The Colombian people voted NO to peace. Or to be exact, 50.2% of 37% of the eligible population voted no. In the referendum held Oct. 2, the majority of voters decided to scuttle four years of peace talks dedicated to ending 52 years of bloodshed.
The marchers have turned out by the thousands to tell the government of Enrique Peña Nieto that the forced disappearance of the 43 students of the Ayotzinapa Teachers College on September 26, 2014 continues to be a rallying cry for a people who are fed up with the violence and lack of justice in the county.
It has been two years to the day since the crime of Ayotzinapa. A moment of soul-searching for Mexico.
Six months after the murder of Berta Caceres, far from forgetting, people throughout the world demanded justice and vowed to continue her organizing work in defense of land and territory locally, regionally and internationally.
From immigration to the drug war, there’s a lot that needs fixing in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. But border walls, hate speech, and deportations won’t do it.
The role of the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights has not ended with the exit of the GIEI. However, it now falls to Mexican society to assume the responsibility for continuing its work. The work isn’t so much technical, as political and social—it’s the work of mobilization, building solidarity and exerting constant pressure.
La juventud de América Latina enfrenta un mundo que busca controlarla y contenerla. Cuando se trata de jóvenes de familias pobres, ya poco se habla de su derecho al desarrollo humano y, al contrario, los gobiernos y una parte importante de la sociedad los ven como amenazas a la seguridad, como delincuentes o maleantes.
El papel de la CIDH no ha terminado con la salida del GIEI. Sin embargo, ahora cae en los hombros de la sociedad mexicana la responsabilidad de seguir su trabajo. El trabajo no es técnico, sino político y social —de movilización, construcción de solidaridades y presión constante.
Our day of speaking truth to UNGASS began in Foley Square, New York City, just steps away from the federal prison. VOCAL NY, Latino Justice, Make the Road Brooklyn, LEAP, Moms United, Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH), Stop the Harm, Drug Policy Alliance and others.
Berta Cáceres united sectors and issues, across borders. And by bringing paths together, she was building a broad road to freedom. That is the road she has left to her children, and to the many others who will follow in her footsteps.
