2012
LASC condemns the coup d’etat against President Lugo in Paraguay
The Latin America Solidarity Centre condemns the coup d'etat against President Lugo in Paraguay as an affront to democratic practice.
Paraguay's Parliamentary Coup and Ottawa's Imperial Response
A soft-coup has ousted Centre-Leftist Fernando Lugo from the presidency in Paraguay and replaced him with Vice-President, but long-time political enemy, Federico Franco of the inaptly named Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico (Authentic Radical Liberal Party, PLRA). Using as pretext a bloody confrontation last week between landless peasants occupying a large-landholding in Curuguaty, near the Brazilian border, and police forces sent to violently dislodge their encampment, a farcical political trial was carried out last Friday by the opposition-controlled Congress in which the President was accused of having failed to maintain social order in the country.[1]
Lugo, democratically elected in April 2008, and with over a year left in his tenure, was given less than 24 hours to prepare his defence, and only two hours in which to present it at trial. "Paraguay used a mechanism contemplated in the Constitution," remarked Argentine ambassador to Paraguay Héctor Timerman, explaining why his government considers there to have been a rupture in the democratic order in its next-door neighbour, "but it was applied in such a way as to violate not only the spirit of the Constitution but all constitutional practice in the democratic world."[2] Recognizing the summary proceedings as little more than the burlesque theatrics of the old Paraguayan oligarchy, Lugo refused to dignify the Congress with his presence, initially accepting his forced resignation when no other options appeared available.
Colombia Impaled
The brutal murder, torture and rape of Rosa Elvira Cely, in the middle of Bogota's National Park, has led to a justifiable wave of indignation across the whole country. To the cry of 'Not one more Rosa!' thousands of Bogotans met on 3 June at the site of the macabre crime to pay tribute to this victim and to vehemently protest violence against women.
In this article I don't want to go too in depth into this particular crime, which unfortunately is only one more in a string of thousands of abuses and feminicides that occur on a daily basis in Colombia. Nor do I want to refer to the multiple negligences that contributed, by some degree to the fatal ending of this story (the inadequate response of the police to calls for help, negligence in medical treatment with the stab wounds that ultimately led to death not being treated etc). What I want to draw attention to is the hypocrisy of the Colombian media and elites who today are horrified before the corpse of Rosa Elvira Cely, but who systematically turn a blind eye to crimes of right wing paramilitaries [1] which are a carbon copy of the impaling of Rosa Elvira Cely.
Rio +20 and The People’s Summit
Venue: LASC, 5 Merrion Row, Dublin 2
Date: Wednesday 20th June
Time: 6.30pm
On Wednesday 20th June, to coincide with the day of Global Mobilization, Laura Carvalho, who is currently graduating from the MSc. in Environment and Development from Trinity College, will talk about the People's Summit and explain who these organizations are, what they want and will outline the solutions they offer for Social and Environmental Justice.
CUBAN PUB
Venue: 28-30 Lr. Stephen’s Street
Date: 29/06/2012
All things Cuban
Food
Cocktails
Music
Cuban Band
“SABOR CUBANO”
Playing live from 9:00 p.m.
No door charge
Fun Cuban Table Quiz
Venue: Cleary’s Pub, 36 Amiens St. D1
Date: Friday 29th June, 8 pm
Tables of 4, 10€ per person.
Even the Rain (También la Lluvia)
Venue: Light House Cinema
Date: 8th-15th June
We had a full house in The Light House cinema last Sunday for the premiere of Even the Rain. If you missed it, there's no cause for worry as the film starring Gael Garcia Bernal, is out this Friday exclusively at Light House Cinema. The film will run for one week from Friday 8th June. We hope you can make it down. It is an excellent film and well worth seeing.
Discussion about Colombia on Pat Kenny Show
For anyone who missed it please visit the link below to listen to the discussion on Colombia between Jose Antonio Gutierrez (Pepe) of LASC and the Colombian Ambassador to the UK and Ireland on Pat Kenny last week.
Click here to listen to the discussion.
Letter from Mexican Embassy-2nd Anniversary of the murder of Bety Carino
We received a reply from the Embassy of Mexico about investigation of the murder of Bety Carino.
Click here to see the letter.
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