Dear John,

This Sunday, October 30, Brazil will elect the country’s future President, choosing between the opposed visions of Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva.

I spoke with Camila Asano, Program Director of Conectas Human Rights, about the toxic environment in which the election is taking place, the impact of the rise of extremism and disinformation and what this all means for human rights and democracy across the Americas.

Also this week, check-out our event on creating a favorable environment for negotiations in Venezuela, available in Spanish.

This and much more in today's WOLA Weekly.

Regards, 

Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli

Andes and Brazil Director at WOLA

• 🇧🇷 We spoke with Camila Asano, Program Director of Conectas Human Rights and Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, Andes and Brazil Director at WOLA, about the toxic environment in which the Brazilian elections are taking place, the impact of the rise of extremism and disinformation and what this all means for human rights and democracy across the Americas. Read the Q&A here.

   

• 🇨🇴 🇺🇸 In a statement, WOLA welcomed the United States becoming the first international accompanier to the Ethnic Chapter of the 2016 Colombia peace accord. 
  

• 🇸🇻 13 Salvadoran and internacional NGOs participated in an audience at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding government abuses and attacks to the rule of law in El Salvador. Read more here.

WOLA's Director for Venezuela, Geoff Ramsey, and the Inter-American Dialogue hosted the expert panel Creating a Favorable Environment for Negotiations in Venezuela: Prospects for Resuming Talks and the Role of U.S. Stakeholders

The rights of ethnic minorities and the implementation of the peace accord in Colombia suffered severe setbacks during Iván Duque’s presidency. These challenges, however, did not stop Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities from continuing to fight for their rights. 

Read more about the implementation of the Ethnic Chapter of the peace accord in this report WOLA published with IEANPE in June. 

Adam Isacson

Director for Defense Oversight

"For about seven years, a program has been running in which CBP agents, called 'mentors' or advisers, are near the entrance doors giving 'advice' in real time. This 'advice' is actually a way to keep an eye on the arrival of citizens from countries that have been the source of terrorists in the past."

El Espectador "What is behind the mistreatment of travelers, including Colombians, in airports in Mexico?" (Available in Spanish)

WOLA seeks an assistant to support two programs; Cuba and Drug Policy! They will provide administrative support to the Directors and their programs with event planning, booking travel, clerical duties, database management, webinars and in-person meeting support, and other logistical support. Click here to learn more.

The Spring 2022 Internship is now open for applications! It will be hybrid, meaning all interns are expect to come into the office at least half of the time they work. WOLA will follow all public health guidance and revert back to hybrid if needed at any time. Interns that would like to be considered for a virtual internship should specifically request so in their cover letters. Application Deadline: November 30, 2022. We will look at resumes on a rolling basis. Click here to learn more.

At WOLA, Internships are critical to arming future generations of advocates with the necessary skills to champion human rights and social justice work in their careers. Please consider contributing to WOLA’s internship program today!

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