LIMA, Peru - Her parole restored, political activist Lori Berenson slipped out a prison's side door and back to freedom after serving three-quarters of a 20-year sentence for collaborating with leftist rebels in Peru. The 40 year-old New York woman's legal troubles are not over, however, as Peru's top anti-terrorism prosecutor is trying to revoke her parole. Berenson and her lawyer and husband, Anibal Apari, arrived by taxi at her apartment just after dark Monday. "I will not be making...

Bolivia's new Constitution [1] which came into effect a year ago, recognizes upfront that women's rights are human rights, and it has led to real progress in both legislation and policies granting women equal rights. The changes relating to gender equality include the establishment of an electoral body that guarantees equal participation for men and women, changes in terminology recognizing the female identity and gender differences, the recognition and value of household work, the right of...

Hugo Chavez has made a career of being rejected by authorities who then underestimated his ability to take sweet revenge. Chavez was rejected by his family, the military, the political elites of Venezuela and finally U.S. President George W. Bush, but survived to punish every one of them. Here is the sad story of the making of a bully boy. Chavez experienced the bitterness of rejection early in life. Born in a dirt-poor village to a large family, his childish wild behavior was handled by...

Testimony by Colombian statistical expert Daniel Guzmán provided key evidence in the conviction of two former police officers found guilty in the 1984 forced disappearance of Guatemalan student and union leader Edgar Fernando García. In a historical ruling, two former officers of the Guatemalan National Police - disbanded in 1996 as part of the peace accords ending the internal armed conflict - were each sentenced to the maximum term of 40 years in prison for their role in...

Colombian journalist Jorge Enrique Botero denies being a mouthpiece for Colombia's largest guerrilla group the FARC after releasing material of his stay in a guerrilla camp. This is false, but irrelevant. With this statement, Botero is making the same mistake that corporate news journalists from organizations like El Tiempo, RCN and Caracol make when they say that they practice objective journalism. All of these journalists are constantly being used to promote the interests of governments,...

Nicaragua cannot be called a democracy any more with a straight face. The president has stacked the Supreme Court, had them declare that he can run for re-election contrary to the constitution, had a new constitution printed when Congress refused to change it to his liking, and ignores blatant election fraud such as tossing 100% of opponent votes in the garbage bin. This appears to be part of a plan to perpetuate the Ortegas at power. The plan is spearheaded by Venezuela, backed by Cuba, and...

In the last five years, Iran’s foreign policy has shifted from Africa towards Latin America, with the goal of, as Ahmadinejad expressed to the Venezuelan ambassador in Tehran, David Velázquez, “tying up” the United States. “The notorious shift to the left of many Latin American countries during the first decade of the twenty-first century has allowed Iran to have more success in its attempt to improve relations”. No one considers it strange that the...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a two-day visit to Iran. Referring to each other as brothers, the two leaders said no one could stop them strengthening ties. Mr Ahmadinejad said they would build a "new world order" free of US domination. Mr Chavez condemned international sanctions and "military threats" against Iran over its nuclear programme. Both leaders said they were convinced that the age of Western domination was coming to an...

During the August 22 reception of Peru’s newly appointed ambassador to Iran, Iranian President Ahmadinejad declared that Latin America was a major priority for Iran. Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Peru have all developed very strong relationships with Iran over the past few years. Since President Evo Morales’s 2006 election in Bolivia, Iran has invested over $1.1 billion for various Bolivian projects, particularly those concerned with agriculture and natural resource exploration....

It's not clear what Venezuela's hiding, but it's definitely hiding something -- and the fact that Iran is involved suggests that it's up to no good. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez admitted last week that his government is "carrying out the first studies" of a nuclear program. He attempted to portray it as an innocuous program designed solely for peaceful purposes. On Sept. 21, I held a briefing for journalists and regional experts where I revealed for the first time...