilean Development Still Tied to Copper Mining May 22, 2013
    Chile’s position as the world’s top producer of copper is not under threat, but the country faces the challenge of transforming its copper mining industry into social capital for the long term, and addressing high energy costs, which have grown seven-fold over the last decade, experts told IPS. “The country’s comparative advantages, in contrast to […]
    Marianela Jarroud Z.
  • Organic Cooperative Proves that Agriculture Can Prosper in Cuba May 21, 2013
    Continuous upgrading and a “vocation” for farming are two keys to the success of a cooperative that could serve as a model for boosting agriculture in Cuba. […]
    Ivet Gonzalez
  • Indigenous Brazilians Learn to Fight for the Right to Food May 21, 2013
    The lack of prospects for Ticuna and Kokama indigenous youth in the far northwest of Brazil led to high rates of alcoholism and suicide. […]
    Clarinha Glock
  • Seeking Justice for Dictatorship Victims – Two Continents Apart May 21, 2013
    As news of the death of former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla in a prison cell spread around the world, Julia Parodi, who was in this South Korean city to receive the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights on behalf of HIJOS, said he died in the right place. HIJOS, the acronym for “Sons and Daughters […]
    Supalak Ganjanakhundee
  • Caribbean Farming Gets Its Roots Wet May 21, 2013
    As Caribbean communities grapple with the entwined challenges of climate change and food security, modern technologies offer hope that the region’s stagnating agricultural sector can be made more profitable. For the past six years, the University of Central Florida (UCF) has teamed up with the St. Kitts-based Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) to impleme […]
    Desmond Brown
  • Small and Large Steps towards Equality for Gays in Cuba May 20, 2013
    The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Cuba has won advances on issues like the change of name of pre-operative transgender persons, while they continue to fight for the right to same-sex civil unions. For the first time since 1997, a transsexual woman who had not undergone sex-change surgery was issued a photo ID […]
    Ivet Gonzalez
  • Brazil Lagging in Fight against Human Trafficking May 20, 2013
    In contravention of international law, in Brazil trafficking in human beings remains invisible and unpunished, which encourages the practice of trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour, illegal adoption and the trade in human organs, according to experts. Local laws punish drug trafficking more severely than human trafficking. The sale of drugs car […]
    Fabiola Ortiz
  • Caribbean Scientist Warns of Climate Change Disaster May 19, 2013
    The Caribbean does not have the luxury of time for decisive action on climate change and global warming. In fact, it is on the brink of calamity, according to a prominent scientist. Conrad Douglas, a Jamaican scientist who has published over 350 reports on environmental management and related matters, has warned that “urgent action at […]
    Desmond Brown