Latin America Silent on Human Rights
Orlando Zapata, a Cuban citizen, was raised and educated under the Cuban communist era, that is to say he was indoctrinated in the Marxist thought. Nonetheless, he was never convinced of the so called benefits of the Cuban Revolution and so he participated in several peaceful protests that more often than not led him to prison. He was finally sentenced in 2004 to 40 years of prison under the charges of disobedience to the authorities, and died last week due to a hunger strike.
Also, recently human rights institutions such as the Interamerican Human Rights Commission (IHRC) have tried to draw attention to several human rights violations that have been perpetrated under Hugo Chavez’s regime in Venezuela. The IACHR report, says that in Venezuela are "serious restrictions" on human rights due to political intolerance, lack of independence of the branches of government, restricted freedom of speech, hostility to those who dissent, violence and impunity.
None of the region’s leaders have commented on these events. In fact, during the Latin American and Caribbean summit held in Mexico last week they were all smiling and complementing each others’ accomplishments. José Miguel Insulza, who is the current Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), has not said a single word about the relationship between democracy and human rights in Cuba and Venezuela.
What do former human rights activists, such as Brazil’s President Lula have to say about Zapata’s death? Apparently nothing. What is Latin America’s stand on human rights violations? Apparently none, or even worse: pretending to ignore that these violations are even happening. The region is about to elect a new OAS Secretary General and if this organization is to succeed in the advancement of democracy in the region, it is imperative that its leaders start “growing a pair” and condemning human rights violations.