Tag: attack

A church in Araucania, Chile.

‘La única iglesia que ilumina es la que arde’: Las brasas ardientes de la historia de éxito de Chile en América Latina

Posted on by cswpress in Chile ES, español, Latin America ES

Hoy se cumplen 50 años desde que el golpe de Estado de Augusto Pinochet cambió para siempre el curso de la historia chilena. Su gobierno provocó años de atroces violaciones de derechos humanos, durante los cuales muchos chilenos fueron torturados, asesinados o desaparecidos por la fuerza, y sus cuerpos nunca fueron encontrados.  El trauma aún hoy deja cicatrices en la población.

Pinochet fue derrocado del poder en 1990 después de 17 años de brutal dictadura militar, y cuando el presidente Patricio Aylwin asumió el cargo el 11 de marzo de 1990, declaró: “Chile no quiere violencia ni guerra; quiere paz”. Si bien Chile ha disfrutado de una paz relativa y los derechos humanos en general han sido respetados desde 1990 en comparación con los 17 años anteriores, las palabras de Aylwin todavía suenan ciertas, a más de 30 años después.

El éxito se está agotando

Chile ha sido ampliamente elogiado por su estabilidad durante la última década; próspero y pacífico, en gran medida al margen de los niveles de violencia experimentados por otros países de la región. La historia de éxito latinoamericana está respaldada en gran medida por estadísticas, como las del Índice de Paz Global, que ubicó a Chile en el puesto 58 de 163 países por sus niveles de paz en 2023.

Continue reading “‘La única iglesia que ilumina es la que arde’: Las brasas ardientes de la historia de éxito de Chile en América Latina” →
Maria Concepción, a member of the Great Commission Baptist Church in Rancho Nuevo in the Huejutla de los Reyes Municipality of Hidalgo state, Mexico.

Tras el brutal ataque a uno de los suyos, la comunidad que es minoría religiosa en México espera justicia y libertad religiosa

Posted on by cswpress in español, Latin America ES, Mexico ES

María Concepción Hernández Hernández comenzó el 2023 en el hospital después de un brutal ataque físico que está relacionado con ser parte de la minoría religiosa en su comunidad. El 1 de enero ingresó a cuidados intensivos debido a vómitos constantes que le impedían retener los alimentos. Pasó diez días allí antes de ser dada de alta brevemente solo para regresar a cuidados intensivos debido a vómitos con sangre el 18 de enero.  

Como los médicos no reportaron ninguna mejoría al principio, su familia no veía mucha esperanza, hasta llegar al punto de que los miembros de su iglesia en Rancho Nuevo en el Municipio de Huejutla de los Reyes del estado de Hidalgo, México, habían limpiado un terreno. para su entierro. 

Afortunadamente, ella salió adelante. Regresó a casa el 9 de febrero y hoy camina con la ayuda de su hijo y un bastón. Todavía sufre un dolor de espalda persistente causado por haber sido arrojada con fuerza contra el tronco de un árbol, pero su recuperación sigue siendo milagrosa. 

Continue reading “Tras el brutal ataque a uno de los suyos, la comunidad que es minoría religiosa en México espera justicia y libertad religiosa” →
Maria Concepción, a member of the Great Commission Baptist Church in Rancho Nuevo in the Huejutla de los Reyes Municipality of Hidalgo state, Mexico.

After a brutal attack on one of their own, a religious minority community in Mexico is waiting for justice and religious freedom

Posted on by cswpress in Latin America, Mexico

Maria Concepción began 2023 in hospital recovering from a brutal physical attack that was linked to her membership of a religious minority in her community. On 1 January she was admitted to intensive care due to constant vomiting that meant she was unable to keep food down. She spent ten days there before she was briefly released only to be returned to intensive care due to vomiting blood on 18 January.

As doctors did not report any improvement at first, her family did not see much hope at all, to the point that members of her church in Rancho Nuevo in the Huejutla de los Reyes Municipality of Hidalgo state, Mexico, had cleared a piece of land for her burial.

Mercifully, she pulled through. She returned home on 9 February, and today she walks with the help of her son and a cane. She still suffers from persistent back pain caused by being forcefully thrown into the trunk of a tree, but her recovery remains nothing short of miraculous.

Continue reading “After a brutal attack on one of their own, a religious minority community in Mexico is waiting for justice and religious freedom” →
Bob Chan is beaten inside the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester, UK.

As China, Eritrea, Iran and more extend repression beyond their own borders, we must do better

Posted on by cswpress in China, Eritrea, Iran

In November last year, Ken McCallum, the Director General of the UK’s Security Service known as MI5, claimed that his agency had identified “at least ten” potential threats to kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the Iranian regime. He added that the Iranian intelligence services “are prepared to take reckless action” against opponents in the West, including by luring individuals to Iran.

Coming at a time of intense civil unrest in Iran following the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for incorrectly wearing her hijab, McCallum’s comments highlighted a concerning issue that applies to several of the countries CSW works on: repressive regimes are becoming increasingly unafraid to reach beyond their borders.

China

Perhaps one of the most obvious examples is China, a global superpower which regularly uses its economic and geopolitical influence to shape decisions in international fora such as the Human Rights Council, and routinely metes out sanctions against Western parliamentarians and others who openly condemn the widespread violations taking place in the country.

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Children running on sand in Nuristan, Afghanistan.

Another terrorist attack reminds us of the Taliban’s failure to protect Afghan citizens

Posted on by cswpress in Afghanistan, Asia

This piece was originally published on 14 October 2022 in Sight Magazine.

This time last year saw two shocking attacks on Afghanistan’s Shia Muslim community. First, on 8 October 2021, a suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State – Khorasan Province targeted a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz with an attack timed to coincide with Friday prayers which claimed at least 50 lives and injured 100 others. Some estimates placed the death toll as high as 100.

Then, exactly one week later, terrorists bombed another Shia mosque, again timed to coincide with Friday prayers, in the southern city of Kandahar. Estimates of those killed range between 47 and 65, while at least 80 others were said to have been injured.

CSW wrote at the time that the attacks “raised questions about the Taliban’s ability to offer security to citizens of Afghanistan, which they had presented as a key benefit of their rule.” And then, last month, with the anniversaries of both attacks on the horizon, the Shia community was targeted once again.

Continue reading “Another terrorist attack reminds us of the Taliban’s failure to protect Afghan citizens“ →