Where Human Rights and Environmental Rights Collide

Yesterday, an Inter-American court ruled against Mexico in a case that involved threats, torture, and environmental degradation.  Two peasant ecologists, Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, were trying to protect a mountain against illegal logging when they found themselves confronted by the Mexican army.

In 1999, the army arrested them for peacefully blocking roads, and the government charged them with bogus drug and weapons crimes.  Members of the army then beat the two men and threatened to harm their families.  Two years later, the international community pressured the Mexican government enough to release Montiel and Cabrera, but they were never pardoned.

Yesterday's decision held that the Mexican government had violated the men's rights to liberty, personal integrity, due process, and judicial protection.  The court ordered Mexico to pay damages to Montiel and Cabrera as to properly investigate the instances of torture they experienced so that those responsible can be brought to justice.

Before this ruling, the Mexican military investigated its own matters when the military was alleged to have engaged in illegal activity.  This often led to coerced confessions and substantive impunity.  Now, the government, not the military, must investigate the matter.  So far, Mexico has said that it would abide by the binding decision.

You can read the whole story here.

Hot News! Wikileaks!

Wikileaks files provide fresh evidence of Iraq torture
Amnesty International's Middle East expert Malcolm Smart says USA must investigate Wikileaks claims (right now, see the short video on the front page of http://www.amnesty.org/).


Read Amnesty International's article here:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/usa-must-investigate-detainee-abuse-claims-wikileaks-files-2010-10-22

Lab-Created Diamond Photo

For those of you who would like to see an image of lab-created diamonds, here's a photo of me at my law school graduation, where I wore lab-created diamond earrings with a matching pendant.  :D  Ok, it's not the best photo, but it's all I have at the moment.  Here's another one, but you can't see the pendant as well as in the other one.

Cheers.