lo-de-alla.org

((Héctor Béjar))

Héctor Béjar believes Peru lacks a cohesive social movement to confront the dominant economic powers

[Translation of an interview from Brasil de Fato of São Paulo for January 10. See original here.]

By Marcio Zonta

The Peruvian political scene, from the revolutionary military government of General Juan Velasco Alvarado, through the armed conflicts between the military and the senderistas (members of the armed Sendero Luminoso group), to the mafiosi governments of Fujimori and Alan García, then the appearance of Ollanta Humala, have always embodied elements different from other Latin American political processes.

In a frank and revealing conversation with Brasil de Fato, former combatant from the ranks of Che Guevara’s guerrillas and now professor in the sociology department of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Héctor Béjar offers a thoughtful account of the course of Peruvian politics. (more…)

[Translation of an article from Carta Maior of São Paulo, Brazil, for October 25. See original here.]

By Marcel Gomes

In the face of slow progress in the negotiations between the government of Colombia and the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) in Oslo and Havana, economist Héctor-León Moncayo, a member of the Instituto Latinoamericano para una Sociedad y un Derecho Alternativos (ILSA), one of the most important NGOs in Bogotá, points out that the “Colombian agrarian question,” one of the reasons the insurgency exists, is also one of the main obstacles to the achievement of peace.

In the past few years, the country has seen a new wave of investment in agriculture and mineral extraction, threatening areas traditionally occupied by small producers and indigenous peoples. The greater part of the armed ranks of the FARC come from these sectors of society. (more…)

[Translation of an article from TeleSUR for January 22. See original article here and related article here.]

Colombian defender of human right Piedad Córdoba said on Friday that the public trial of former subdirector of the Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS – Administrative Security Department), José Miguel Narváez, demonstrates the truth of charges she has made for years concerning links between paramilitaries and the government.

“The link between the paramilitaries and the government, through DAS, is confirmed, there is overwhelming proof,” Córdoba declared in an interview granted to TeleSUR. (more…)