The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights would have received illegal contributions

Leo Pinheiro former boss of the OAS construction company

September 16th 2019

Entrepreneur investigated by case Lava Jato links OAS and Lula with Bachelet campaign in Chile. Léo Pinheiro, former construction boss, said he delivered 101.6 million pesos (about USD 145,000) to finance the campaign of the then candidate for President of Chile, at the request of the former Brazilian President.

In the midst of the investigation into the Lava Jato case, which investigates a wide network of corruption between politicians and contractor companies in Brazil, businessman Léo Pinheiro revealed in his judicial statement that the company he ran, the construction company OAS, illegally financed the presidential campaign of Michelle Bachelet in 2013, at the request of former President Lula da Silva.

As part of the delation agreement negotiated with the Public Ministry, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, Pinheiro mentioned the former Brazilian president as a business intermediary between the aforementioned company and the Governments of Costa Rica and Chile, as well as revealed an alleged interference in other countries such as Bolivia and Equatorial Guinea.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began serving a 12 year prison sentence in 2018 for corruption

In the case of Chile, Pinheiro -who has been detained since 2016- said that the Brazilian company was trying to establish itself in 2013, by joining the consortium that sought to build a bridge in the Chacao canal, a process initiated during the Government of Sebastián Piñera, but that would be specified in the subsequent administration. It was an election year, where New Majority flag bearer Michelle Bachelet was the favorite to return to La Moneda.

In that sense, according to the testimony revealed by Folha, OAS was afraid of losing the contract with the change of government, a concern that they transmitted to Lula. The former president replied that he discussed the issue with former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, who in turn would have guaranteed that the construction company would continue with the concession.

Likewise, Pinheiro assured that Lula asked for money to finance the Bachelet campaign, in order to secure the concession. This is how, according to the businessman, the Brazilian company paid 101.6 million pesos "in the interest of the Bachelet campaign". This amount, he said, was delivered through a fictitious contract with the company Martelli y Asociados after the end of the campaign.

Lula Da Silva supporting Michelle Bachelet (2013)

However, after the Lava Jato case broke out in Brazil and OAS interference was investigated, the construction company withdrew from the concession in the Chacao canal.

According to Folha, Léo Pinheiro also revealed shares of his company in other countries, with the intervention of Lula. That was the case of Bolivia where, according to the former director, OAS was awarded the construction of a road between the cities of Potosí and Tarija in 2003 at the request of the leader of the PT, whose government at that time had differences with the administration of Evo Morales. It was not an easy project, since it had been initiated in 2003 by Queiroz Galvao, a company that broke into a conflict with the Bolivian government, breaking the contract in 2007. This opened a diplomatic impasse that Brasilia wanted to avoid.

In this way, Pinheiro assured that the then Brazilian President promised OAS to obtain another contract in Bolivia as compensation for taking a problematic project.

Another case cited by the former president of OAS was the intervention of Lula in Costa Rica. In 2011, the former president was hired by the Brazilian company, through the payment of USD 200,000, for a conference, and managed a meeting between Pinheiro and former Costa Rican head of state Óscar Arias.

Likewise, the businessman met with the then President Laura Chinchilla to negotiate the obtaining of public concessions, a business that took shape.

Léo Pinheiro is syndicated as one of those responsible for OAS in a huge plot of corruption that includes the delivery of a triplex by the construction company to former President Lula, made by which the former ruler was sentenced to 9 years in prison, penalty which he is serving in a criminal enclosure in Curitiba.

September 17th 2019

Bachelet and alleged relationship between her campaign and Brazilian construction company: "I have not had any link with OAS." I do not know if there will be a background behind this, "said the former President, after a Brazilian publication said that in 2013 her campaign would have received contributions from the company.

Former Chilean President and current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The former President and current High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN, Michelle Bachelet, spoke about the supposed link between the OAS company and the financing of her campaign in 2013. "I have never had a link with OAS, nor with no other company, "said Bachelet, also describing as" strange that this information now appears on topics that are quite speculative such as the Chacao Bridge, which the truth is that it was awarded during the Government of Sebastián Piñera and not during mine. " .

Source: Emol.com

Visit of Pope John Paul II to Chile (April 1987)

The visit of John Paul II to Chile, made between April 1st and 6th, 1987, was that Pope's only trip to the country and the first visit of a supreme head of the Catholic Church to Chile.

This historical event, which was framed within the 33rd Apostolic Journey of John Paul II (in which he also visited Argentina and Uruguay), revolutionized the faithful of Catholicism and contracted multiple meanings and facts because it was carried out during the military government of Augusto Pinochet, and served to dispel to some extent the political tensions of that time.

John Paul II arrived at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago on April 1st, on a six-day visit. At the air terminal, he was received by Augusto Pinochet and first lady Lucia Hiriart, along with military and government troops.

Later, from the Cathedral, he went to visit the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception on San Cristobal Hill, where he blessed Santiago and sent a message to the whole country.

When descending from the Alitalia flight that landed on the slab of the old Pudahuel airport, on Wednesday, April 1st, 1987, the first thing that John Paul II did was to kiss the Chilean soil. He came to spend six days in the country, which had never before received the visit of the Pontiff.

Karol Wojtyla's tour, then 66 years old, had a busy schedule and included eight cities: Antofagasta, La Serena, Valparaíso, Santiago, Concepción, Temuco, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas.

As expected, due to the magnitude of the character and the present that was lived, the visit had a series of milestones.

The first one was the meeting he held the next day with a Pinochet dressed in a suit and tie. What it meant was a private appointment, it was converted by the regime as a show of support, with the image of both greeting the public from a balcony in La Moneda.

The Eucharist on Friday 3rd in the O'Higgins Park had a series of situations that would end up marking it. The massive presence of the public, which is estimated at one million people, and the pitched battle in which the enclosure was converted, due to clashes between those present and the regime's security agencies, and that included barricades, fire and bombs tear gas.

The use of gases affected even the Pope, who stopped his words for a few minutes observing what was happening in front of him.

After three days in the capital, with a brief transfer to Valparaíso, the Pontiff flew to Punta Arenas, from where he began to move from south to north until the end of April 6th with a mass in Antofagasta.

The Cold War determined the international context, where the conflict between the east, led by the United States, and the west, ruled by the Soviet Union, progressively increased the tension between these powers and their countries of influence. “Pope John Paul II was the result of that international historical situation. His nomination caused a stir because he was a Polish Pope, since Poland was under the Soviet Union. ”

Chile, meanwhile, lived in an authoritarian regime and society became polarized among the sympathizers and antagonists of the head of government. It was a complex picture, compared to what was happening abroad.

The Pope had also paid a visit to Poland, which was ruled by a leftist general, with an iron and authoritarian regime that was Jaruzelski, and was coming to Chile, which was also ruled by a general in a fervent way, but from the right and focused on neoliberalism.

Source: Channel 13, Catholic University of Chile

Foreign Ministers of Chile and Brazil support the Bioceanic Corridor Between Brazil and Chile

The Foreign Minister of Chile, Teodoro Ribera, and his Brazilian counterpart, Ernesto Araujo, reaffirmed the interest of both countries to develop the Bioceanic Road Corridor that will link Porto Murtinho (Brazil), via Paraguay and northern Argentina, with the Port of Antofagasta (Chile).

"The crossing of the Andes mountain range and the Chilean ports are fully ready and operational to receive Brazilian cargo," said Foreign Minister Ribera.

"In the bilateral sphere, we agree in the interest of moving towards a strategic relationship, which will strengthen long-term ties between both countries, looking towards 2040," said the Chilean Foreign Minister.

Regarding trade relations, Ribera said Chile is the second largest trading partner of Brazil and, in turn, this country is the first for Chilean international trade.

In that regard, he stressed “the importance of putting into effect the Free Trade Agreement signed in November 2018, and that it needs to be approved by both Congresses”.

In addition, they reaffirmed the interest of promoting the process of convergence between the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur, within the framework of the respective Pro Tempore Presidencies that Chile and Brazil exercise in said integration mechanisms.

The 1,800 kms bi-oceanic route that will connect Chilean Pacific ports with Brazilian Atlantic ports and cross the Paraguayan Chaco, will reduce merchandise transport between the two oceans to three days.

Nowadays, ships that follow the routes to Asia, passing through Cape Horn, take an average of 13 days.

Source: PortalPortuario, ABC.com

Argentina and the fear of the return of Kirchner

Mauricio Macri - President of Argentina

The baggy triumph of Kirchnerism in the last week primaries has been interpreted by many as the announcement of the end of President Mauricio Macri government and the arrival at the Casa Rosada of the Fernandez-Fernandez de Kirchner duo.

In his statements following the knowledge of the results, the President confirmed that he will continue in the campaign until October with the expectation of reversing the results of last Sunday.

He assumes in his support that in the primaries many citizens wanted to express their protest over the difficult economic situation, but that when electing the president they will prioritize the memory of Cristina Kirchner's mismanagement and the corruption that characterized her government.

President Macri's expectations are not accompanied by the markets. Judging by what happened, they take for granted an upcoming change of government and have operated accordingly. It is also clear that many foreign and local investors and analysts see that change with enormous pessimism. Many serious opinions speak of a return of populism to Argentina.

Just as the Friday before the primaries (known as PASO) Argentine bonds and stocks rose when the polls predicted a very favorable outcome for the ruling party, on Monday, with the results, they collapsed violently. The price of Argentine shares fell by more than 40% in one day, the country risk is around 1500 basic points and the price of the dollar has grown by 25%.

Mauricio Macri's presidency failed to correct the mistakes and consequences of the populism that preceded him. His management began auspiciously, but he opted for a gradualism that did not have enough time to become successful.

Politically correct and fear of social reactions led him very close to a default that could only be avoided with the help of the International Monetary Fund. The necessary adjustment probably should have been carried out more quickly.

There are own faults in the electoral setback, but with a very clear origin in the inheritance he received from Cristina Kirchner. It is a shared fault. There is no doubt that the negative reaction of the markets must be largely attributed to the deplorable fame of Kirchnerism.

The return of Peronism

Macri pays the price of having managed the crisis by reassuring only the IMF and the wealthiest classes

The overwhelming victory obtained by Alberto Fernández-Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Sunday's primaries in Argentina predicts the return to the Casa Rosada of Peronism in the October presidential elections. 

Casa Rosada

In the face of the last-minute predictions and the hope of the markets that justicialism would achieve a tradable victory, the 15 points of advantage (47% vs. 32%) make it clear that Mauricio Macri, who aspires to re-election, does not even seem able to force Peronism to play a second round in two months.

Everything indicates that Peronism will return to power, once again becoming a presumably corrective factor in the social bankruptcy caused by the right. But this time he will do it in a scenario consumed by poverty, foreign debt, recession and galloping deficit, a frame of reference that demands realism and rigorous measures. 

The devastating effects of the economic crisis, the failure of the neoliberal recipe with which Macri arrived at the Casa Rosada and the rapid forgetting of Peronist excesses during Fernández de Kirchner's last term facilitate the new arrival of Peronism.

Neither the cases of corruption that marked the last Peronist presidency nor the suspicions of criminal participation in cases such as the death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, which reach Fernández de Kirchner, have damaged the expectations of victory of those who, as so many times, they present as the restorers of the progressive message against that of the establishment.

Source: La Nacion, El Periodico, Author's notes.

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Who is Boris Johnson ?

Boris Johnson is a British journalist and politician member of the Conservative Party, son of Stanley Johnson and Charlotte Fawcett. Married to Allegra Owen (1987-1993) and later with Marina Wheeler (1993).

His full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (he is 1.75 m tall) and was born on June 19th, 1964 in New York, United States.

His father was a conservative member of the European Parliament and an employee of the European Commission and the World Bank.

His birth was registered by the authorities of the United States and the British Consulate of the city, which granted him US and British citizenship. His father, a descendant of King George II of Great Britain, was studying Economics at the University of Columbia. With Turkish, French and German ancestors.

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ETON - Johnson entered to study at this exclusive college-boarding school thanks to the King's scholarship. He entered in September 1977 and immediately began using his middle name, Boris, instead of Alex. It was in this establishment where he developed, say those who know him, his eccentric personality. In addition, he abandoned Catholicism as a religion and became an Anglican. His school development was not very outstanding and, according to The New Yorker magazine, he delighted his classmates because he forgot the parliaments in the plays. Although his friends warned that he was not a rebel, but was "integrated into the tribe." Among his friends were the Iranian businessman Darius Guppy and the younger brother of Diana of Wales, Charles Spencer.
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As a child he suffered severe deafness and had to undergo several surgical operations.

He attended his first studies at the Eton school, and then studied the classics at the University of Oxford.

After graduating he began working at a consulting firm and then joined The Times newspaper, where he was fired for inventing a quotation for an article. Later he would work at the Daily Telegraph and the The Spectator magazine.

Apart from English, he is fluent in French and Italian, and he speaks German and Spanish. In 1989, he was a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph in Brussels. His article "The Plan Delors to rule Europe" made him the favorite journalist of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

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OXFORD - In 1983 he entered the Balliol College of the University of Oxford where he studied the classics (one of the most interdisciplinary academic degrees because it concentrates the literature, history, philosophy, languages and archeology of Greece and Rome). He was a contemporary of some of the figures of the current Conservative Party, such as David Cameron (2010-2016), William Hague, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, his opponent in the collective elections. 
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He was a parliamentarian from 2001 to 2008 by Henley in the House of Commons, a conservative district of Oxfordshire County. During 2004, he was vice president of the Conservative Party, and in 2005, David Cameron, elected him to the position of Shadow Minister (spokesperson for the Parliamentary Opposition) of University Education.

On July 16th, 2007, he announced his intention to present himself as a conservative candidate for Mayor of London, a candidacy that was confirmed by the party on September 27th. He was elected on May 2nd, 2008, defeating the hitherto Mayor, Ken Livingstone, a leftist politician. He was re-elected to the position on May 4th, 2012 and was in charge of the successful Olympic Games that year.

In 2014, he recognized a tax claim on capital gains from the U.S. tax authorities, which he ultimately paid. In 2016, he renounced his U.S. citizenship.

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LONDON - In 2008, Johnson was elected mayor of London. His campaign was focused on reducing juvenile crime, improving public transport safety and replacing buses with a modern version of the Routemaster, which are the ones currently touring the British capital. In 2012 the Olympic Games were held in the city and Johnson became a kind of celebrity. Moreover, he was elected as the most popular politician.

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He publicly declared his admiration for Donald Trump since he became President of the United States, despite not agreeing with many of his policies.

Since 2015, he is a Deputy in the House of Commons for the constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in Great London.

Boris Johnson was one of the main promoters of Brexit, and after the European referendum on June 23rd, 2016 (most Britons voted to leave the EU), the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, appointed him as Foreign Minister of her government.

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DONALD TRUMP - The President of the United States was glad that Johnson was the new British Prime Minister and said he would do "a great job" and even suggested that he was "the British Trump." Although the relationship was not always good, the BBC network recalls that in 2015, when Johnson was mayor of London, Trump said there were parts of the British capital that could not be visited. Based on this, Johnson reacted angrily and noted that the comment showed "a pretty incredible ignorance."

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On July 9th, 2018, Boris Johnson presented his resignation as British Foreign Minister, deepening the crisis in the Government of Theresa May after the resignation on the previous day of the head of Brexit, David Davis. He resigned by refusing to support the Prime Minister's plans to negotiate a smooth break with the European Union.

On May 16th, 2019, Johnson confirmed that he would participate in the Conservative Party leadership elections following the resignation of Theresa May.

Boris Johnson, promoter of Brexit, became the leader of the Conservative Party on July 23rd, 2019, and on the 24th of the same month, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom succeeding Theresa May.

🐦 Follow Boris Johnson on Twitter

Source: Buscabiografias, La Tercera

United Nations Report: Human Rights in Venezuela

Crisis in Venezuela: The devastating conclusions of Bachelet's report on the situation in Venezuela

📖 Complete UN Report: Human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

A report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of Human Rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was presented on July 04th 2019.

For her report, Michelle Bachelet, who visited the country between June 19th and 21st, interviewed more than 558 people, most of them victims of abuse and witnesses.

The government of Nicolás Maduro rejected Bachelet's conclusions as "not objective or impartial" and presents a "selective and openly biased view of the true situation of human rights" in the country.

"Corruption" in a country with 3.7 million malnourished

Bachelet concludes that in Venezuela the economic rights of citizens are also violated.

"The diversion of resources, corruption and lack of maintenance in public infrastructure, as well as underinvestment, have resulted in violations of the right to an adequate standard of living, among others, due to the deterioration of basic services such as public transportation and access to electricity, water and natural gas" says the report.

The right to food of Venezuelans is not going through its best, according to the conclusions of the report, which states that "the main food assistance program, known as 'CLAP boxes', does not cover the nutritional needs that are essential for people".

Content of CLAP Box - USD Cost in green

The government of Nicolás Maduro repeatedly denied that Venezuela suffered any humanitarian crisis.

In recent times it has begun to accept the help of organizations such as the Red Cross, but it maintains that the economic problems of the country are due to economic sanctions and "the criminal blockade" imposed by the United States.

The commission's report also addresses this issue and recalls that "the Venezuelan economy, especially its oil industry and food production systems, were already in crisis before any sectoral sanctions were imposed."

The figures it collects give an idea of ​​the magnitude of the problem. It estimates that between November 2018 and February 2019, "1,557 people died due to lack of supplies in hospitals."

Through a document released on July 4th, the government of Nicolás Maduro submitted 70 "observations" that account for what he considers to be errors contained in the Bachelet report.

The report includes the closure of dozens of print media, radio stations and television channels, as well as the increase in the arrests of journalists, including those of foreign journalists who ended up being expelled from the country.

When asked by journalists, Bachelet explained that there is no deadline to comply with the numerous recommendations made by his Office. This gives the government more time to try to overcome the countless problems it faces before the international community.

                           

                                Human Rights Watch: Torture of Presumed Conspirators (video)

Ten things you should know about the human rights crisis in Venezuela

Amnesty International - February 2019

The human rights crisis that has affected Venezuela for some years has destroyed the lives of millions of people. This is what you have to know:

1. Massive protests

The origin of most of the current disturbances in Venezuela can be traced back to March 29th 2017, when the Supreme Court of Justice, with the backing of President Nicolás Maduro, took control of the National Assembly, where the majority of the seats are of the opposition. That triggered massive protests between April and June that were suppressed by the Maduro government.

According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, in 2018 the record of 12,715 protests was reached throughout the country. These have continued in 2019, after the president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, called mass demonstrations against Maduro. 

2. Excessive use of force

Between April and July 2017, more than 120 people died, some 1,958 were injured and more than 5,000 were arrested in mass protests. In the Amnesty report Nights of terror: Illegal attacks and raids on homes in Venezuela, the organization revealed how Venezuelan security forces and armed civilian groups endorsed by the government violently burst into people's homes to intimidate them and thus discourage them from participating in demonstrations or any other form of protest.

From January 21st to 25th, at least 41 people died in circumstances linked to the mass protests, all of them from bullet wounds. More than 900 people were arbitrarily detained.

3. A policy of repression

Although the state authorities have been applying a systematic policy of repression throughout the crisis, recent guidelines indicate that it is intensifying.

The recent investigation carried out by Amnesty International showed that Venezuelan security forces under Maduro had carried out targeted executions as their policy of repression had been extended. This situation especially affected impoverished areas of Caracas and other parts of the country, where the victims were later presented as "delinquents" killed in clashes with the authorities.

Of the 41 victims killed in the context of protests in early 2019, Amnesty International documented six extrajudicial executions by security forces backed by the State and excessive use of force by authorities under the command of Nicolás Maduro.


In the 2018 report This is not life: Citizen security and the right to life in Venezuela, Amnesty revealed that the security forces used lethal means, with the intention of killing, against the most vulnerable and socially excluded people in the country under the pretext of " fight crime. "

4. Youngers in custody

State authorities have been using the justice system to illegally harass those who think differently from them. According to the Venezuelan organization Foro Penal, between January 21st and 31st 2019, 988 people were arbitrarily arrested. Among them were 137 children and adolescents, of whom 10 are still in custody. Allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees have also been received. As of January 31st 2019, Penal Forum estimated that there were 942 people detained for political reasons. Although many have been released, most of them still face trial.

5. Civilians tried in military courts

People detained for participating in protests are often tried by military courts, which is contrary to international law. The people prosecuted face, among others, charges related to association with the intention of instigating the rebellion and attack on a sentinel, designed expressly for military personnel, which is another proof of the authorities' determination to silence dissent. According to Foro Penal, 817 people were tried in military courts between April 2017 and January 2019.

6. Three million refugees and migrants

It is estimated that more than three million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, the equivalent of 10% of the population, according to UN figures. Most have sought refuge in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Most mentions the denial of their rights to health and food as the main reason to leave the country. In other words, they flee to protect their life. Amnesty International has urged the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to give Venezuelan refugees access to asylum procedures in their countries.

7. Repression of freedom of expression

There have been numerous reports of violations of the right to freedom of expression, such as the arbitrary detention and / or expulsion of at least 19 people working in the media, both Venezuelan and foreign. In January 2019, at least 11 journalists were detained in a single week, and many of them were expelled or deported from Venezuela, including Jorge Ramos and his team from the Univision TV network. Censorship and orders to close radio stations are widespread practice. The government closed 50 media outlets in 2017.

UNICEF / Santiago Arcos

8. The economic debacle

According to the National Assembly, in 2018 inflation was a shocking 1,698.488%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) calculates that, in 2019, the annual inflation rate will reach 10,000,000%. Meanwhile, the official minimum wage in Venezuela is USD 6 per month. And these are the income of a large part of the population. The inevitable result is that many people can not afford basic products.

The shortage of basic supplies such as food and medicine has left millions of people living in alarming conditions that get worse every day. The measures adopted by the state authorities have affected salaries and the rights of working people. Until 2013, the Venezuelan authorities made great progress in the area of ​​economic and social rights, but this trend has been reversed categorically in recent years.

9. The government denies it

Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly denied that the country is experiencing a human rights crisis. What is more harmful, refuses to recognize the shortage of food and medicine. The few official public statistics on the welfare of the population contrast with the reports of independent agencies.

Given that the authorities deny that there is a shortage, they have not accepted the international humanitarian aid that has been repeatedly offered. This has a catastrophic effect, especially on the most vulnerable people.

10. Harmful US sanctions

On January 28th, the US government announced new measures that prevent the Venezuelan state oil company from exporting crude oil to the United States, while prohibiting US suppliers from selling the products Venezuela needs to process its heavy crudes. Given that the Venezuelan economy depends to a large extent on the export of oil and that the United States is one of the main trade partners of Venezuela, it is likely that these measures will make the life of the people living in the country even more difficult.

Source: United Nations, Amnesty International, BBC.