It appears that Justice has no expiration date.

Perhaps Justice is not blind after all.  Instances and promises of retroactive justice are rising up all over the planet, but South America is leading the world.

From Colombia: Wall Street Investors salivating over the FTA may be wise to wait until the Third Quarter of 2012 to see which way the wind is blowing in Colombia

Yesterday (Sunday Oct 30, 2011)  Colombia held their elections which, as usual, abounded in fraud. Reports from Colombia indicate that the two power bases that have dominated Colombian politics are still alive  (the urban, globalized manufacturing and services elite which includes much of the country’s socially prominent families combined with the large land-holding and extractive-industry elite who are often tied to narco money and para-militarism). Since Santos took over as President of Colombia, he has been filling key roles with members of the urban elite and the traditional political families.

However, the powerful landholders and politicians with para-miliary ties have retained control over key strategic areas. But the para-politicans have been marginalized compared to where they were in 2006 and 2007.  They are not able to operate as openly as before.  They have been pushed to remote rural areas, more feudal and forgotten corners of Colombia but they still operate.

The biggest power struggle with these two groups is over Santos Victims Law land restitution program which has been fiercely opposed by rural landowners who may have to return lands to displaced people. This process begins next year so those USA Wall Street investors who are chomping at the bit after the recent FTA may want to hold their horses until at least the third quarter of 2012 to see which way the wind is blowing in Colombia. Some of those plantations may not be so big if the people who had their land stolen from them get it back.

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From Brazil: Lower House House Approves Truth Commission to Investigate Abuses During Military Dictatorship.  (Sept 22, 2011) and just a few days ago the Senate approved it.

The lower house of Congress has approved the creation of a Truth Commission charged with investigating human rights abuses, including those committed during the 1964-1985 military dictatorship. The Chamber of Deputies approved the government proposal late Wednesday to create a commission that will “examine and clarify” rights violations between 1946 and 1988, during which Brazil saw several periods of authoritarian rule. The measure would be a significant step in the effort to bring dictatorship-era abuses to light in Brazil, which has largely avoided formal discussion of the topic and never sentenced anyone for political crimes carried out during military rule.

Although the commission will examine the abuses, a military era amnesty means thre will be no trials.  The amnesty law passed in 1979 and upheld last year means that neither military officials accused of torture nor lef-wing guerrillas accused of violence can fact prosecution.

Nearly 500 people were killed or disappeared during military rule in Brazil (a far smaller number than in neighboring Argentina and Chile.  However, thousands of Brazilians were tortured exiled or deprived of their political rights.  Supporters of the truth commission argue that it will help Brazil to come to terms with its recent past but for some the commission does not go far enough.

Brazil is an anomaly of sorts amongst its neighbors, most of which have started investigating their own dictatorships years earlier. And the country still keeps intact its amnesty law, meaning the Commission’s findings cannot lead to prosecutions. However,The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in December that the Brazilian amnesty law is invalid so it will be interesting to see where that ends up.

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(Oct. 27, 2011) Uruguay Congress adopts landmark law to tackle impunity

The Uruguayan Congress adopted a law early today that marks an important step toward justice for the many victims of gross human rights violations during the country’s military rule, Amnesty International said today.

The new law eliminates the effects of the 1986 Amnesty Law (also known as Expiry Law), which protected police and military personnel from being prosecuted for human rights violations, and repeals a statute of limitations that would have prevented victims from filing criminal complaints as of 1 November.

“With the approval of this new law, Uruguay’s Congress has taken an historical step forward in the fight against impunity for past crimes,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Director of Americas Programme at Amnesty International.  Amnesty International had repeatedly called on the Uruguayan authorities to repeal the Amnesty Law, which prevented prosecutions of those accused of torture, killings, enforced disappearances and other serious human rights violations between 1973 and 1985, before the country’s return to democratic rule.

More at Amnesty International

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October 27, 2011 Argentina convicts former military officials for “Dirty War” Crimes

A Buenos Aires court’s conviction of 16 former military officials for crimes against humanity committed decades ago is a powerful victory for justice in the fight against impunity, Amnesty International said today.

Former Navy captain Alfredo Astiz and 15 others were on Oct 26, 2011 given prison sentences for their role in crimes against humanity committed during military rule between 1976 and 1983. These included the arbitrary detention, torture and unlawful killing of dozens of people at a secret detention centre set up in a military school in Buenos Aires.

Among those killed were French nuns Léonie Duquet and Alice Domon, human rights activists Azucena Villaflor, María Bianco and Esther Careaga, co-founders of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, and writer and journalist Rodolfo Walsh.

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ILWQ Comments

Comforting to remember that Justice doesn’t have an expiration date.  We can only hope that this is duly noted  by many current and former leaders in the world.

It is not so much that “the times are changing” as it is that the 99% are changing the times and we have barely begun.

Proclaim the Queen!

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