South America Newsletter November 2026

This month we bring you news from Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil and Chile.  Highlights are:

• Colombia Urgent Action: Yuly Velásquez, President of FEDEPESAN, a federation of fishers’ associations received threatening messages summoning her to a meeting See Urgent Action here.*
• Argentina Urgent Action: Amnesty is urging Argentina’s Congress to restore the Rural Land Law, which restricted foreign ownership to protect land, water and biodiversity. See Urgent Action here.
• Venezuela: The UN Human Rights Council has voted to adopt the resolution renewing the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela for another two years.
• Brazil: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won re-election as Brazilian President in a deeply polarised and fiercely contested presidential run-off against Flávio Bolsonaro.
• Chile: Amnesty Chile has criticised proposed reforms to the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), warning that they could undermine its independence and ability to protect victims.

COLOMBIA

URGENT ACTION: On 11 October, Yuly Velásquez, President of FEDEPESAN, a federation of fishers’ associations in Santander and the Magdalena Medio region, received a phone call and text messages summoning her to a meeting to demand a “contribution” – an extortion payment – and was threatened that she would be “made to cry with her family” if she did not comply. Yuly was recently acknowledged as “Defender of the Year” at the National Human Rights Awards 2026. We call on the Colombian government to implement effective policies to protect human rights defenders and enable them to work free from threats and intimidation. See Urgent Action here.*

 *Please note that several groups have reported that the email address listed on the Urgent Action is unreachable. We therefore kindly ask that all correspondence be directed to the Colombian Embassy in the United Kingdom, for the attention of Nancy Benítez Páez, Minister Plenipotentiary, Chargée d’Affaires a.i., at the following address: Embassy of the Republic of Colombia, 3 Hans Crescent, London, SW1X 0LN (elondres@cancilleria.gov.co)

ARGENTINA

In a new Urgent Action, Amnesty is urging Argentina’s Congress to restore the Rural Land Law, which restricted foreign ownership to protect land, water and biodiversity. Its repeal threatens Indigenous Peoples’ land rights, rural livelihoods and the environment. Nearly 5% of Argentina’s territory – over 13 million hectares, roughly the size of England – is already foreign owned. Following conflicting Supreme Court rulings, an interim injunction on 9 October temporarily suspended the repeal. Amnesty is calling on Congress to reject the repeal and reinstate these vital protections.

Amnesty Argentina announced it is reporting  President Milei to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN following his latest attacks on journalists investigating the $LIBRA cryptocurrency scandal. He publicly named five journalists, using insulting and violent language (“they should be burned at the stake”) to discredit their work. Amnesty warned that such statements by a President create an atmosphere of intimidation and could encourage further attacks.  This follows our article last month, which cited previous reports of hostility toward the press, particularly from Milei.

Amnesty Argentina published an article entitled Argentina under Milei: Ten human rights warnings. It describes a deterioration in human rights conditions since Milei became president in December 2023.  It highlights cuts to public services and social protection, labour rights, restrictions on peaceful protest, attacks on journalists, increased state surveillance, and setbacks affecting women and LGBTIQ+ people. They call on the government to assess the impact of its policies on the most vulnerable groups, guarantee civic space, and restore weakened protection mechanisms.

VENEZUELA

Amnesty International continues to highlight concerns over the Venezuelan government’s response to the June 24^th earthquakes, noting limited support for families searching for missing loved ones, widespread reports of delays in providing effective assistance, and a lack of transparency around the number of missing people. Families have been left to undertake searches on their own, housing solutions have been flawed, and the anti-NGO law continues to complicate charitable agencies in assisting.

The UN Human Rights Council has voted to adopt the resolution renewing the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela for another two years. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM) is a mechanism created by the UN to scrutinize and investigate gross human rights violations in Venezuela. Since 2024, the states that lead this effort are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

BRAZIL

NEWS: On Sunday 25 October, Brazil made a decisive choice about its political future. After three weeks of intense mobilisation in the streets and across social media, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won re-election in a deeply polarised and fiercely contested presidential run-off against Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula’s re-election keeps Brazil’s environmental progress alive, as it rejects the immediate prospect of a return to the political project associated with Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency – a period marked by rising Amazon deforestation, weakened environmental enforcement and escalating threats to Indigenous people. However, the fight for nature, Indigenous rights and democracy is not over. Read more here.

CHILE

Amnesty Chile has criticised proposed reforms to the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), warning that they could undermine its independence and ability to protect victims.  Their report also concluded the reforms are regressive and weaken its capacity to protect human rights. Academics have also warned that the proposals could weaken victims’ access to justice and increase the risk of impunity. Amnesty is urging the government to revise the legislation to ensure the INDH remains an independent and effective human rights watchdog that complies with international standards.

Amnesty Chile has condemned reductions in the sentences of people convicted of crimes against humanity during the Pinochet dictatorship. Beneficiaries include former security agents convicted of kidnapping and torture, as well as individuals convicted of sexual abuse and rape of children. Amnesty’s director, Rodrigo Bustos Bottai, argues that victims’ rights, protection and access to justice must take priority.  Amnesty called on authorities to ensure transparency in granting these benefits, explain the legal basis for each decision, and ensure they comply with Chile’s international obligations.

Front Line Defenders (FLD) warns of continuing harassment and intimidation of Mapuche Williche women human rights defenders in southern Chile. Led by spiritual leader Machi Millaray Huichalaf, they oppose the impact of Norwegian energy company Statkraft’s hydroelectric projects on their ancestral land.   Previous incidents include police raids, surveillance, arrests and the detention of family members. In July 2026, a Chilean court ruled on discriminatory reporting about Huichalaf.  FLD fears further reprisals and is calling for the protection of those defending indigenous peoples’ rights.

OUR TEAM AND YOU

Members of our team remain available to give online or face to face presentations to Local Groups on our countries. Please get in touch if you are interested.

All the best,

South America Team – Carolina Beresford (Colombia and Brazil), David Rogers (Argentina and Chile), James Baird (Venezuela) and Graham Minter (the rest of South America). Please join us on the new AIUK Community Platform.