Emergent forms of human rights prosecution

1. Emergent forms of human rights prosecution Human Rights in Latin America Spring 2009

2. Su madre pregunta que pasó Fue a ver a su novia pasadas Las diez “Desperté al sentir disparos.Mi hijo anoche no llegó.” Madre no preguntes Que pasó lo sé Testigos no habrán me olvidarán Sigue la misma historia El día a día Sangre que corre Muertos por SIDA Guerra mundial se clona His mother asks what happened. He went to see his girlfriend after ten o´clock. “I woke up when I heard shots. My son didn´t come home last night.” Mother don´t ask I know what happened There won´t be any witnesses They´ll forget me The same history continues Day to day, Blood runs Killed by AIDS War gets cloned all over the world Orishas, “Desaparecidos”

3. Diecisiete primaverasIba a la universidadNo se buscaba nuncaUn problema que alguienDiga donde está Me hacías falta y túNo estabas DiosRezos fueron poco gritosLocos planes sueños rotosA plomo y sangre olían otrosFamilia como nosotros Coro:Salió a la esquina¿Quién lo vio?Mi amigo desaparecióNo dejó ni la sombraEl culpable sabe de queHablo yo Seventeen years old He went to college He never looked for trouble Someone tell me where he is. I needed you and you weren´t there, God, Prayers did little, yelling like crazy, plans and dreams broken, lead and blood, family like us Chorus: He just went down to the corner Who saw him? My friend disappearedHe didn´t even leave a shadow The guilty ones know what I´m talking about Orishas, “Desparecidos”

4. Anoche escuche variasExplosionesPutum patam putúm petéY eso es muy normal bebeLa conciencia de hoy en día esta al revés La gente no sabe dondeCoño mete el pieY además para los criminalesUna cena de buen provechoY aunque salgan por el techoCon las palabrasQue he dicho del dicho al hechoHay un buen trecho y prosigo Last night I heard various explosions putún patá putún peté And that´s very normal baby Today´s conscience is turned upside down People don´t know where the %$%& they´re sticking their foot And for the criminals, it´s open season Even if they go crazy with what I´m saying, between saying something and doing it there´s a big difference, I´ll keep going… Orishas, “Desparecidos”

5. En nombre de mi amigo muertoQue ya saben como fueronLo detuvieron, arrestaronSecuestraronLas ropas le quitaron fusilaronLas pruebas quemaronLo mismo le ocurrióA mi vecino de diez anosQue sus organos no encontraronOye, que fatiga los quemaron,E torturaronCoro In the name of my dead friend, You know how it went, they detained him, arrested him, kidnapped him, Took off his clothes, shot him, Burned the evidence, The same thing happened to my ten year old neighbor, They never found his organs, Oh, how awful, they burned them, tortured them Chorus Orishas, “Desparecidos”

6. Otro mas de los caidosOtra espina otro dolorOtro madre sin un hijoArbol que fruto no dioDiecisiete primaverasIba a la universidadNo se buscaba nuncaUn problema que alguienDiga donde estáA los presidentes asesinosA los responsablesDe desaparecidosPa' los que trafican con niñosEl culpable sabe de que hablo yo Another one of the fallen Another thorn, another pain Another mother without her child A tree that bears no fruit Seventeen years old He went to college He never looked for trouble Someone tell me where he is. To the presidents, murderers, To those responsible for the disappeared, To those who traffic in children, Those who are guilty know what I´m talking about Orishas, “Desaparecidos”

7. Yo yo yo seQue a mi cañón de palabrasLe faltaron canallasPara derribar en esta batallaPero la historia se encargaraDe cortar sus garrasHijos de asesinosDesaparecidos,Ya ves lo que he vividoSin rastro para poner floresEn mi tumbaA mi madre le han dejadoQuien pagado me mata no sabeQue arrebata un almaIndependencia I know that my cannon of words lacks cowards to knock down in this battle But history will take charge of cutting their claws Children of murderers Disappeared, Now you see what I´ve lived, They´ve left my mother without a trace to put flowers on my grave, Who paid for my killing doesn´t know That he´s striking down a soul Independence Chorus Orishas, “Desaparecidos”

8. Human rights boomerang: Civil society organizing Civil society Governments Transnational HR org ABUSE Local HR org Victims Who are the most effective targets of the boomerang? Who are the most effective victims?

9. Forms of prosecution for HR crimes Can we imagine transnational justice like a boomerang? Who are its most effective targets? Most effective victims?

10. Forms of civil prosecution for human rights crimes: ATCA Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789 (ATCA) • Torture Victims Protection Act (1992) • Defendant must be in USA for US courts to have jurisdiction • Actions must have violated international law • Awards monetary damages, seldom paid • No need to exhaust domestic remedies • Plaintiffs have greater control over case • Individual plaintiffs Four churchwomen case Romagoza -- successful, $54.6 million verdict

11. ATCA and Corporate Accountability • ATCA cases have become a new way of prosecuting corporations for involvement in human rights abuses • First case: Doe v. Unocal • Forced labor in construction of pipeline by Burmese military • Company said it was a “passive investor” • Plaintiffs said company delegated security to govt, was accountable for govt actions • 1997 court ruled that Unocal could be held accountable • 2005 settled out of court, right before trial • Only one corporate ATCA case has even reached a trial on the merits, let alone a finding of liability

12. ATCA and Corporate Accountability • Who is accountable for human rights abuses that occur in the scope of corporate operations? • Isn’t it governments’ job to enforce the rule of law? • Response of ATCA defenders: • This is the only tool we’ve got • High threshold of proof – must show that a company was acting in concert with gov’t officials who engaged in gross human rights violations • Merely having derived a benefit from operations in a given setting not enough

13. ATCA and Corporate Accountability Response of ATCA critics • US Justice Dept: amicus curiae brief on Unocal case: ATCA not suitable for cases outside USA • National Foreign Trade Council, an organization of corporations, warns ATCA suits could “seriously damage the world economy” • US Chamber of Commerce: “Did you know that, under current U.S. law, foreigners could sue your company in U.S. courts -- if you simply did business, paid taxes and complied with the laws of a foreign country in which those foreigners allege that an atrocity occurred?” (2002 op-ed)

14. ATCA and Corporate Accountability Response of ATCA critics • National Association of Manufacturers: “Private suits threaten to impose new liabilities on American companies arising from activity abroad by a foreign government. [This] risks allowing a further erosion of the President’s exclusive prerogatives on foreign policy and his ability to develop relationships with foreign governments in ways that he determines will best advance U.S. national interests.” (2002) • What do you make of these criticisms?

15. ATCA and Corporate Accountability Fresh Del Monte case: attempt to expand categories of rights enforced to include labor rights • Guatemalan union SITRABI in 1999 conflict with plantation owned and operated by Del Monte: leaders abducted, held at gunpoint for hours, forced to make radio announcements to workers, threatened with death • Unusual liability structure • Union leaders filed criminal charges in Guatemala, attackers given nominal fines • ATCA case sought to hold Del Monte liable for violations of rights to associate, organize, and bargain collectively • District courts said leaders were treated cruelly, not tortured; not egregious enough • September 23, 2007 Marco Tulio Portela killed • Case still in courts

16. ATCA and Corporate Accountability Drummond case 2007: first corporate ATCA case to head to trial Atlanta-based mining company sued for involvement in deaths of labor leaders at mine in Colombia • Plaintiffs alleged that company provided financial and other support to paramilitaries who eliminated union • July 2007: jury ruled in Drummond’s favor; ruling upheld on later appeal, on evidentiary basis

17. What other spaces for justice exist? • “Extralegal” justice • FUNA, escraches • Indigenous justice • Usos y costumbres • Corporate justice • Codes of conduct