Sāo Paulo, 16 September: Like a tropical King Canute, president Michel Temer defies the waves of accusations battering his government, even when they are presented by the chief prosecutor himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2ZsDt9SPk
credit: Metropoles.com
In a 240-page indictment, Rodrigo Janot, the chief prosecutor, has accused the president, his closest ministers and allies, all members of the PMDB, of forming a ‘quadrilhão’ – big criminal...
The Movimento de Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (Landless Rural Worker's Movement, MST) has a gender-balanced national directorate of 52 individuals, with two people elected periodically in each of its 26 state assemblies. Gilmar Mauro is a member of the national directorate of MST, representing the state of São Paulo. Brian Mier, COHA research associate and Brasilwire contributor, caught up...
On 27 August, Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales made a special TV broadcast to the nation.
In the broadcast, he declared that Iván Velásquez, the head of the UN-appointed CICIG (Commission against Impunity in Guatemala) was ‘persona non grata’ in the country, and that the ‘competent authorities’ would see that Velásquez was immediately deported.
Morales’ move came less than 48 hours after...
This article was written for BrasilWire. You can read the original here.
The political situation in Brazil is getting confusing, even for people who study it. To summarise recent events:
In April the organized left held the largest general strike in Latin America this Century, demanding for a halt to the austerity reforms and for illegitimate president Michel Temer’s immediate...
This article was translated from the French by Gregory Duff Morton, Bard College.
After two decades of military dictatorship, a new Constitution proclaimed in 1988 gave pride of place to human rights and the protection of the environment. Nicknamed the Citizen Constitution, it expressed hope for a regime of justice and democracy. Thirty years on, it has suffered from all...
Aug 14 2017
What is President Temer's weapon for fighting corruption charges? Why, corruption of course.
In his relentless battle to stay in power, President Michel Temer has appealed to the very methods he stands accused of by the Attorney General’s investigations: bribery and corruption, or as Theresa May might say, confidence and supply.
This enabled him to win last week’s crucial...
This is a slightly edited version of an article, first published by Brasil Wire. You can see the original here.
It is always hard to explain Brazilian politics to foreigners. There is a lot of history and many characters and there are 25 political parties represented in Congress alone. It is even harder to explain how illegitimate president Michel Temer,...
This article was originally published by Mongabay on 28 July 2017.
This week, Brazil’s internationally recognized Landless Workers Movement (MST) launched a coordinated protest against corruption, with thousands of its members occupying six farms affiliated with government officials and Brazil’s wealthy elite.
Farms were occupied by hundreds of protesting landless families in the states of Mato Grosso, Piauí, Rio...
Pretty Faces, Grisly Interests
This article was published on the website of Canadian progressive magazine Briarpatch. LAB has added titles and images.
Main image: Banner at peaceful protest near Escobal mine. Guatemala’s Constitution states that resistance is legitimate when done to protect and defend human rights. Photo: Sandra Cuffe/MiningWatch Canada
Though Mexico was a punching bag throughout Donald Trump’s successful campaign...
On 12 July ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months imprisonment by Judge Sérgio Moro. In contrast to his practice with the others found guilty in the lower courts in Operation Car Wash, Moro avoided remanding in custody Brazil’s most high-profile political leader. He argued: ‘Prudence recommends that the accused should remain...