Judge María Lourdes Afiuni Mora

LatinAmer Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos got his neighbors in a flutter by hinting that he would like Colombia to join NATO, which conveys a message to the rest of South America – and not about geography.

ARGENTINA
Now US falls out with ‘corruptible’ Argentina
ARGENTINA’S relations with the US have reached an “all-time low”, a top think-tank warned last night.

In a recent report he claims Argentina has profited from a US-led clampdown on the Mexican drug cartels. They switched distribution routes via Argentina, which is now believed to supply 70 tons of cocaine a year to Europe, a thirds of annual consumption.

It is feared that Argentina’s ties with Iran could lead them to build missiles together

Argentina can no longer be seen as a reliable counter-narcotic partner, or a partner in any sense, for the US.
Douglas Farah, senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center think-tank
Argentina also imports far more ephedrine, used in the making of many designer drugs, than its pharmaceutical industry needs, despite a US attempt at a crackdown in 2008.

This is said to be behind a flood of methamphetamine reaching the US.

BRAZIL
Rio Olympic venue closed until 2015
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Brazil’s disappointing economy
Out of step (video below the fold since it starts immediately)

COLOMBIA
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A deal on land marks a welcome breakthrough in peace talks. But there is still much to do, and not much time to do it in

Colombia and the arms treaty with no legs to stand on

UN hails first deal between Colombian government, rebels

CUBA
Cuban Documentary Extols ETA Terrorists

Widow and children of assassinated Cuban dissident, Oswald Paya, take political refuge in U.S.

Cuban political prisoner Enrique Figuerola Miranda on hunger strike for 40 days

DOMINICA
Dominica Catholics vow support for accused priest

ECUADOR
NGOs will have new controls in Ecuador

GUATEMALA
Administrative issues at the OAS GA in Guatemala

LATIN AMERICA
Xi Jinping in America’s backyard
From pivot to twirl
The Chinese leader tries a smooth move in America’s backyard

Demography in Latin America
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Traditional demographic patterns are changing astonishingly fast

The Pacific Alliance a New Center of Gravity in Hemispheric Trade

MEXICO
Mexico bar kidnap ‘linked to gang’
Prosecutors in Mexico City say they believe the disappearance of 12 young revellers from a bar in the capital is linked to gang rivalry.

Mexican housebuilders
Dropping a brick
Changing government policies have plunged housebuilders into a crisis

Mexico Soldiers Free 165 Kidnapped Migrants
Mexican soldiers stormed a residence near the U.S. border and rescued 165 migrants who had been kidnapped by criminal gangs and held for ransom for up to three weeks, a Mexican official said Thursday. The cartels control the border.

PANAMA
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PERU
Peru’s Shining Path leader Florindo Flores, a.k.a. Comrade Artemio sentenced
A court in Peru sentences the last of the original leaders of the Shining Path rebels to life in prison.

PUERTO RICO
How Puerto Rico Will Hack its Way to the Global Future

VENEZUELA
As Economy Stalls, Inflation Heats Up and Maduro Seems Clueless

María Lourdes Afiuni, Three and a half years, some rapes, beatings and a forced abortion later, has not yet been released.

Venezuela scraps food restriction
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro calls a plan to restrict the number of basic food items people can buy in the western state of Zulia “insane”.

Chavez’s Folksy Style Proves to Be a Tough Act to Follow
President Nicolás Maduro does a good political impersonation of his predecessor Hugo Chávez. However, he’s missing a key ingredient: Mr. Chávez’s folksy, often ribald, sense of humor. Not to worry, Gustavo Ríos more than makes up for it,

The week’s posts and podcast,
George Galloway’s racism

Venezuela: The kidnapping worked

Mexico: Retailers Descend on Mexico

Colombia: Bayly entrevista a Uribe, 2a parte

Venezuela: Timothy Tracy released

Colombia: Bayly entrevista a Uribe

Cuba: Castro’s pawn

Podcast:
Argentina and other US-Latin America issues

[Read more…]

Judge María Lourdes Afiuni Mora has been in detention since 2009 without trial; she has now written a book detailing the horrors of her imprisonment, during which she was tortured and raped while in jail. She was moved from prison to house arrest in February 2010.

The book is titled, Chavez me puso presa. Habla la juez Maria Lourdes Afiuni (Chavez Imprisoned Me. Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni Speaks.)

Venezuelan blogger Miguel Octavio posts, With Afiuni’s Case, Chavez’ Revolution Shows Lack Of Compassion And Scruples

What was not known to the public, but the Government and the UN were informed of, was that Judge Afiuni was tortured and raped while initially incarcerated at INOF in Los Teques. This was only publicly revealed this week, as a book was published with Afiuni’s story. The story is no surprise, Venezuela’s penitentiary system has become a terror story of how human beings are treated with less respect than animals at the country’s jails. What is sad is that Afiuni also had to suffer this additional violation of her rights as a human being to satisfy Chavez’ whims and that despite her suffering, nobody in the Chavez Government showed any form of compassion towards her.

But it gets worse.while the Minister for Women says that it has to be investigated and “if true” her rights have to be guaranteed (about time!), the former Head of INOF who goes by the name of Isabel Gonzalez tries to turn it around against Afiuni and says (without any support) that she will sue Afuini, because it is all false and her accusations violate human dignity”. They also now deny that the accusation was presented to the UN, which her lawyer clearly says was done and today Maria Corina Machado publicly scolds Chavez, because he knew the reality of what had happened to Afiuni.

I failed to mention this courageous woman’s ordeal in this morning’s podcast; the fact remains that Chavez continues to repress all opposition prior to the December 16 elections for state governors and state legislators.

————————————-
UPDATE,

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced plans to travel to Cuba as early as Tuesday for more medical treatment, even when earlier this year he had declared himself “cured”.
(h/t D.)

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The Colombia-loves-NATO Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Venezuela: Judge Afiuni’s detention UPDATED