South America Newsletter February 2026

Dear Friends,

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

Highlights are:

• Venezuela: Urgent Action issued calling on authorities to immediately release all arbitrarily detained individuals.
• Colombia: Indigenous groups face physical and cultural extinction as illegal groups battle for control of illicit mining and drug-trafficking routes.
• Brazil: The jury trial of two military policemen accused of the death of 13-year-old Thiago Menezes Flausino, due last week, has been adjourned; Thiago’s family continue to seek justice almost three years after his killing.
• Chile: Police officer accused of blinding protester Gustavo Gatica during Chile’s 2019 protests acquitted; President-elect José Antonio Kast names abortion opponent as gender equality minister; Kast also visits El Salvador’s mega-prison to explore collaboration on Chile’s penitentiary system.
• Argentina: Decree issued by President Javier Milei granting intelligence agency SIDE the power to arrest people is condemned by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations; mothers and grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo recognised for their enduring Human Rights struggle.

VENEZUELA

Between 25^th December and 19^th January, the Venezuelan authorities released a number of politically motivated arbitrary detainees, including Roland Carreno and Biagio Pillieri, as well as prisoners of conscience Rocio San Miguel and Carlos Julio Rokas. However, at least 780 individuals remain arbitrarily detained for political reasons, according to NGO Foro Penal. Amnesty International has issued an urgent action calling on the authorities to immediately release all arbitrarily detained individuals and to ensure that, whilst in custody of the state, every detainee sees their life and safety protected, fair trial guaranteed, adequate medical care, and family visits.

COLOMBIA

Violence is surging across Colombia as illegal groups battle for control of the country’s illicit economies, including key drug-trafficking routes and coca-growing regions. The 2016 peace deal with the guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has begun to unravel, allowing splinter factions to move into the vacuum it left behind.

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, located in northern Colombia on the Caribbean Coast, illustrates this vulnerability clearly. The UN has warned that five Indigenous groups living in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta – the Kogui, Wiwa, Kankuamo, Arhuaco and Ette Naka – face “physical and cultural extinction.” Indigenous leaders say assassination attempts have increased, while Colombian research organisation Cinep/Programme for Peace reports that some victims have been tortured, dismembered and displayed in public spaces in a bid to instil collective terror.

Indigenous leaders say they have faced death threats for speaking out against environmental destruction, and at least three have survived recent assassination attempts. Colombia has suffered the highest number of murders of environmental defenders for three years in a row. Colombia’s representative for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says this risk is “an ongoing tragedy that we can and must prevent.”

BRAZIL

Thiago Menezes Flausino was 13 years old when he was shot and killed during a police operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On August 7, 2023, he was riding on the back of a motorcycle when he was hit by several bullets. Four police officers were identified as involved in Thiago’s death. Following the killing, the officers were also accused of tampering with evidence, as they attempted to plant a firearm at the scene to claim there had been an armed confrontation leading to Thiago’s death.

In June 2025, the Court of Justice ordered the release of two police officers, ruling that they had not directly participated in the shooting. The two remaining officers, who admitted in their testimony to having fired shots at Thiago, were scheduled to face a jury trial on January 27, 2026. However, the jury was adjourned, and the trail did not take place. For Thiago’s family, who have been waiting for justice for almost three years, this postponement is a form of institutional violence.

A guilty verdict for the officers who admitted to shooting him is essential to challenge the endemic impunity for extrajudicial executions and police violence in favelas. The court must ensure a fully fair and transparent trial, free from bias that could perpetuate impunity for police violence. Amnesty International continues to fight for justice for Thiago, and for all those who are still waiting for the state to answer for their crimes.

CHILE

Gustavo Gatica (above) was blinded during the 2019 peaceful protests in Chile; Amnesty International opened a Case File on his campaign for justice in 2020. This was closed late last year when Gustavo stood for public office – he is now a Congressman. Last month, former Carabineros lieutenant colonel Claudio Crespo, who was accused of shooting non-lethal bullets at Gustavo, was acquitted. The majority of the court concluded that the shot that blinded Gustavo Gatica was indeed fired by the former police officer’s shotgun, but emphasised that Crespo acted in self-defence.

The acquittal applied the “Nain Retamal Law”, which Amnesty International opposed from the time it was presented as a bill. Rodrigo Bustos Bottai, director of Amnesty International Chile, explained, “The self-defence clause implied by this law can limit the exercise of judicial guarantees for victims of human rights violations, as in Gustavo’s case, because the wording of the legislation is very ambiguous and privileges the subjective interpretation of the official involved in the events.”   Gustavo expressed his bewilderment at the ruling.

Chile’s President-elect José Antonio Kast has named Judith Marín, a vehement opponent of abortion, as the country’s new women and gender equality minister.  He also appointed two ex-lawyers of former dictator Augusto Pinochet to his cabinet. Fernando Barros, 68, his defence minister, led Pinochet’s legal defence team in London in 1998, when the former dictator was facing trial for human rights violations committed during Chile’s military regime. Fernando Rabat, 53, who will be the justice and human rights minister, represented Pinochet in a case involving the embezzlement of public funds.

Kast has also visited El Salvador’s mega-prison – The Terrorism Confinement Centre – and met with its security leadership to explore collaboration on Chile’s penitentiary system. The Salvadoran model has been widely criticised internationally for human rights abuses, including alleged torture, extremely harsh conditions, and denial of due process in detention. Kast said Chile needs to “import good ideas and proposals” to combat organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism.

ARGENTINA

The Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), a leading human rights organisation, has declared a new decree (passed by President Milei when Congress was in recess) “unconstitutional” and warned that the order grants state intelligence “powers characteristic of a secret police force”.  22 other Argentine human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, joined CELS in publishing a joint statement condemning the decree, saying the order allows agents to “apprehend” people without explaining the criteria for doing so, and be “a tool for massive surveillance.”

This follows the creation late last year of a New Migration Agency,  which the then Security Minister Bullrich said would target illegal immigration and provide “real migration control.” She compared it to the United States Department of Homeland Security. But there are concerns that this is creating Argentina’s own version of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the “immigration police” responsible for deporting irregular migrants.

PEN International has expressed its deep concern over the state of freedom of expression in Argentina, which has shown a sustained and multifaceted deterioration over the last year. They say the situation is marked by the growing use of legal harassment against journalists, and that throughout 2025, President Javier Milei initiated and promoted criminal complaints against journalists for opinions and commentary related to their professional work. This is compounded by campaigns of harassment and digital violence, amplified from the highest levels of government.

Mothers and Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo received a new award recognising their enduring Human Rights struggle and vital work in recovering identities of children stolen during Argentina’s 1976-1983 civil-military dictatorship. They were presented with the “Lawyers of Atocha” Award in Madrid, Spain, in recognition of their relentless dedication to human rights. Carmen Arias, President of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Association, expressed that the award “gives strength to continue the struggle” and emphasised the importance of activism, not only nationally but also internationally.

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). Don’t forget that you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter.