Worldcrunch: Amnesty International Got It All Wrong on Latin America Worldcrunch
go to original June 5, 2013

"Free them now!!" - (Julian Ortega Martinez/Worldcrunch)

SANTIAGO - If we based our knowledge of Latin America on Amnesty International’s latest global human rights report, we would believe that there is no real justice in the region, violence is on the rise, police regular torture citizens, that there are multiple attempts to exterminate indigenous groups, and organized crime is gaining ground.

There is no reason to doubt the veracity of the document. Amnesty International’s reports may have lost some political clout in recent years, but the transparency in their methodology and accuracy of their indicators are impeccable.

Nevertheless, the report leaves readers with an image of Latin America that does not reflect reality. The picture that emerges shows a Latin America where the human rights situation is getting worse and worse.

There is no doubt that there are severe problems with human rights in the region. As the document notes, prison conditions in Brazil are inhumane, Honduras, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are violating the rights of indigenous communities, either because they live near new mining projects or because they are protesting over their living conditions. There is police abuse in Brazil, as well as in Chile and Panama, generalized violence in Venezuela and focalized violence in Mexico.

But, is it fair to say that the general situation has gotten worse and is still getting worse?

Read the rest at Worldcrunch

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