SPAIN: Supreme Court Prosecutor asks for the acquittal of Garzon after the commencement of his trial On June 1, the Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court asked for the full acquittal of the National Court Judge Baltasar Garzon. Garzon was suspended, and is currently standing trial, after being accused of abusing his power by opening an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed under Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. On the other hand, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, the Argentinean Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has written a letter stating that he will continue to engage Garzon as a legal advisor in order to continue his investigations into the alleged abuse by Franco. Garzon received the support of Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez, who stated that the prosecution of the judge was a “setback for universal justice.”
ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires: Long lines in front of the Plaza de Mayo The stands of the Grandmothers and Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo were seen attending to long lines of people waiting their turn to view the stalls that contained visual images of the 30,000 disappeared and their testimonies—victims of the country’s last military dictatorship—hung on the exterior walls. The memory for the disappeared played a key role during Argentina´s Bicentennial celebration of its May Revolution in remembering the last military coup d’etat of March 24, 1976. The stand of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo had graphic exhibits with histories of the victims and a screen that transmitted testimonials, manifesting the struggle for memory, truth and justice.
HONDURAS: Chavez confirms condemnation of the Honduran government Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stated on May 31 that he will not recognize the “illegitimate” government of Honduras, even if he were the last person on Earth. He also affirmed his condemnation of countries such as the United States that accept the legitimacy of the head of state Porfirio Lobo at a ministerial gathering. “It is no longer laundering money, but laundering coup d’etats. The Empire (of the United States) whitewashed the coup and now the other countries are giving in, but we will not.” Chavez, one of the fiercest critics of the ousting of then-President Manuel Zelaya on June 28, 2009, recently called the Honduran President Portifirio Lobo “illegitimate,” elected in November in what the Venezuelan President called a “farce.”
BOLIVIA, La Paz: Morales proposes the suspension of climate change summit in Cancun President Evo Morales proposed suspending the Summit Meeting on Climate Change convening in December in the Cancun, Mexico. He fears the lack of solutions would result in the same as outcome as last year’s climate change summit in Copenhagen. He added that the gathering in Cancun should be suspended so that a dialogue can be developed with the support of the appropriate “social movements” in order to “persuade” the governments of the United States, China and India of the necessity of adhering to the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 set to expire in 2013. (This is an international agreement that has as a goal the reduction of six gas emissions that cause global warming.)
MEXICO: Evo Morales asks Benedict XVI to abolish celibacy and to democratize the church In rome, Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke with Pope Benedict XVI for 25 minutes in the Vatican City, the first time the President had been granted an audience by the Pope. Morales presented him with a letter in which he respectfully asked the Pope to abolish celibacy and democratize and humanize the Catholic Church. “The Church does not have to negate a fundamental part of what is natural to a human being and it should abolish celibacy. In doing so there will be fewer sons and daughters that go unrecognized by their parents,” he wrote. He also underscored that “it is essential to democratize and humanize the church’s clerical structure” and asked that “women be given the same opportunities as men to be able to fully exercise the duties of the priesthood.”